The Prince of Wales Feathers Brooch: The 1863 Emerald Jewel Worn by Diana, Camilla and Catherine
One jewel, three Princesses of Wales. How a Victorian wedding present became a pendant, a brooch and back again.
The Prince of Wales Feathers brooch was made by Garrard in 1863 as a wedding present for Princess Alexandra of Denmark. It has an emerald drop and can be worn as a brooch or a pendant. Diana, Princess of Wales wore it on a necklace; Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales have since worn it as a brooch.
A Welsh wedding present
When Princess Alexandra of Denmark married the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII, at Windsor in March 1863, the gifts included a suite of jewels from the Ladies of North Wales. According to The Court Jeweller, a committee of women raised the money, and the jewels, set in Welsh gold, were presented by the Countess of Powis in June 1863. The suite included a large leek brooch, a pair of emerald earrings and a brooch in the form of the Prince of Wales's badge, made by Garrard.
The design
The brooch shows the heir's emblem: three ostrich feathers rising from a gold coronet, with the motto "Ich dien" ("I serve") on a ribbon below. Diamonds surround it, with small rubies and emeralds, and an emerald drop can hang beneath. Because it was made to be worn as either a brooch or a pendant, the same jewel has looked quite different from one generation to the next.
Three Princesses of Wales
InStyle reported that Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother gave the jewel to Diana on her marriage in 1981. Diana wore it often, usually as a pendant on a necklace, sometimes with the emerald drop and sometimes without it. After her death in 1997 it returned to the royal collection. Queen Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall, wore it pinned as a brooch with the emerald, The Court Jeweller records, at a film premiere in autumn 2006. The Princess of Wales first wore it in November 2022, to welcome the President of South Africa, and has since worn the diamond cluster alone.
Convertible jewels and what to look for
Brooches that unhook to become pendants, drops that detach, and tiaras that break down into brooches were common in the Victorian period. If you own a piece like this, look for a hinged bail or loop on the back, detachable fittings, and small screws or pins. Keep every part, even ones you never wear: a convertible jewel with all its original fittings and its fitted case is complete, and completeness is one of the things that shapes interest in antique jewellery, along with maker, period, stones and condition.
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- The Court Jeweller, "Queen Camilla and Princess Catherine wear exquisite state visit brooches in Windsor", Sept 2025
- InStyle via AOL, "All about the brooch Queen Camilla made from one of Princess Diana's wedding gifts"
Mozeris Fine Antiques is not connected with the Royal Household or Garrard. No press, agency or AI images are used; the photograph shows a piece from our own stock.
