Princess Anne owns many brooches packed with sentimental jewels or hidden meanings, and today, the royal was seen wearing one of the more modest pieces in her collection. The gold wreath design is thought to be worth just a small fraction of the price of some of her famous jewels – like the £500,000 sapphire brooch that was worn by her mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
The Princess Royal visited ITV Studios Coronation Street earlier today to meet the team involved in the soap opera’s current acid attack storyline.
Attending the set as a patron of The Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI), the 72-year-old looked elegant and polished in a navy tartan jacket.
Wearing her signature ensemble comprised of a knee-length skirt, smart jacket, boots, and gloves, Princess Anne added a small brooch to complete the outfit.
Though small, the ornately carved breastpin was strategically placed on Anne’s statement lapel to make it stand out on the a-symmetrical cut of her coat.
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The brooch is shaped like a wreath with a hollow core to allow the blue of her coat to peek through.
From afar, it may lack the finer details, though if you look a little closer you can see the delicate layers of the wreath wrapped around one another.
Small clusters of gold form a flower-like pattern, which is “full of symbolism”, according to Zack Stone, an expert at fine jewellery retailer Steven Stone.
He previously told Express.co.uk that the wreath symbolises “welcome and friendship”, while the leaves signify “hope amid hardship”.
Despite its regal 18k gold exterior, the accessory is one of the royals’ more understated pieces, costing just £4,500.
However, its modest price tag doesn’t take away from Anne’s conscious choice to wear it as a nod to the tough storyline that is about to unfold on Coronation Street.
At the ITV studio, the royal was joined by acid attack survivor, Sammear Hussein, along with the cast members who will portray the crime and its effects.
The charity, ASTI, has been working alongside the show to advise on the heartbreaking reality for those involved in real-life attacks.
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And it’s not the first time that Princess Anne has worn the brooch in solidarity with those experiencing hardship.
The royal previously wore it to King’s College London while visiting part of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care (NMPC).
Before this, she had also donned the glistening gold accessory in New Zealand during which the country was dealing with a major weather event.
While the brooch has been pictured pinned on Anne’s coat on several occasions, it is yet to be seen on other members of the Royal Family.
For this reason, coupled with the lower cost, it is thought that the wreath pin was purchased by Anne herself.
Though it is one of the just many jewels in her impressive collection, the dedicated royal is no stranger to choosing sentiment over extravagance when it comes to brooches.
Earlier this year on a trip to Cyprus, she sported another budget piece to honour the Royal Logistics Corps (RLC).
Retailing at just £5.95 on Award Medals, the lapel badge is made of high-quality enamel and features the Royal Logistic Corps emblem, and is worn to indicate the wearer’s affiliation to the RLC.
