Camilla sports £4,500 Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet at Sandringham Flower Show with King Charles – after Vogue editor praised Queen for taking ‘joy’ in jewellery, while branding Kate a ‘disappointment’
- Queen Camilla, 76, attended Sandringham Flower Show with King Charles today
- READ MORE: Kate Middleton labelled a ‘disappointment’ in her approach to jewellery by former Vogue editor Suzy Menkes: ‘She doesn’t have Camilla’s joy!’
Queen Camilla was snapped wearing a £4,500 Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet as she attended Sandringham Flower Show with her husband King Charles today.
Her appearance follows comments made by former Vogue editor Suzy Menkes, who praised the 76-year-old royal’s ‘joy at wearing jewellery’, while criticising Kate Middleton, 41, for being a ‘disappointment’ when it comes to her gems.
The bracelet worn by Camilla for her outing today is one of numerous pieces she owns from Van Cleef & Arpels.
She appears to favour the Alhambra range, that encompasses lucky-clover style motifs, owning multiple pieces from the line including bracelets, earrings, and necklaces in a range of colours.
And the queen consort has been snapped sporting the pieces at various events, opting for a green Alhambra necklace with matching earrings when attending a charity launch at the V&A in 2017.
Queen Camilla (pictured) during a visit to the Sandringham Flower Show at Sandringham House in Norfolk today, wearing her blue and gold Magic Alhambra bracelet
King Charles also attended the Sandringham Flower Show today, wearing a light suit and carrying a straw hat
She wore her Magic Alhambra Diamond earrings from Van Cleef & Arpels, at the Man Booker Prize award ceremony in October 2015.
And Camilla donned the blue and gold Magic Alhambra bracelet she was snapped wearing today while attending a 2022 Buckingham Palace reception.
For today’s appearance, the royal sported a midi length shirt dress in navy, with a green leaf print, and low-heeled nude pumps.
She wore her light blonde locks styled into her trademark soft, wavy bob, and opted for a natural make-up look including a fresh base and pink lip.
Meanwhile, the king opted for a pale beige two-piece suit with cuffed slacks and a single-breasted blazer.
He paired it with brown Oxford shoes, a crisp white shirt with a spread collar, and maroon print tie.
At times, he shaded his eyes from the bright sun with a pair of retro-style shades with light rims, and he carried a straw hat.
The couple were guests of honour at the 140th annual Sandringham Flower Show, in the grounds of the royal family’s private estate in Norfolk.
Camilla wears her blue and gold Magic Alhambra bracelet, just one of the pieces she owns from Van Cleef & Arpels’ Alhambra line
Camilla was seen admiring some of the impressive blooms on show as she attended the Sandringham Flower Show
The 76-year-old royal was fresh faced during her appearance at the show in Norfolk today, opting for a natural make-up look
They arrived at the show in a horse-drawn carriage which had belonged to Queen Victoria was regularly used by Queen Elizabeth and the late Queen Mother when they also attended the show.
They were greeted warmly by the 20,000-strong crowd along their route, who clapped and cheered, before disembarking and standing for the National Anthem.
Camilla was given a posy by Charlie Spink, 10, and told him the weather had come out for them all as her husband went to speak to the Essex Police Band.
The King politely bent down to pick up part of a euphonium that dropped to the floor in front of him.
Musician Paul Hicks thanked the king and said afterwards that he reassured him: ‘I know how you feel! I think you’ll warm up soon.’
Indeed, just minutes later as he was presenting The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother challenge cups he accidentally knocked one of the lids off.
‘It always happens to me,’ he joked.
At times, the king looked cool wearing a pair of retro-style shades with light-rimmed frames. He also carried a straw hat
King Charles appeared to be enjoying his appearance today in Norfolk, as he made his way around the flower show
The royal couple arrived at the Sandringham Flower Show in a horse-drawn carriage, in traditional style
Inside the first tent of exhibits he and his wife were given roses by specialist company Peter Beales before going their separate ways to view the displays.
Camilla made a beeline for rows of delicious home-baked goods, including the royally-themed pie complete with a decorative crown – and distinctive ears.
She smilingly pointed out the pie to her personal assistants and then went to get her husband, dapper in a beige suit and tie.
‘There’s a very, very nice pastry,’ she said innocently, ushering him over.
She also joked that: ‘It looks just like my husband.’
The king fortunately saw the funny side, saying with grin: ‘It’s an artwork, I think,’
The couple also toured an exhibition by Flowers From The Farm, who supplied blooms for the couple’s Westminster Abbey coronation.
King Charles seemed to be enjoying the engagement today, and was prepared for the sunny weather, with shades and a straw hat
GREETINGS: The king (pictured, left) and the queen consort (pictured, right) were both snapped smiling as they waved to the public
Alongside her pricey bracelet, the queen consort (pictured) also donned some thin chain necklaces, and a simple pair of pearl earrings
Camilla sweetly took out her husband’s buttonhole after being given another flower to wear, saying: ‘Can I swap this around.’
She told him: ‘We used those on the flower displays in the abbey. Do you remember?’
The King and Queen also viewed a sustainable garden with a giant slug made from two pence pieces and a fountain from old car parts, before making their way up and down crowds of well-wishers, shaking hundreds of hands and posing for photographs.
The king held onto his hat but donned a pair of cool sunglasses, while his wife cut an elegant figure in a Fiona Clare dress.
They popped into a number of other tents including the local Women’s Institute, where Queen Camilla bought a knitted dachshund and bags of home-baked cakes.
They also admitted artwork by local schoolchildren and ‘hobby cows’ made out of socks. ‘I am sure they had great fun making them,’ Camilla remarked.
Before their departure they spent several minutes talking to a team from Baby Basics Norfolk, a local baby bank, and the Sandringham Warrant Holders Association.
The couple then walked through a Guard of Honour formed of the King’s Lynn Air cadets before stepping into their carriage again.
The Sandringham Flower Show is a ‘hardy annual’ in the royals’ calendar and signals the King and Queen’s last joint engagement before departing for their summer break.
Many of East Anglia’s leading nurseries and horticultural specialists exhibits as the show as well as keen local amateurs, with the profits from the one-day show being donated to charity. More than £825,000 has been given over the years to good causes.
Chairman David Reeve said: ‘It’s always such an honour and as we walked around everyone was in high spirits. It’s unbelievable the amount of hands they shake, people are so happy to see them. It’s hard to get away.
‘The King knows more about plants than many people here. Every show I learn something different from him. He’s knowledgeable on so many subjects, but especially this.’
When it came to her sartorial choices today, Camilla wore her favoured bracelet not long after she was praised for her attitude when it comes to jewellery.
Speaking on her podcast Creative Conversations, former Vogue Suzy Menkes, 79, from Beaconsfield, complimented the queen – while criticising Kate Middleton, 41.
The prominent critic – who was awarded an OBE by the late Queen for her contribution to fashion journalism in 2014 – invited British Vogue’s jewellery editor Carol Woolton onto the show, where they discussed the Princess of Wales’ recent outfits.
Suzy accused Kate of appearing indifferent to the collection of rare and precious jewels she is privileged to wear and said she doesn’t seem as passionate about jewels as her mother-in-law Camilla.
BUTTON HOLE: At one point, Camilla sweetly took out her husband’s buttonhole after being given another flower to wear
FLOWER SHOW: Many of East Anglia’s leading nurseries and horticultural specialists exhibit as the show as well as keen local amateurs
King Charles smiled as he shook hands with members of the public during a visit to the Sandringham Flower Show
She said: ‘The Princess of Wales is a bit of a disappointment about jewellery. She gives the impression that she only puts it on when she absolutely has to.
‘I imagine her looking beautiful in one of those gowns behind the scenes and then pulling a face as if to say, “Do I have to wear this?”
‘She doesn’t give any sense of adoring jewellery and being pleased to put it on.’
The fashion critic then highlighted how Queen Camilla – who visited the Monica Vinader headquarters recently – seems much more interested in gems.
Suzy added: ‘She doesn’t seem to have Camilla’s joy at wearing jewellery.’
However, the critic remains on the fence about whether Kate’s attitude towards jewellery will change as she edges closer to the throne.
She continued: ‘We now have a new Queen, so presumably she has a first opportunity to look at the jewels.
‘We can imagine that the next in line to the throne’s wife would be something that was very special, so will we see Catherine wearing jewellery that is more dramatic, that is more personal to her?
‘I don’t know. I can’t help feeling with things of beauty, you either love it or you don’t.’
Suzy added more salt to the wound by criticising the Royal Family for not being candid about how some of the jewels in the collection were acquired.
She added: ‘It’s one of these strange secrets. It’s not discussed, and I can see why because some of the pieces are dubious. They came from India.
‘I won’t say they were stolen but they were perhaps given and taken by the British Royal Family, they weren’t stealing it but they were taking over a country at that time and taking jewels they thought were an attractive thing to take back to England with them.’
Camilla also smiled as she petted a dog while at the flower show – she is thought to be a huge fan of the animal
The royal couple (pictured) appeared to be sharing a joke, as they were photographed laughing together
Queen Camilla admitted her grand-daughters were ‘incredibly jealous’ of her as she toured the headquarters of British design success Monica Vinader yesterday.
Camilla, 76, visited the headquarters of the eponymous firm in Norfolk – where she had earlier stopped by a horse sanctuary – which was started by Ms Vinader and her sister in a converted forge next to her home just 15 years ago. It is now worth nearly £100 million.
The company prides itself on its green credentials and was last year awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development – the last in the late Queen Elizabeth’s name.
Gushing about the brand, Camilla told the designer: ‘My grandchildren – well my granddaughters – are incredibly jealous of me being here today.’
She added, laughing: ‘They follow you [on social media]. When they found out that I was coming here they started dropping quite a lot of hints about things they would like for their birthdays.’
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