Queen Camilla debuted the new accessory at the Japanese state banquet on June 25. In addition to sparkling in the Burmese Ruby Tiara, the King’s wife sported a never-before-seen badge on her sash featuring a miniature portrait of her husband.

The portrait of the British monarch by Elizabeth Meek is based on a Hugo Burnand photograph taken in 2023, which shows King Charles, 75, wearing the uniform of the Admiral of the Fleet. It is mounted in a diamond-set white and yellow gold frame and topped with a small gold and enamel Tudor crown, set on a pale blue ribbon.

Queen Camilla, 76, debuted the piece at the event, pinning it on her blue sash just above Queen Elizabeth’s Family Order, which features a portrait of the late monarch on a yellow ribbon. Camilla received Queen Elizabeth’s Family Order in 2007.

Royal watchers have been waiting to see King Charles’ Family Order since his accession in September 2022, and Queen Camilla is the first person to wear it.

“The tradition of commissioning a Family Order, a badge worn by female members of the royal family personally bestowed by the sovereign, was established by King George IV over 200 ago,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement. “Family Orders have since been instituted by Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, King George V, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II.”

The honor was specially created for women in 1821, in part because only men could receive many honors. The Family Order is personally given out by the monarch without consultation with the government, traditionally after a female royal has been acting as a working member of the family for several years.

Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh also attended the state banquet honoring Japan’s Emperor and Empress. However, she did not wear King Charles’ Family Order. She did sport Queen Elizabeth’s Family Order, which she was bestowed in 2004.

The Duchess of Gloucester, who was given Queen Elizabeth’s Family Order, also didn’t wear the new accessory at the state banquet.

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