Queen Camilla wears Queen Elizabeth II’s glittering seashell brooch worth £30,000 and a necklace with her grandchildren’s initials on it during tour of Kenya

Queen Camilla opted for sentimental jewelry for her first day in Kenya, including Queen Elizabeth II’s glittering seashell brooch and a necklace with her grandchildren’s initials on it.

The King’s wife, 76, dressed in a stylish cream dress, was warmly greeted by Kenyan President William Ruto and his wife First Lady Rachel Ruto at the State House in Nairobi during the first full day of her and King Charles’ tour .

Adding a touch of glitter to her ensemble, Camilla wore the Queen Mother’s Courtauld Thomson Scallop-Shell Brooch, which was also a favorite of Queen Elizabeth II.

As the name suggests, the brooch is shaped like a shell made of rows of diamonds and a single pearl, while several diamond strands of varying lengths dangle below.

It was designed by Lord Courtauld-Thomson, son of a famous Scottish inventor, and made in 1919 in London by The Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Co., Ltd, before being presented to Queen Elizabeth, the future Queen Mother, by his sister in 1944. left. Winifred Hope Thomson.

Camilla’s treasured piece – which she has worn on her tour of Kenya so far – is a gold chain (pictured) engraved with the initials of her grandchildren, born to her children Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes

It is a prized possession worn by the Queen Mother to mark her centenary, and was bequeathed to Queen Elizabeth II when her mother died in 2002.

Her Majesty wore her mother’s brooch on several special occasions, including the unveiling of the Queen Mother’s statue and the wedding of her granddaughter Zara to Mike Tindall.

It is not the first time that Camilla has worn the item; she wore it during her performance at Royal Ascot this summer.

While Queen Camilla is known to wear heirlooms from the royal family, along with gifts from her husband King Charles, one piece of jewelry she often wears surprisingly has no royal ties.

Camilla’s treasured piece – which she has worn during her tour of Kenya so far – is a gold chain engraved with the initials of her grandchildren, born to her children Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes.

It is engraved with five letters representing her grandchildren on her non-royal family side: ‘L’, ‘F’, ‘G’, ‘L’ and ‘E’ for Lola, Freddy, Gus, Eliza and Louis.

In the center of the beloved pendant is a small round ruby, the queen’s birthstone.

Meanwhile, the Queen yesterday told children to ‘explore’ the world as they do in storybooks, after sitting down for a fun Kenyan story.

Queen Elizabeth II, wearing the Courtauld Thomson Scallop-Shell brooch, at the unveiling of a new statue of Queen Elizabeth (pictured, left) and at the royal wedding of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall in 2011 (pictured, right)

It is a prized possession worn by the Queen Mother to mark her 100th birthday (pictured) and was bequeathed to Queen Elizabeth II when her mother died in 2002.

A passionate reader and literacy advocate, Camilla joined students at Eastlands Library in Nairobi as they read passages from the popular children’s book Lion And Mouse by Catalina Echeverri.

She smiled broadly and gave them a huge round of applause at the end of their reading performance, as they sat cross-legged on the floor.

‘You are all very good readers. Work hard and keep reading,” the queen told the fourteen children.

Mary Kinyanjui, of the Kenya National Library Service, said afterwards: ‘She encouraged them to keep reading and discover more about the world, as they do in storybooks.’

The Queen was at Eastlands Library to meet the founders of Book Bunk, a Kenyan charity that transforms public libraries into ‘Palaces for People’.

Outside she paused to shake hands with excited people and children.

She was welcomed inside by Book Bunk founder and publisher Angela Wanjuka and author Wanjiru Koinange.

She met with local artists and performers before viewing the library’s giant chessboard and time capsule and greeting the winner of the 2021 Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition, Ms. Kayla Bosire.