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Queen Camilla has long used jewelry, especially brooches, to communicate meaning at special events, and the pin she chose for her arrival at Joint Base Andrews on Monday was no exception. As she and King Charles touched down in Maryland for a four-day state visit to the United States, fastened to Camilla’s pink Dior coat dress was a Cartier brooch combining the British and American flags. Known as the Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes brooch, it is set in platinum with rubies, emeralds, and diamonds, and the piece carries nearly 70 years of diplomatic history behind it.
The brooch was originally presented to Queen Elizabeth in 1957 during her first state visit to the United States as monarch. Its origins began with a diplomatic inquiry: the British Ambassador to the United States, Sir Harold Caccia, forwarded a message from the New York City mayor’s office to the Queen’s private secretary, Sir Michael Adeane, asking whether a brooch featuring the crossed flags of both nations would be a welcome gift. The answer was affirmative, and the finished piece was presented to Elizabeth at a luncheon, hosted by New York Mayor Robert F. Wagner.
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King Charles and Queen Camilla, wearing a pink Dior coat dress, seen exiting the plane at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
Similar to the one this week, the 1957 state visit carried considerable weight. Conducted at the height of the Cold War, it was intended to reinforce the special relationship between the U.S. and UK. It also echoed the visit that Queen Elizabeth’s parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, had made to the United States in 1939 in the lead-up to World War II. For Camilla to wear the brooch on arrival nearly seven decades later gives the gesture an additional layer of resonance.
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Queen Elizabeth, with Prince Philip to the left, at the top of the Empire State Building in 1957.
The King and Queen will be spending the first two days of their highly-anticipated visit in Washington, D.C. After being greeted on the tarmac by senior members of the British Embassy in Washington and other U.S. government officials, the royal couple will be whisked away to the White House, where they will be hosted for afternoon tea by President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.
While at the White House, both couples are scheduled to visit the grounds’ beehives. Formally established in 2009 under then-First Lady Michelle Obama, the beekeeping program was set up to support the pollination of nearby gardens. First Lady Melania Trump is expected to unveil a new beehive on the South Lawn, designed in the shape of the White House.
Capping off a busy first day, King Charles and Queen Camilla will then enjoy a garden party at the British Ambassador’s Residence, a Queen Anne-style home that was added to National Register of Historic Places in 1973. More than 600 guests have been invited, chosen for their specific connections to the transatlantic relationship, whether tied to politics, science, the arts, or charitable organizations. The Ambassador’s Residence, situated on Embassy Row in the Northwest quadrant of the city, has a long history of hosting royal visitors. It first held a garden party for Charles’s grandfather, King George VI, in June 1939.
The British royals will also have a chance to view a time capsule created to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence, to which they will add a commemorative coin produced by the Royal Mint for the occasion as well as a proclamation from the King. The capsule will be installed under the Washington Monument on the National Mall later this year. It is intended to be reopened at the quincentennial, America’s 500th anniversary, which would be July 4, 2276.
Rachel King (she/her) is a news writer at Town & Country. Before joining T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in Forbes, Observer, Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at @rk.passport.