On Tuesday September 24 Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the UK, faced a massive blow from the Supreme Court ruling which declared his Suspension of Parliament unlawful.

This judgement was made by Lady Hale, the Supreme Court’s first female president since its creation ten years ago. A pioneer for women in the courtroom, Hale’s flair in the courtroom was not the only thing that got the internet talking.

During her verdict, Hale was sporting a brilliant spider brooch on the left shoulder of her black dress. This jewel-encrusted brooch was only one in her collection of brooches she has worn, including a diamond butterfly and caterpillar.

As an accessory, the brooch is typically worn by older women. The spider was both traditional and quirky in the courtroom, and certainly did not go unnoticed.

Some speculate that Hale’s choice of a huge, rhinestone spider brooch had a more significant underlying “secret” message. Theories include that the spider was worn to threaten the Prime Minister, it signifies “feminine energy” in the spirit animal kingdom, or that it was a reference to The Who’s song, Boris the Spider.

Others came up with absurd, yet comical, backstories to the brooch. “Lady Hale looks like the kind of sweet old lady who’d make you tea and offer you a biscuit and then sits down to tell you about all her assassination missions she did for the resistance during the war in occupied France” wrote @EwaSR on Twitter.

You can see an image of the brooch here.

What do you think of Lady Hale’s fashion statement?