10-03-2025
Kate Middleton Honored Both Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth in Poignant Commonwealth Day Appearance
Kate Middleton often pays homage sartorially to her late mother-in-law Princess Diana, including at today's Commonwealth Day service.
The Princess of Wales attended the event at Westminster Abbey on March 10 alongside her husband Prince William, her father-in-law King Charles, and a host of other royals. Wearing a red Catherine Walker dress with bow detailing (a favorite designer of Diana's during her own royal life), Kate accessorized with a matching red hat from Gina Foster, a pair of earrings from Diana's collection, and a choker that once belonged to Queen Elizabeth.
Kate wore what appeared to be Diana's Collingwood Pearl Drop earrings, which she's worn on a number of occasions prior to Monday. It's one of many pieces of jewelry Kate has worn that once belonged to Diana; prior to her far-too-soon death in 1997 at just 36 years old, Diana wrote a 'letter of wishes' that said, 'I would like you to allocate all my jewelry to the share to be held by my sons, have it or use it. I leave the exact division of the jewelry to your discretion.'
In addition to Kate wearing one of Diana's most iconic pieces of jewelry—her sapphire and diamond engagement ring—Meghan Markle, the wife of Diana's younger son Prince Harry, also wears pieces from Diana's collection, namely a Cartier Tank watch, which she wears frequently.
Collingwood jewelers gave Diana the pearl earrings Kate wore Monday ahead of Diana's 1981 wedding to the former Prince Charles. Diana wore the earrings the month before she married Charles that July, and wore them frequently after that; Kate first wore the earrings in 2017 for a state banquet and has worn them several times since, including for her 40th birthday portraits, released in January 2022.
In addition to Diana's earrings, Kate also wore Queen Elizabeth's four-strand diamond-and-pearl choker, which she previously wore to the late Queen's September 2022 funeral. Queen Elizabeth was gifted the piece during her 1975 state visit to Japan, and they were later fashioned into a four-strand necklace by jeweler Garrard. In addition to Kate wearing the choker, Queen Elizabeth also loaned the necklace to Diana in 1982 to wear to a state visit at Buckingham Palace.
Kate first wore the statement piece to Prince Philip's funeral in April 2021, and then again to Her late Majesty's own funeral just 17 months later.
Kate's appearance at the Commonwealth Day service Monday marks a continual step forward in her gradual return to royal duty following her announcement that she had been diagnosed with cancer last year. The Princess of Wales publicly announced her diagnosis—the type and stage of which is still unknown—nearly one year ago exactly, on March 22, and said on January 14 of this year that she was in remission.
Read the original article on InStyle
