Kate Middleton and Princess Diana wearing sapphire and diamond earrings.Photo:Richard Corkery/NY Daily News via Getty; Samir Hussein/WireImage
Richard Corkery/NY Daily News via Getty; Samir Hussein/WireImage
Kate Middletonshimmered in something special fromPrincess Diana’s jewelry box at her latest engagement.
On Wednesday, the Princess of Wales, 41, delivered thekeynote speechat theShaping Us National Symposiumat The Design Museum in London, glittering in a pair ofsapphire and diamond drop earringsthat previously belonged to her late mother-in-law Princess Diana.
This isn’t the first time she’s shimmered in the accessories. Princess Kate has worn the earrings multiple times this year, fromTrooping the Colourin June to theCommonwealth Day Serviceat Westminster Abbey in March.
Prince William’s wife debuted the earrings for the first time in public at Trooping the Colour in 2022, where the fashion statement debunked a long-running rumor!
Kate Middleton at the Shaping Us National Symposium on Nov. 15, 2023.Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty Images
Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty Images
For the last ten years, Kate has worn asmaller pair of sapphire and diamond earringsthat were widely believed to have been fashioned using the very same pair that Kate wore forQueen Elizabeth’s birthday parade. Because the original set had not been seen since Diana’s death, the speculation continued to bubble, although Lauren Kiehna ofThe Court Jewellerblog was always adamant that the earrings were two separate pairs.
“The sapphires in Diana’s earrings are cabochons, and the sapphires in Kate’s smaller earrings are faceted. The claim has now been fully debunked as Kate has now worn the double cluster earrings,” Kiehna told PEOPLE of the difference.
As the Princess of Wales cycles the larger sapphire and diamond drop earrings more frequently into her royal rotation, she follows in her mother-in-law’s fashion footsteps. Princess Diana wore the sapphire set several times during the 1990s, from a visit to Canada in 1991 to the cover of BritishVoguein 1994 and at theMet Galain New York City in 1996.
There’s also a special sapphire with a Diana connection that Kate wears every day. Prince William, 41, famously proposed to her in 2010 with the18-carat sapphire ringthat had been his mother’s engagement ring from his father,King Charles.
“Obviously, she’s not going be around to share in all the fun and excitement, so this is my way of keeping her close to it all,” William said of the sentimental gesture honoring his late mother, who died in 1997, during his engagement interview with Kate.
Princess Diana and Kate Middleton wear their shared engagement ring.Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images; Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Princess Kate is known to pay homage to Princess Diana through fashion and jewelry, often opting for the Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara for state occasions — a sparkler that wasfamously a favoriteof Diana’s.
“I think we have seen lots of examples where the reference is very intentional and I think that Kate uses fashion to pay tribute to Diana in a very positive way,” Bethan Holt, Fashion News and Features Director ofThe Daily Telegraph, previously told PEOPLE.
Another royal family member she honors through jewelry is her late grandmother-in-law,Queen Elizabeth. Princess Kate has worn Queen Elizabeth’s jewels many times through the years, paying homage several times since the late monarch’s death in September of 2022.
Kate Middleton at the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth in September 2022.Karwai Tang/WireImage
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The Princess of Wales woreQueen Elizabeth’spearl and diamond drop earringsandtrademark three-strand pearl necklacefor a few of the funerary events and paired theBahrain Pearl Drop Earringswith afour-strand pearl chokerthat previously belonged toQueen Elizabethfor the sovereign’s state funeral and committal service.
Princess Kate wore pieces from both the Queen and Princess Diana atKing Charles’ coronation in May. She sparkled in Diana’sSouth Sea Pearl Earringsand Queen Elziabeth’sGeorge VI Festoon Necklaceat the historic crowning, where the necklace was concealed beneath her robes — but shined in an officialcoronation portrait.
Princess Kate on King Charles and Queen Camilla’s May coronation day.Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage
Princess Kate poignantly wore more of Queen Elizabeth’s jewelry for Remembrance Day events over the weekend. On Saturday, the Princess of Wales accessorized with her late grandmother-in-law’sthree-strand diamond necklaceplus diamond and pearl earrings at the Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance at Royal Albert Hall on Saturday, attending the event with Prince William, King Charles,Queen Camillaand other members of the royal family.
On Sunday, she sported thestatement pearl earringsthat Queen Elizabeth once wore to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Nigeria in 2003, according to fan blogCouture and Royals. Princess Kate wore the earrings for the solemn ceremony at The Cenotaph war memorial, where King Charles and Prince William laid wreaths to remember those who died or suffered during wartime.
Queen Camilla and Kate Middleton at the National Service of Remembrance at The Cenotaph on November 12.Samir Hussein/WireImage
Samir Hussein/WireImage
Pearls were a poignant choice through the weekend, the stones are famously affiliated with Queen Elizabeth’s everyday style.
“Pearls are one of the very few jewelry items you can wear in mourning and are inextricably linked with Queen Elizabeth and her personal jewelry legacy,” Bethan Holt, author ofThe Queen: 70 Years of Majestic Style,previously told PEOPLE. “It’s a symbol of mourning a monarch but also a grandmother or great-grandmother.”
source: people.com
