3 min read
Queen Camilla has been thoughtful in her wardrobe choices during the first two days of the state visit to the U.S. this week. After wearing white and pale hues in Washington, she veered toward navy blue in a silk crepe Fiona Clare dress for a day in New York City.
What stood out on the Queen’s dress is the Diamond Britannia Brooch. The pin is mounted in 18-carat white gold and depicts Britannia, the female warrior-goddess and national symbol of Britain dating back to Roman times. Next to her is a Union Jack shield set with rubies and sapphires. The design mirrors the cap badge of the Royal Norfolk Regiment, of which Camilla holds the title of Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment’s successor unit.
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Queen Camilla, in the Britannia Brooch, at Clarence House in 2024.
The jewel was also previously worn by the Queen Mother, marking the second consecutive day Camilla has worn a piece that belonged to her, following the Art Deco Brooch she chose for King Charles’s address to Congress on Tuesday. Charles’s grandparents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, went on the first royal state visit to the United States in 1939. Camilla previously wore the Britannia Brooch in 2024 while meeting members of the Maiden Yachting Crew after they became the first ever all-female crew to win an around-the-world yacht competition, the Global Ocean Race.
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A closeup of the Britannia Brooch.
Camilla wore the brooch for her daytime events, starting at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in lower Manhattan, where the royal couple laid a bouquet of flowers on the edge of one of the reflecting pools in honor of the lives lost in the 2001 as well as for victims of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. They also met with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, along with first responders who took part in rescue efforts, and currently serving personnel.
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King Charles, Queen Camilla, and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg at the 9/11 Memorial.
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Camilla speaks with family members of 9/11 victims and first responders.
Before departing, the King and Queen met with organizations dedicated to supporting victims’ families and preserving the legacy of the attacks for future generations, including Tuesday’s Children, which provides youth mentoring and community programs, and representatives from the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Garden, opened by the late Queen in 2010 as a living memorial to British and Commonwealth citizens who died in the attacks.
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King Charles and Queen Camilla in lower Manhattan.
Queen Camilla continued onto a solo engagement at the New York Public Library’s flagship branch at Bryant Park. According to The New York Times, she is the first British royal to visit the famous library since it opened in 1895. Her literacy charity, The Queen’s Reading Room, hosted a reception for more than 100 members of the publishing world hailing from both sides of the Atlantic. Among them were actress Sarah Jessica Parker, who served as a judge for the 2025 Booker Prize, one of literature’s most prestigious awards; Today co-host Jenna Bush Hager, who also hosts her own book club on the popular morning show called “Read With Jenna”; and New York Times bestselling authors Harlan Coben and Min Jin Lee. Lee’s famous novel Pachinko was a The Queen’s Reading Room book club pick in 2024.
King Charles also has a meetings scheduled with finance sector leaders as well with Harlem Grown, a grassroots organization and after-school program targeting food insecurity by transforming abandoned urban lots into sustainable farms.
They will conclude the day at a reception hosted by Christie’s for The King’s Trust, Charles’s foundation for empowering young people in education and employment. Founded in 1976, originally known as The Prince’s Trust while he was still the Prince of Wales, the organization celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
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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.