Queen Camilla replaces Melania Trump’s $40,700 gift after White House visit
Queen Camilla received a Tiffany & Co. brooch from Melania Trump, though she stopped wearing it after leaving the White House.
Camilla, 78, was spotted wearing the brooch as she accompanied her husband King Charles during a state visit to the U.S. last week. The pair were welcomed at the White House by the first lady and her husband Donald Trump.
As Charles and Camilla bid farewell to the Trumps, Camilla was seen sporting the vintage brooch, which showcased a diamond floral design encircled by rubies. The brooch wasn’t the only gift exchanged during the trip, as Charles presented the president with a bell which had a special tribute to the 79-year-old.
While Camilla wore the brooch, estimated to be valued at approximately $40,700, when leaving the Trumps, she switched to a Cartier piece for her visit to Arlington National Cemetery. The new accessory featured both the Union Jack and the American flag. It was the same jewel Camilla wore upon her arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, reports the Express US.
The brooch had been presented to the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1957 by Robert F. Wagner Jr., former Mayor of New York. It has subsequently been handed down to Camilla.
It is traditional for the royals to exchange gifts during a state visit. The Tiffany & Co. brooch was presented to Camilla by Melania during the president and first lady’s state visit to the U.K. last September.
In exchange, Camilla gave Melania a handbag by Anya Hindmarch and a silver and enamel bowl crafted by artist Cara Murphy. During Charles and Camilla’s state visit last week, the royals presented a gift to the Trumps, with Charles offering the president the bell from a World War II-era British submarine named HMS Trump.
Charles presented the item during a state dinner at the White House and remarked, “May it stand as a testimony to our nations’ shared history and shining future.” Charles characterized the bell as his “personal gift.” The artifact bore the president’s name and 1944, the year the submarine left a U.K. shipyard.
The king noted the bell came from a submarine that played “a critical role during the war in the Pacific.” During a special toast at the White House state dinner, Charles portrayed the history of Britain and America as “reconciliation, from adversaries to the closest of allies, not always perhaps following the straightest path.”
Alluding to the gift, he quipped, “And should you ever need to get hold of us, well, just give us a ring.” Charles went on, “Our people have fought and fallen together in defense of the values we cherish across the ocean and from coast to coast. We have stood together through the best and worst of times,” acknowledging the “challenges we now face from those who wish us harm across the world.”