Queen Camilla Made Tribute to Wedding Dress Designer

Queen Camilla channeled a bride at one of her latest royal engagements—and the outfit she donned was a touching tribute to her wedding-dress designer and the late Queen Elizabeth II, her mother-in-law. On June 6, 2024, for the D-Day 80th anniversary event, Camilla wore a bridal-inspired ensemble: a white tea-length coat dress with long sleeves that split at the cuffs, a collar featuring silver embroidery, and an A-line skirt. 

The garment was from the label Anna Valentine, the haute couture fashion house that was responsible for creating Camilla’s wedding looks. Brand co-founders Anna Valentine and Antonia Robinson worked together to design a cream coat dress, which Camilla wore when she tied the knot with King Charles III on April 9, 2005, during her civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall. Since Elizabeth didn’t attend the service due to the couple’s previous divorces, the newlyweds held a religious blessing at St. George’s Chapel afterward, where Elizabeth was present. For the second round of festivities, Camilla changed into another creation by Valentine and Robinson, a light blue coat dress with gold embroidery.

For the D-Day celebrations, the queen paired her ensemble with a sentimental accessory, the Diamond Shell Brooch, which once belonged to Queen Elizabeth. The glittering item—a scallop shell composed of pavé diamonds and a single pearl in the middle—appeared next to the lapel of her garment. The piece dates back to 1919, when Sir Courtauld-Thomson gifted the item to his sister, before it was passed down to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, who wore it on countless occasions, Hello! magazine reported. When her mother passed away in 2002, Elizabeth inherited the sparkling brooch. 

During the D-Day anniversary, Camilla sported several other fashionable add-ons. In addition to the diamond brooch from her mother-in-law, she wore Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry, nude heels, and a white hat by Philip Treacy, the designer who was responsible for her bridal headwear. 

On her wedding day nearly two decades ago, Camilla completed both of her bridal outfits with statement hats by Treacy. When the bride legally wed Charles, she paired her cream-colored coat dress with a wide-brimmed ivory hat, decorated with lace fabric and decorative items placed on the side. For the religious ceremony, she swapped the headpiece for another Treacy original, a gold wheat-inspired piece.