THE Queen gave a sweet nod to her beloved husband Prince Philip today as she carried out her first official public engagement since his funeral earlier this month.
Her Majesty, 95, swapped her black mourning outfit for a pale blue floral dress which she accessorised with a stunning diamond brooch.
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It’s the first time she’s been pictured undertaking her royal duties since Philip, 99, died peacefully at the Berkshire royal residence on April 9.
The monarch was pictured on a computer screen smiling as she held two audiences with the ambassador from the Republic of Latvia, and the ambassador from the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire, who were at Buckingham Palace.
The broach she chose for the occasion appears to be the Nizam of Hyderabad floral royal brooch which was once a part of a tiara gifted to her on her wedding day to Prince Philip in 1947.
His Highness the Nizam of Hyderabad, Osman Ali Khan, who was the last ruler of the Indian princely state of Nizam and Berar, purchased the gift from Cartier for Princess Elizabeth – which she later dismantled to wear as brooches.
The diamond bandeau, made by Cartier in 1939, was a rose-and-foliage design which featured three separate roses – the largest in the middle with two smaller versions on either side.
The three flowers could be detached from the tiara frame and worn as separate brooches – which the Queen later did in 1973.
Her Majesty received the Cartier tiara alongside a matching necklace which she chose herself, according to Write Royalty.
The gift was reportedly recorded in her official wedding list with a cost of £5,000 at the time – but is worth much more today.
According to Hugh Robert’s The Queen’s Diamonds, the tiara was set with 1,033 brilliants, 84 baton diamonds and 17 diamond beads.
But after the three flowers were detached, the rest of the diamonds were used in a new Burmese ruby-and-diamond tiara being made by Garrard.
The Queen’s appearance today comes after the Royal Family gathered for a poignant final farewell to Philip on April 17 at a socially-distanced funeral service in St George’s Chapel, with the Queen pictured sat alone as she grieved for her consort.
The monarch – who is the nation’s longest-reigning monarch – was back at work just four days after Philip’s death.
She held her first in-person event on April 13 – an audience and investiture with Earl Peel, who was relinquishing his role as Lord Chamberlain – but was not photographed at the event.
The Queen turned 95 just 12 days after the duke died and used her birthday to release a message thanking well-wishers for their tribute to Philip.
She said she and her family were in a “period of great sadness” but were comforted by words of praise for the duke.
“We have been deeply touched and continue to be reminded that Philip had such an extraordinary impact on countless people throughout his life,” she added.
The Queen and Prince Philip celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary in November last year with the monarch crediting her late husband as her “strength” over the years.
Meanwhile, we shared inside the Maltese villa where the Queen clutched a picture of her & Prince Philip together at the Duke’s funeral.
And the Queen released heartwarming new pics of her looking affectionately at Prince Philip to honour his legacy.
Plus Kate Middleton’s touching nod to Diana AND the Queen as she wears pearl choker Monarch loaned to Princess.
