Kate Middleton Honored Queen Elizabeth at Her Funeral In the Most Subtle Way
Kate Middleton was one of the many members of the British royal family who attended Queen Elizabeth’s funeral. The newly titled Princess of Wales accompanied her husband, Prince William, and brought their two oldest children — Prince George and Princess Charlotte — to the service at London’s Westminster Abbey on Monday, September 19.
Following royal protocol, Kate wore a tasteful all-black funeral ensemble for the day’s events. And she wore two pieces of jewelry as a subtle tribute to the late monarch.
Kate Middleton wore an Alexander McQueen coat dress to Queen Elizabeth’s funeral
Kate chose a sharp-shouldered, double-breasted black blazer dress from Alexander McQueen that featured pleats, a narrow waist, and a deep V-shaped neckline. It was an angular garment that resembled a 1980s power suit, and it was the black version of the dress she wore at a Platinum Jubilee event earlier this summer.
She accessorized her funeral ensemble with a wide-brimmed black hat. And, the princess added some eye-popping jewelry from the queen’s extensive jewelry collection.
The Princess of Wales honored Queen Elizabeth II at her funeral in the most subtle way
The Princess of Wales’ jewelry selections for the funeral was how she chose to honor her late grandmother-in-law. First, she wore a pair of long drop pearl earrings that were given to Queen Elizabeth as a wedding gift in 1947 by Sheik Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa of Bahrain.
According to jewelry expert Maxwell Stone, the earrings were crafted from a shell containing seven pearls. And, they are estimated to be worth $8,000 (£7,000).
Kate also wore a dramatic four-row Japanese pearl choker with a diamond clasp made from a collection of cultured pearls that were gifted to the royals by the Japanese government. The piece was part of Queen Elizabeth’s regular jewelry collection in the 1980s and 90s. The choker was also worn by the late Princess Diana in 1982 at a state banquet in the Netherlands.
The choker and the earrings have great sentimental value to Kate Middleton
“The Pearl Choker was created using cultured pearls, which means that they were grown in pearl farms in carefully chosen environments. Despite possessing all the qualities – luster and hardness – of natural pearls, cultured pearls aren’t as rare and this reflects in their price,” Stone explained.
“With this in mind, I’d estimate its value to be approximately $26,300 (£23,000). Though to Kate, it holds a great deal of sentimental value as not only was it once part of the Queen’s regular jewelry collection, but it was also once worn by the late Princess Diana.”
This wasn’t the first time that Kate wore both the pearl choker and the Bahrain pearl drop earrings to a royal funeral. She also wore both pieces when Prince Philip was laid to rest last year.
“It’s incredibly heartwarming to see that Kate chose these pieces to pay her respects to the Queen – particularly because she wore them to Prince Philip’s funeral back in 2021. The Princess obviously associates them with the late monarch and Prince,” Stone concluded.
Because Queen Elizabeth’s will is sealed, we don’t know the details about who received her jewelry. But, it’s probably safe to say that the choker and the earrings now belong to the new Princess of Wales.
