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Camilla’s glittering nod to Wales: Queen Consort wears a replica of a diamond leek brooch worn by Her Majesty and Princess Diana as she joins Charles on his first visit as king
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Queen Consort Camilla has paid tribute to the people of Wales by wearing a replica of her late mother-in-law’s leek brooch when visiting the nation.
Camilla, 75, wore the Welsh Guards Leek Brooch copy on her lapel as she accompanied her husband King Charles on his first trip to Wales since he took the throne.
King Charles, 73, the longest-serving Prince of Wales ever, is meeting politicians and officials in Cardiff today as part of his journey across all British lands as the new monarch.
Queen Consort Camilla wore a replica of the Welsh Guards Leek Brooch this morning while visiting Llandaff Cathedral for a prayer and contemplation service
The original Welsh Guards Leek Brooch was donated to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1960 and was last worn by the late monarch at a scaled down Trooping the Color in 2020
Diana, Princess of Wales, also owned a replica of the brooch she wore on occasions involving the Welsh Guards (pictured during a Welsh Guards First Battalion parade in 1990)
The original Welsh Guards Leek Brooch which was designed for Queen Elizabeth II in 1960 using the drawings of the Welsh Guardsmen.
It was presented to the late monarch as a regimental gift and was financed by the guards themselves, who paid 12 and a half pence each.
In the decades that followed, the Queen wore the brooch at most events involving the Welsh Guards.
Most recently she wore the heirloom with the New Colors of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards at Windsor Castle in 2015, and also at a scaled-down Trooping the Color in 2020 at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
Princess Diana, who bore the title of Princess of Wales, also wore a replica of the brooch while watching a parade of the First Battalion of the Welsh Guards in London in 1990, when Britain’s Queen Elizabeth presented the regiment with new colours.
The late monarch, pictured on Trooping the Color in June 2020, wore the Welsh Guards Leek Brooch several times during her 70 years on the throne
Queen Consort Camilla wore the brooch today as she visited Llandaff Cathedral with her husband King Charles III on his first visit to Wales since he took the throne
Today marked King Charles’ first visit to Wales since he became monarch, having previously served as Prince of Wales for 53 years.
He and Queen Consort Camilla were welcomed with cannon fire and cheers when they arrived in the country.
The royal couple landed at Cardiff airport at approximately 11.15am before boarding the waiting royal limousine to take him to Llandaff Cathedral for a prayer and reflection service for the late Queen.
The cheers of the thronged benefactors on their way to the cathedral turned into loud shouts as the king’s gleaming auburn Rolls-Royce swept through the city.
On arrival at the cathedral, His Majesty was warmly greeted by Welsh Prime Minister Mark Drakeford and faith leaders before being led inside.
The congregation, which included Prime Minister Liz Truss and Secretary of State for Wales Robert Buckland, sang Welsh hymns, including the much-loved Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer.
The Archbishop of Wales, the right Reverend Andrew John, paid tribute to the Queen, saying she had ‘the ability to make contact with the man or woman on the Clapham Omnibus, or here, the Merthyr Tydfil Omnibus’.
The service ended with a rendition of the national anthem, God Save The King, before escorting Charles to sign the visitor’s book.
The royal bond with Wales is strong, as Charles was appointed Prince of Wales in 1969, while his mother the Queen will be buried with her Welsh gold wedding ring – made so that she would ‘always have a piece of Wales with her’.