Princess Charlotte spotted paying subtle tribute to beloved ‘Gan-Gan’ at Queen’s funeral
Prince Charlotte was just seven years old when she paid a moving tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at her funeral in November 2022, wearing a piece of jewellery once owned by the history-making monarch
Prince Charlotte‘s meaningful tribute to her beloved ‘Gan-Gan’ at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral has been remembered by royal fans.
Charlotte, then aged seven, wore a delicate silver horseshoe pinned to the lapel of her black coat when she attended the State Funeral at Westminster Abbey in September 2022. Eagle-eyed royal enthusiasts spotted the brooch at the service – and it was revealed afterwards that it was actually a gift from her ‘Gan-Gan’, the Queen. It was a fitting nod to the long-reining monarch’s lifelong love of horses.
The horseshoe brooch was inherited from the Queen Mother, who herself was gifted it from her mother-in-law, Queen Mary. It was then eventually passed down from Queen Elizabeth II to Charlotte.
She was pictured with a horseshoe brooch which had been in the Royal Family for generations ( Image: Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Charlotte used to call her late grandmother ‘Gan-Gan’ ( Image: WireImage)
Taking to Instagram to explain the history behind the sweet meaning of the brooch, user historyfamousjewels wrote: “At the funeral of QEII [Queen Elizabeth II] Princess Charlotte of Wales wore a small diamond horse shoe brooch. The BBC states that it was a gift from HM QEII to the Princess. Fellow poster, Franck (britishroyalfamilywealth) recognised that it is a brooch worn by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in the 1920s.
“Franck also noted that Leslie Field stated that the brooch was given to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother by Queen Mary. I would like to pay tribute to the composure of the young Princess during what must have been an overwhelming experience. Isn’t it delightful to know how jewels are passed down through the generations!”
The piece of jewellery once belonged to the Queen Mother and was passed on to Charlotte by Queen Elizabeth II ( Image: Popperfoto/Getty Images)The Royal Family have on many occasions choice jewellery as a way to pay tribute to the Queen, and during the funeral, Kate, Princess of Wales also honoured the Queen by donning two pieces that once belonged to the late monarch. She wore a pair of Bahrain pearl drop earrings, and a four-strand pearl necklace with a centre diamond clasp adorned her neck. Both of these items were from the Queen’s personal collection. The Queen herself previously wore the necklace for a state banquet in Bangladesh in 1983, and the Bahrain earrings were a gift to the Queen for her wedding in 1947.
Princess Charlotte is now nine years old, and seems to be taking on a role guiding her two younger siblings. Last month, she teamed up with Prince George and Louis to share a sweet Father’s Day message in a royal first. The trio combined to wish their father, heir to the throne Prince William, their best wishes. The message was shared on their family’s official social media channels, along with a picture of the happy foursome taken in Norfolk last month.
