The Secret Meaning Behind the Brooches the Queen Wore During Her VE Day Address
Queen Elizabeth is a master of sending subtle messages with her jewelry—a talent she showcased once again on Friday, when she selected some very meaningful aquamarine gems.
For her highly-anticipated televised address, timed to celebrated the 75th anniversary of VE Day, the Queen chose to wear her aquamarine clip brooches—a pair of Art Deco-style pieces crafted by Boucheron. She was gifted the pair by her father, King George VI, in 1944 to celebrate her 18th birthday. George VI—showcased, during the broadcast, in a framed photo on the Queen's desk—sat on the throne during the war, and delivered a memorable radio address on VE Day in 1945 marking the Allies' victory in Europe. Altogether, given the brooches' tie to the late King, they were an apt choice for the occasion.
Earlier in the day, the royals also paid tribute to George VI on social media. On both Twitter and Instagram, the Windsors' official accounts shared audio of the King's VE Day radio broadcast. (In honor of that speech, the Queen's televised address took place at 9 p.m., the same time her father's speech did 75 years ago.)
She also mentioned her father during her broadcast. "I speak to you today at the same hour as my father did, exactly 75 years ago," the Queen said. "His message then was a salute to the men and women at home and abroad who had sacrificed so much in pursuit of what he rightly called a 'great deliverance.'"
Later, she added, "As I now reflect on my father’s words and the joyous celebrations, which some of us experienced first-hand, I am thankful for the strength and courage that the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and all our allies displayed."
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