The Royal Family has released a never-seen-before portrait of Her Majesty The Queen on the eve of her funeral.
It was taken at Windsor Castle in May earlier this year with the Queen flashing a beaming smile while wearing some of her favourite jewellery.
Her late Majesty was wearing a pastel blue dress, adorned with a stunning pair of aquamarine and diamond clip brooches.
The brooches, worn separately above each other, which were an 18th birthday present from her beloved ‘Papa’, George VI, in April 1944.
The monarch also accessorised with pearl and diamond earrings and a three-stranded pearl necklace.
They appear to be the same earrings the Princess of Wales has worn four times in the past week to pay tribute to the late monarch.
Meanwhile, the necklace appears to be the same one she wore in the last known photograph of her, when she met Prime Minister Liz Truss at Balmoral Castle just days before her death.
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Throughout her life, the Queen amassed a jewellery collection full of family heirlooms, priceless treasures and gifts from world leaders.
The monarch was rarely seen without diamonds, pearls or gemstones adorning her clothes, with royal commentators sometimes suggesting she used the pieces to send unspoken signals.
Particular attention was paid to her brooches: Her Majesty would often choose one with a connection to the person, country or organisation she was visiting.
The Queen was believed to have more than 100 brooches in her collection.
The art deco-style Boucheron clips worn in the portrait released on Sunday evening were adored by the late Queen.
They are made of aquamarine and diamonds and in a typical 1940s design and combine baguette, oval and round stones.
The distinctive style of the brooches – one often used by Cartier – led many jewellery experts to believe the clips were actually the work of the brand, which is why they are often incorrectly identified as the Cartier aquamarine clips.
The clips can be worn in a number of different ways: as matching clips, on either shoulder or as a single brooch.
The Queen usually wore them as separate clips, one above the other, on her left shoulder.
Due to the translucent nature of the jewels, the Queen typically wore them with blue or pale purple fabrics that enhanced the natural colour.
She wore the pieces on a host of occasions over the years, including during her televised message on the 75th anniversary of VE Day in May 2020.
Meanwhile, although many often associated the Queen with her incredible royal collection of priceless tiaras, intricate brooches and dazzling diamond earrings, she was, like many Englishwomen of a certain age, most at ease in her pearls.
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