Kate Middleton and Princess Anne Subtly Pay Tribute to Queen Elizabeth With a Tradition That Dates Back to Queen Victoria
Kate Middleton has been honoring the late Queen Elizabeth during the UK’s mourning period, along with other senior royals. One of the subtle ways that the new Princess of Wales has chosen to pay tribute to the beloved monarch is with the jewelry she wears for different occasions. In fact, both Kate and Princess Anne followed a tradition that dates back to Queen Victoria.
Kate Middleton wore a special brooch at Westminster Hall for a special service for Queen Elizabeth II
During a special service for the late Queen Elizabeth II that recently took place at Westminster Hall, Princess Kate wore the queen’s Pearl and Diamond Leaf Brooch. The piece featured a trio of pearls placed in the center of a pave-set leaf. And according to jewelry experts, the brooch is valued at $70k.
At a vigil in Edinburgh, the new queen consort — Camilla Parker-Bowles — wore a black coat dress with a diamond thistle brooch that featured micro pave set stones. According to jewelry expert Maxwell Stone, the choice was incredibly poignant because the thistle is the national flower of Scotland. And, the piece was a gift to Camilla from the queen.
The brooch — worth approximately $86K — was a “touching” choice since the queen passed away at her beloved Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
“It’s incredibly touching to see members of the royal family paying tribute to the Queen with their jewelry choices,” Stone said.
The Princess of Wales and Princess Anne subtly paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II
On her journey to London alongside her mother’s coffin, Princess Anne wore her Grima Pearl Earrings worth $3.5K. Those earrings were a sentimental choice that have been a regular part of Princess Anne’s jewelry rotation throughout her life, and she’s worn them to some important personal events.
Princess Anne received those earrings as a gift from her parents in the 1960s. And, she wore them during her first royal tour as an adult with her mother at the age of 19. She also wore them to her wedding to Timothy Laurence in 1992, and to Prince Phillip’s funeral in 2021.
When the Princess of Wales joined the royal family for a private vigil at Queen Elizabeth’s coffin in Buckingham Palace, she wore a pearl necklace and a pair of pearl earrings. With the late queen being renowned for her love of pearls, Anne and Kate’s choice to wear pearls were a subtle nod to Her Majesty. And, it’s a tradition that dates back to Queen Victoria.
Royals like Kate Middleton have been wearing pearls for mourning since Queen Victoria
Princess Kate and Princess Anne didn’t just wear pearls because they were a favorite of the queen. Wearing pearls for mourning is actually a royal tradition that dates back to the days of Queen Victoria.
She was so overwhelmed with grief when Prince Albert died that she wore nothing but black for the rest of her life. On occasion, she would break up her black ensembles with jewelry. And, the pieces were always black, colorless, or pearl.
In 1878, when mourning the loss of both her husband and her daughter Princess Alice, Queen Victoria established the tradition of wearing pearls during mourning. She wore brooches made with both her husband and daughter’s initials, plus a jet-black pendant set with a single, white pearl.
