Touching down in Maryland for a four-day US tour, Queen Camilla made the purpose of her and King Charles’ visit clear in Cartier diamonds.
The Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes brooch, set with rubies, emeralds and diamonds, featuring the US and UK flags, is the royal equivalent of a friendship bracelet between the two countries and between the Windsors and US President Donald Trump.
The brooch was originally presented to Queen Elizabeth II by then New York Mayor Robert F Wagner in 1958, on her first state visit to the US as monarch.
This is Charles and Camilla’s first visit to the US since their coronation in 2023. It comes as relations between the two countries are challenged, described by observers as at their lowest point in 70 years.
Just in case the message of friendship was too subtle, Camilla traded her preferred uniform of Fiona Clare and Anna Valentine coat dresses, for a pink dress from Dior, a luxury label US first lady Melania Trump would recognise.
Melania wore a grey Dior suit on last year’s state visit to the UK and her wedding dress, worn in 2005, was from the French brand.
No reading between the jewels is required for Camilla’s dress diplomacy. Wearing the American state visit brooch, a small green flower vintage ornament, presented to Elizabeth by former president Barack Obama and Michelle Obama during their state visit to the UK in 2011, could have been seen as an example of brooch warfare. That didn’t stop Elizabeth from wearing it on the day of Trump’s first visit to the UK as president in 2018, but those were different times.
The brooch, dress and fixed smile are examples of Camilla’s growing mastery of the royal wardrobe. A similar approach was taken on her visit to Australia with Charles in 2024, when she wore the white and yellow diamond Australian Wattle brooch on a blue Fiona Clare dress.
After touching down in Maryland, Charles and Camilla were taken to the White House where they were greeted by Trump and Melania, wearing a buttercream double-breasted yellow suit by US designer Adam Lippes, with snakeskin Manolo Blahnik heels. Lippes designed Melania’s navy coat for last year’s presidential inauguration.
Camilla had performed a quick change out of Dior into the familiar territory of an Anna Valentine white chiffon dress with black beaded embroidery. The Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes brooch remained centre stage.
While Melania was hands free for the greeting, the Queen followed in her mother-in-law’s footsteps by having a handbag at the ready. Camilla’s ecru Bottega Veneta Andiamo bag, is from an Italian luxury label favoured by Melania, who wore one of their black sleeveless dresses to the Kennedy Centre last year.
Charles meanwhile has kept his sartorial cool in a mid-blue pinstriped suit and light-blue striped shirt, patterned tie and folded pocket square, leaving the dress diplomacy to his wife. Sometimes it’s good to be king.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
