Princess Anne issued a moving statement on Tuesday evening as she accompanied her mother's coffin to Buckingham Palace.
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The Princess Royal had remained with the Queen in Scotland since her death and subsequently travelled with her as she made her way back to London.
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For that poignant last journey home, Anne, 72, chose to honour the late monarch in the most touching of ways.
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She was pictured wearing her Grima pearl earrings – a gift from her parents, the Queen and Prince Philip, which she has previously worn at some of the most significant periods of her life.
Princess Anne chose to wear her Grima pearl earrings
The earrings combine gold, pearl and diamonds in a modern leaf design, and have been in regular rotation for Anne since the 1960s.
While they are not the most expensive item in Anne's jewellery collection, she has turned to them for some of her most important personal milestones, including at her late father Philip's funeral in 2021, her wedding to Timothy Laurence in 1992 and during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Pictured on her wedding day with husband Timothy
Anne – the Queen and Philip's only daughter – released a moving statement in light of her mother’s death.
She said: "I was fortunate to share the last 24 hours of my dearest Mother's life. It has been an honour and a privilege to accompany her on her final journeys.
Anne paid a loving tribute to her late mother
"Witnessing the love and respect shown by so many on these journeys has been both humbling and uplifting. We will all share unique memories. I offer my thanks to each and every one who share our sense of loss."
She finished: "We may have been reminded how much of her presence and contribution to our national identity we took for granted. I am also so grateful for the support and understanding offered to my dear brother Charles as he accepts the added responsibilities of The Monarch. To my mother, The Queen, thank you."
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