Re: Funeral of the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire Archived Message
Posted by Arthur  on October 4, 2014, 4:59 am, in reply to "Re: Funeral of the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire"
To avoid any confusion or misunderstanding: I agree that the brooch worn by Camilla (whose origin we do not know) and the brooch presented in 1947 by the Dowager Duchess of Portland (for which we have no picture) being one and the same brooch is only a possibility (as the description could match), but not a certainty.
Beth1's suggestions are also plausible alternative options.
Regarding the wearing of coloured jewels at a funeral: of course, this turquoise and diamond trefoil brooch is a small and discreet one, and nobody will blame the Duchess of Corwall for wearing it. But, except this detail, Camilla's outfit for this funeral was perfectly traditional (hat, black dress...). And until now, each time Camilla had attended a funeral, she classically wore a diamond brooch, or no brooch at all (but never a brooch with coloured stones).
The only exception to Camilla's very traditional funeral outfits I remind of is the recent funeral of her brother Mark Shand: for the funeral itself, on 1 May 2014, she wore a dark blue dress with white spots, and for the memorial service, on 11 September, she wore a black jacket over her white dress printed with butterfly motifs - an evident tribute to her brother's life dedicated to wildlife's protection (and possibly to his rather unconventional way of life). No brooch during both ceremonies.
 
And of course I agree that, far more than observing strict conventional "rules", the most omportant at a funeral is to honour the departed's life in a way which seems the most appropriate, according to his/her way of life, his/her ideas and, possibly, his/her last wishes (we can remember, for instance, that Queen Juliana and her four daughters were dressed in white at Queen Wilhelmina's funeral, at Wilhelmina's explicit request, because Wilhelmine found that black was too gloomy for a ceremony supposed to celebrate the belief in heaven and the awaiting of resurrection).
--Previous Message--
: Unless we have an image of the brooch given to
: QEII by the Duke of Portland on the occasion
: of her wedding, I do not think we can draw
: such a conclusion.
: There are several more likely possibilities.
: 1 Prince Charles may have given the brooch
: to his wife to complement the necklace and
: earring set she has.
: 2. As Bryce mentioned, the brooch may have
: some link to the dowager Duchess of
: Devonshire.
: Arthur, I am sorry to disagree with you, but
: I cannot find anything odd in the Duchess of
: Cornwall wearing a coloured jewel to a
: funeral. It is not as if it is outrageously
: flamboyant. I acknowledge that my thinking
: comes from the modern idea that we celebrate
: the life of the departed.
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