Why do British royals wear mourning jewellery? The historical significance of pearls


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As the mourning for Queen Elizabeth II continues, members of the British royal family, politicians and diplomats have been seen wearing strings of pearls with their sombre, all-black looks.

The decision is not a coincidence. It is commonly known that wearing black is seen as a mark of respect, as too is the wearing of pearls, in a tradition that dates back to Queen Victoria.

Four pieces of mourning jewellery worn by Queen Victoria. Made to commemorate her husband, Prince Albert, who died in 1861, and daughter Princess Alice, who died in 1878. Photo Sotheby's
Four pieces of mourning jewellery worn by Queen Victoria. Made to commemorate her husband, Prince Albert, who died in 1861, and daughter Princess Alice, who died in 1878. Photo Sotheby's

When Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert died in 1861, she was so overwhelmed by grief, she wore all black for the rest of her life, a period that spanned almost 40 years. Her head-to-toe black ensembles were broken only by the occasional piece of jewellery. Most of it was black, or colourless, but Queen Victoria also wore white pearls, as they were considered to denote purity and tears.

To mourn the loss of both her daughter Princess Alice in 1878, as well as Prince Albert, Queen Victoria wore brooches made with their initials, and a jet-black pendant set with a single, white pearl, establishing a tradition that has lasted until the present day.

Following the recent death of Queen Elizabeth, the tradition is being continued. When the new Queen Consort Camilla attended the Accession Council ceremony, where her husband was formally declared King Charles III, she wore a necklace with four rows of white pearls, with a round diamond clasp.

Immediately following the announcement of the death of the queen, Catherine, Princess of Wales, was seen collecting her children from school wearing pearls by Annoushka, attached to Kiki McDonough diamond hoop earrings.

Meanwhile, to attend the Accession Council ceremony, former prime minister Theresa May and Patricia Scotland, Baroness Scotland of Asthal, both chose to wear pearl necklaces.

As well as being a classic item of jewellery, the decision to wear pearl necklaces not only follows with tradition, but can perhaps be seen as a nod to Queen Elizabeth in a touching gesture.

Both Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother wore pearls to the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales at Westminster Abbey in 1997. AFP
Both Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother wore pearls to the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales at Westminster Abbey in 1997. AFP

As a monarch, Queen Elizabeth followed court protocol rigidly. Following the tradition set by Queen Victoria, she wore pearls to attend the funeral of her uncle, the Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII in 1972. His abdication forced his brother, the queen's father, onto the throne as King George VI. At the Duke of Windsor's funeral, both Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother wore pearls.

Princess Diana wore a necklace with a single pearl to the funeral of Princess Grace of Monaco in 1982, and when the queen attended Princess Diana's funeral in 1997, she wore a triple strand of pearls with her black dress.

More recently, when Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh died in 2021, the Princess of Wales, then known as the Duchess of Cambridge, attended his funeral wearing a four-strand pearl necklace.

In addition to being a royal mourning tradition, however, Queen Elizabeth clearly treasured wearing pearls and was seen wearing them on a regular basis. Therefore, the fact that royal women are now choosing to wear pearls is perhaps a tilt to the great regard in which they held her.

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Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm

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Sharad Nair recommends three investment apps for UAE residents:

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16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side

8 There are eight players per team

There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.

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Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.

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Emirates exiles

Will Wilson is not the first player to have attained high-class representative honours after first learning to play rugby on the playing fields of UAE.

Jonny Macdonald
Abu Dhabi-born and raised, the current Jebel Ali Dragons assistant coach was selected to play for Scotland at the Hong Kong Sevens in 2011.

Jordan Onojaife
Having started rugby by chance when the Jumeirah College team were short of players, he later won the World Under 20 Championship with England.

Devante Onojaife
Followed older brother Jordan into England age-group rugby, as well as the pro game at Northampton Saints, but recently switched allegiance to Scotland.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How being social media savvy can improve your well being

Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.

As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.

Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.

Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.

Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.

However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.

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Updated: October 13, 2022, 11:41 AM`