Royal Collection Trust / ©️ HM King Charles III
For her wedding, Queen Victoria hired twelve Maids-of-Honour to carry her 18 foot (5.5 metres) train. Following the ceremony, Queen Victoria ‘gave all the Train Bearers, as a souvenir, a small eagle brooch in turquoises,’ which would have been presented in a blue velvet box.
Prince Albert is said to have had an influence in the design of the brooches and like always, he ensured that each of the stones used had a poignant meaning: turquoises and pearls represented true love, rubies for passion and diamonds for eternity.
The brooches were made by jewellery Charles du Vé, who had been contracted to make the pieces by the Royal Jeweller, R. & S. Garrard.
It is thought that most of the twelve pieces still survive, some of which still belong to the family of the original receiver. The brooch you can see pictured above is now in the Royal Collection after it was acquired by Queen Mary in 1925.
© Queen. Victoria.Roses 2024
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Such a beautiful brooch. I love that Prince Albert made sure the brooch had significant meaning. I love jewelry like that. I often wonder how many other great things Prince Albert would have accomplished if he had lived as long as Queen Victory.