The royal family have a long history of tactical dressing. And as Kate Middleton proved over the weekend, the tradition is alive and well. Joined by King Charles, Queen Camilla, Princess Anne and other members of the crown’s brood, the Princess of Wales embarked on an event-filled few days around the Festival of Remembrance. Set up as an annual period to pay respects to those who have lost their lives in battle, the royal family’s presence has always been highly important.
On Saturday, the Princess attended the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance for the seventh time at the Royal Albert Hall with her husband, Prince William. For the occasion, she stuck to the solemn dress code and wore a black dress adorned with a crimson poppy pin, a symbol that commemorates fallen soldiers. Most notable were her accessories, though.
Paired with her pearl and diamond drop earrings was a familiar piece of jewellery: a three-stand pearl necklace that her late grandmother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II, was rarely seen without.
The classic necklace was gifted to Queen Elizabeth II as a young girl by her father, King George VI. The Princess of Wales previously wore it to a lunch at Buckingham Palace before the Queen’s funeral last year.
Kate Middleton previously similarly paid tribute at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral at Westminster Abbey in September of last year by wearing another piece of jewellery from her collection. Making a striking contrast against her black ensemble, she wore a four-strand pearl necklace with a diamond clasp, known as the Four-Row Japanese Pearl Choker, which was gifted to the Queen from Japan in the 1970s. The Queen wore it in the ’80s before loaning it to her then-daughter-in-law, the late Princess Diana of Wales.
