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princess anne woodland trust© Woodland Trust

Princess Anne just wore the most apt accessory for her latest appearance

The Princess Royal loves a themed brooch

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Danielle Stacey
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
March 19, 2021
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The Princess Royal made a new appearance to mark the International Day of Forests ahead of Sunday – and HELLO! couldn't help but notice she was wearing a rather apt accessory.

In the video message shared by the Woodland Trust, Princess Anne donned a smart black and maroon blazer and pinned to the top of her blouse was a gold branch-shaped oak brooch, complete with a squirrel.

The stunning design is a bespoke piece created for the royal by jeweller Alex Monroe.

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WATCH: Princess Anne wears apt brooch to mark the International Day of Forests

The designer presented Princess Anne with the brooch when she officially opened his new studio and production workshop in 2017 to mark his 30th year in the business.

Alex told The Telegraph at the time that the oak brooch represented his brother's army regiment, the Mercians, explaining: "When the Mercians are in the presence of royalty they wear an oak leaf and the tradition comes from the battle of Dettingen, in 1743.

anne brooch© Woodland Trust

Anne wore her Alex Monroe oak brooch for the special video message

"At one point the king was at risk of being captured so his troops surrounded him and asked him to climb up into an oak tree and they fought off the French until other British troops could get there to save him.

"When he came down from the oak tree he brought a branch and presented it to the soldiers who had protected him."

Alex gave his own finishing touch to the piece, adding: "I couldn't not put a little squirrel on it, could I?"

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alex monroe bracelet

Alex Monroe Forget Me Not Drift Bracelet, £126, John Lewis

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Princess Anne, who is renowned for her love of wildlife and unique accessories, said during the video message: "Life has changed for all of us over the past 12 months and during the most challenging of times we have become aware of the importance of having regular access to green spaces.

"People have found comfort in woodland in these calming and magical places.

"We all benefit from our trees and woods and we could do with a great deal more of them. The Woodland Trust's hope for this year's International Day of Forests is that more of us stop taking our local trees for granted."

The Trust aims to establish 50 million trees across the UK over the next five years, and recently announced £2.9m to help fund green spaces for local communities across the UK, calling on more people to get involved in tree planting in urban areas. 

For more information about the Woodland Trust, please visit www.woodlandtrust.org.uk

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