The Queen's New Zealand Silver-Fern Brooch
1953Diamonds, platinum | 7.3 x 3 cm (whole object) | RCIN 250032
The Queen often wears brooches that represent the emblems of Commonwealth countries while visiting or meeting their representatives. These include: the Canadian Maple-Leaf Brooch, worn by Her Majesty (then Princess Elizabeth) on her first visit to Canada in 1951; the Flame-Lily Brooch, the emblem of Zimbabwe, which was pinned to The Queen's mourning clothes when she returned to Britain from Kenya after the death of her father in 1952; the New Zealand Silver-Fern Brooch, presented by the Women of Auckland on Christmas Day, 1953; the Australian Wattle Brooch, presented on Her Majesty's first visit to Australia in 1954; and the Sri Lanka Brooch, presented to The Queen during a State Visit to Sri Lanka in 1981.