Her spirit shines on.
Kate Middleton and Prince William attended a church service honoring the life of Queen Elizabeth II on the first anniversary of her death Friday, with the Princess of Wales wearing a touching tribute to her late grandmother-in-law.
The 41-year-old royal wore a pair of the late monarch’s pearl-and-diamond drop earrings for the event at St. Davids Cathedral in St. Davids, Wales, bringing back memories of Queen Elizabeth’s signature jewelry style as she attended the private memorial service.
The late monarch — who died on September 8, 2022 at the age of 96 — wore the slim pair of earrings called the “Silver Jubilee Pearl Earrings,” per The Court Jeweller.
The classic style, which Queen Elizabeth wore for her Silver Jubilee in 1977, includes a teardrop-shaped pearl hanging from a diamond stud versus the larger round pair she usually wore.
Middleton has worn the earrings on several occasions, including her first solo trip abroad in 2016 and a visit to Sandringham after the queen’s death last year.
The princess paired her meaningful pearls with the same maroon coatdress by Eponine that she donned for the 2022 “Together at Christmas” carol concert, wearing her hair in an elegant updo topped with a new burgundy hat by Sahar Millinery.
Middleton’s brother-in-law paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth in his own way Friday, with Prince Harry making a visit to his grandmother’s grave at St. George’s Chapel after making a touching speech in her honor at the WellChild awards on Thursday.
Middleton wore several pieces from the late queen’s collection in the days following her death, including a triple-strand pearl necklace and Queen Elizabeth’s Bahrain Pearl Earrings and pearl choker, which the princess wore for the royal’s funeral.
Pearls were indeed a favorite stone for Queen Elizabeth, and she often wore a pair of button-style pearl earrings with a diamond stud on repeat for day-to-day occasions.
Her choice of jewelry is also a significant one in the sense that the pearls have been associated with mourning over the years, as Maxwell Stone of UK jeweler Steven Stone told Pvnew Style last year.
“The royal tradition of wearing pearls for mourning dates back to Queen Victoria, who was so overwhelmed with grief when Prince Albert died that she wore nothing but black for the rest of her life,” the jewelry pro said.
