Whenever Duchess Catherine steps out, you can guarantee all eyes will be on her stunning outfit.
At this year’s National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in London, the Duchess of Cambridge was the picture of regal elegance in her military-inspired black coat and matching hat. But it was the brooch pinned to her coat that royal fans recognised as a sweet nod to her paternal grandmother, Valerie Glassborow.
Instead of the traditional paper poppy, Duchess Catherine chose to wear the Codebreakers Brooch- a poppy that was released earlier this year to honour the 13,000 men and women who worked on the Bletchley Park Roll of Honour.
Valued at £29.99 (AU$55.95), the brooch is a tribute to those who worked in signal intelligence during the Second World War and is inspired by the rotors of the Enigma machines that decrypted many enemy messages.
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The Duchess of Cambridge’s brooch was a sweet nod to her late grandmother.
(Image: Getty Images)Seeing as Duchess Catherine’s paternal grandmother Valerie Glassborow along with Valerie’s twin sister Mary and her great-aunt all served as codebreakers at Bletchley Park during the Second World War, the Codebreakers Brooch was no doubt a subtle way for the royal mum-of-three to pay tribute to her late relatives.
During an official visit to Bletchley Park in May, the Duchess of Cambridge was shown bricks dedicated to her grandmother and great-aunt as part of a special D-Day exhibition in the newly restored Teleprinter Building.
Speaking of her family members’ experiences, Duchess Catherine said at the time: “My granny and her sister worked here. It’s very cool. When she was alive sadly she could never talk about it. She was so sworn to secrecy that she never felt able to tell us.”
Duchess Catherine’s grandmother and great-aunt served at Bletchley Park as codebreakers during the Second World War.
(Image: Getty Images)Duchess Catherine joined the Queen and Duchess Camilla on the balcony, but some royal fans were confused that Duchess Meghan did not stand with them.
The reason why is all due to royal protocol and ranking within the family. It’s a similar situation during the Trooping the Colour celebrations where less senior royal family members don’t stand front and centre of the Buckingham Palace balcony.
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Seeing as Duchess Camilla and Duchess Catherine are the wives of the first and second in line to the throne, they stood with the Queen while Duchess Meghan was spotted alongside the Countess of Wessex and Princess Anne’s husband, Sir Timothy Laurence.
The balconies of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office building where the royals stand for the Remembrance Service are also considerably smaller than the Buckingham Palace one, where the entire royal family, cousins and second cousins and more, can stand together.
Duchess Catherine stood with the Queen and Duchess Camilla on the balcony.
(Image: Getty Images)
