The new Princess of Wales wore an ornate pearl choker for the Queen’s funeral on Monday which had a particularly meaningful link to the late monarch.
In sharp contrast to her traditional, all black outfit, Kate’s bright earrings and necklace, which used to belong to the Queen, stood out.
The four-row Japanese pearl choker was paired with Bahrain pearl drop earrings, a combination she was last seen wearing in public for Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021.
She also wore it to honour the Queen’s 70th wedding anniversary to the Duke of Edinburgh.
The eye-catching necklace has four rows of pearls with a curved diamond clasp in the middle. Each side has three rows of diamonds that join at the top and bottom.
It was commissioned to be created using cultured pearls the Japanese government gave to the monarchy, and estimated to be worth £23,000, according to experts from UK retailer Steven Stone. As the pearls were grown in pearl farms, they are usually worth slightly less than natural pearls.
It was a particularly fitting choice, as the pieces actually belonged to the Queen. Kate’s grandmother-in-law first lent her this jewellery back in 2017.
The Queen also lent Princess Diana – the last official Princess of Wales – the choker back in November 1982, when Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands visited the UK.
The Princess of Wales’ earrings were from the Queen’s royal collection, with diamond studs and longer diamonds in a style reminiscent of the 1940s. There are pearl drops at the end, too.
They were made from a shell containing seven pearls, a wedding gift to the Queen (when she was still Princess Elizabeth) in 1947, from the ruler of Bahrain. Steve Stone experts claim the pair are likely to be worth £7,000.
Kate has worn pearls throughout this period of national mourning, as they are a traditional stone to represent mourning and known to be loved by the Queen.
Her seven-year-old daughter, Princess Charlotte, also attended the funeral and was seen wearing an equally touching brooch in the shape of a horseshoe – a nod to her great-grandmother’s love of horses.
Kate’s sister-in-law, Meghan Markle, also wore the pearl earrings the Queen is believed to have given to her during their first royal outing together back in 2018.
Royal mourning is set to go on for an extra seven days after the funeral, while national mourning will end on Monday, when the Queen is laid to rest.
