Why the Queen ADORES Her Chrysanthemum Pin
By Jill Brooke
For those who admire Queen Elizabeth II and her efforts to preserve tradition, duty and floral symbolism, her annual Christmas speech didn’t disappoint.
In her annual Christmas Day speech, the 95-year-old Queen was seen wearing a sapphire chrysanthemum brooch that honored her late husband Prince Philip.
While the speech was her 69th time addressing the nation on Christmas Day, this year marked her first holiday season without Prince Philip, who died at the age of 99, on April 9.
Commentators said how her floral broach is a tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh, as she wore the same sentimental pin for several memorable milestones with him – including a photoshoot during their 1947 honeymoon in Broadlands, Hampshire.
She also wore the same brooch 60 years later, pinning it to a pale blue dress as the pair celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary by revisiting Broadlands in 2007. Others mentioned how she favored the accessory for anniversaries, as she wore it for their 70th wedding anniversary in November 2017.
Of course, the chrysanthemum is a flower for royalty – especially in Japan and China – and is called the Queen of all Fall Flowers since it grows late in the season.
This pin has petals of diamonds surrounded by large sapphires and is a rare piece that dates back before her 1947 wedding. According to the Express, it was a gift to Princess Elizabeth in 1946 for launching the British Princess oil tanker from Sir James Laing & Sons Limited and the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company Ltd.
It is one of the first jewelry gifts Elizabeth ever received, before her long reign where she has collected many favored broaches.
Not only do flowers remind us of loved ones, but as author Carol Woolton also says, floral jewelry becomes everlasting in symbolism and sentimentality because you can wear it all year long and think of a loved one.
And it seems that this flower will have an enduring affection in the Royal family since Princess Charlotte has a pink green-tipped chrysanthemum that was named after her at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2019.
In the language of flowers, a chrysanthemum means a symbol of a long and happy life.
