Queen Elizabeth II has paid tribute at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, exactly 100 years after the soldier was laid to rest at Westminster Abbey, having died on the battlefields of France during World War I.
The Queen was dressed entirely in black, with a red poppy pinned to her Jardine Star brooch. While the Jardine Star is one of the Queen’s favourite brooches, and she wears it regularly, very little is known about its provenance. According to the reference book The Queen’s Jewels, by Leslie Field: “In 1981, the Queen was left a late Victorian diamond star brooch by Lady Jardine, which she has worn on many occasions. It has a collet diamond on a knife-wire between each of its eight points.”
However, Lady Jardine’s actual identity is a mystery, as nobody of that name is recorded as dying around 1981. The designer of the brooch is also unknown, making it a curiously appropriate choice for the Queen to wear when placing a bouquet on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.