Camilla’s brooches today convey ‘secret’ message to husband Prince Charles – what is it?

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall is the second wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the British throne.  Camilla became an official member of the Royal Family in 2005, at age 58. After a late night of entertaining the NATO leaders from around the world last night, today Camilla visited Emmaus Greenwich – a charity that provides a home and meaningful work to people who have experienced homelessness and social exclusion – in celebration of their 25th anniversary.

However, today’s outfit choice wasn’t the only secret message that Camilla was trying to convey. She also chose to wear a particular piece of jewellery which could have significance. What was it?

Being married to the heir of the British throne definitely has some perks, such as access to some of the impressive jewels in the royal vault.

However, the Duchess of Cornwall has her own jewellery collection which is no less impressive.

There are many beautiful jewels and gems in Camilla’s personal collection that she has inherited from her family, but there’s one particular piece she regularly wears since marrying Prince Charles. 

The piece in question is a pair of pansy brooches the Duchess has worn pretty regularly since her marriage to the Prince of Wales.

As with many of the gorgeous pieces in her personal collection, there is no definite information on the provenance of this pair, however it is almost certainly a family heirloom, according to Artemisia’s Royal Jewels.  

The brooches have clear rhinestones all around the edge of each petal, with a single pearl nested in the centre, in a small spot of yellow.

The pansy broaches are set in 14k yellow gold and are colourised with a palette of deep purple and vivid yellow enamel.

With these brooches the Duchess of Cornwall could well be sending a secret message directly to the Prince of Wales, what do the pansy brooches convey?

Life-like flowers in enamel in gold were all the rage at the end of Victorian period and beginning of Edwardian, so it is likely this pair is from the time as well.

At the turn of the 20th century, the language of flowers was still very popular; flowers, artificial and real, were often given in a special arrangement to convey a “secret” meaning.