Just when you thought every possible royal fashion connection has been explored, Princess Charlotte and Queen Camilla have served up an unexpected matching moment. Royal Ascot is still a few months off, but Queen Camilla headed to the famed racecourse on Feb. 15 for The Ascot Chase Raceday—and she wore a gorgeous piece of jewelry that brings back memories of the first brooch Charlotte, 9, wore in 2022.
The Queen wore a glittering horseshoe-shaped pin that’s steeped in royal history for her equine outing, sporting King Edward VII’s Minoru Brooch. Per The Court Jeweller, the diamond, sapphire and ruby piece actually spells out the name of the late King’s horse, Minoru, who was a champion at the 1909 Epsom Derby.
The late monarch commissioned several brooches to commemorate the victory, like the one Camilla wore over the weekend, making it an extremely meaningful design to wear to the races.
As for Princess Charlotte, she wore her own horseshoe brooch to Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022. The young princess, who was 7 at the time, looked grown up in a wide-brimmed black hat and black dress coat for the solemn day, adding a tiny equine-themed pin to her jacket. It was Charlotte’s first-ever brooch moment, and per People, it turns out the piece was actually gifted to her by her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.
The significance of the brooch doesn’t stop there, as the sparkling horseshoe pin once belonged to the Queen Mother. Queen Elizabeth, of course, was a lifelong equestrian, and Charlotte is said to share her great-grandma's passion for horses.
Charlotte wasn't the only one to wear Queen Elizabeth's jewelry to her funeral; Princess Kate sported the late Queen's pearl choker and a pair of her drop earrings, while Meghan Markle wore the pearl studs gifted to her by the late Queen.
Since wearing her sentimental jewelry, Princess Charlotte—who will turn 10 on May 2—has chosen some more pre-teen-like looks, like the polka dot dress she showed off at Wimbledon 2024.
"It felt like a bit of a milestone, like she's transitioning from a sweet little girl in smocked floral dresses to a slightly more grown-up tween vibe," Bethan Holt, Style Director at the Telegraph, told People at the time.
