Queen Camilla is celebrating a significant birthday milestone. Today, Her Majesty turned 79, marking the last year of her 70s, the decade where she was named queen alongside her husband, King Charles.
Queen Camilla Posts New Portrait in Honor of Her Birthday—and She’s Wearing a Meaningful Brooch
A nod to Queen Elizabeth...and also Prince Harry?
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Published Jul 17, 2026
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In a post shared to the royal family’s Instagram account, Camilla shared not one, but two new pics, both snapped by Getty Images photographer Chris Jackson. According to People, they were taken earlier this year during a May visit to Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland.
The queen looks lovely and elegant in her signature blue hue, but it’s her butterfly brooch that stood out the most. A gift previously given to the late Queen Elizabeth, the diamond and sapphire brooch was presented to the monarch during a visit to Birmingham in February 1976 to commemorate the opening of the National Exhibition Centre and help kick off the city’s annual Spring Fair. The striking piece is said to have been designed by Waldron Gardner of Cheltenham, per a report in the Birmingham Daily Post.
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It’s also a piece with history for Camilla herself. As The Court Jeweller—who refers to the brooch as a bejeweled moth—notes, the queen last wore it to bid farewell to Empress Masako at the conclusion of Britain’s State Visit with Japan in 2024. She even paired it with the same dress she wears in her new birthday portraits.
It’s clearly a meaningful piece in Queen Camilla's collection and one that provides a touching link to Queen Elizabeth II. The fact that it also carries a Birmingham connection is especially timely, coming just days after Prince Harry's visit to the city for the “One Year to Go” celebrations ahead of the 2027 Invictus Games. Whether that connection is an intentional nod to that (and the family reunion that followed) or simply coincidental, the historic brooch has found itself back in the spotlight.
Either way, we're wishing the monarch a very happy birthday—and looking forward to seeing which royal jewel she reaches for next.
