Princess Kate (40) took part in the traditional Festival of Remembrance yesterday evening with her royal family. The event at London’s Royal Albert Hall will commemorate Britain’s fallen soldiers. Clad in mourning black, Kate wore the same meaningful jewelry she wore to the memorial service with which she honored the late Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) during her state funeral in September.
Kate’s Japanese pearl necklace and pearl earrings from Bahrain were on loan from the late monarch. Queen Elizabeth II already wore the necklace to a state banquet in Bangladesh in 1983, as reported by “People”. The pearl earrings are a gift given by the Queen on her marriage to Prince Philip (1921-2021) in 1947.
The necklace consists of four rows of pearls with a central diamond clasp in a curved shape. There are three rows of diamonds on each side, merging with marquise diamonds at the top and bottom. The earrings are made of round baguette cut diamonds and pearls at the top.
Since the times of Queen Victoria (1819-1901), female royals have worn white pearl jewelry on official mourning occasions, which is therefore also referred to as “mourning jewelry”. After the death of her husband Prince Albert (1819-1861), Queen Victoria wore all black for 40 years to commemorate him. The only jewelry she wore was black, colorless, or adorned with pearls. This tradition has been continued in the royal family over the years.
Ahead of the Queen’s State Funeral in September, Princess Kate was spotted wearing this jewelry combo at Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021.
