The queen’s jewelry box is still open.
Queen Elizabeth II was known for her signature pearls, and Queen Consort Camilla, Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and others paid tribute to her last night and today wearing pearl jewelry, including pieces that belonged to the late monarch.
Photographed on his way to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday to receive Queen Elizabeth’s coffin, Middleton wore a three-strand pearl necklace resembling a necklace from the late Queen’s jewelry collection, along with a pair of Her Majesty’s diamond-and-pearl earrings. .
She was wearing a long-sleeved black dress and her hair was worn in loose curls. Princess of Wales looked gloomy as she traveled to the palace with husband Prince William, 40, for the emotional evening.
While it’s impossible to tell if the necklace was one of the Queen’s real pieces, Middleton has never been seen in a similar design. However, her glittering earrings were a long-term loan from Her Majesty that she often wears.
In addition to paying tribute to the late Elizabeth – who died on September 8, 2022 at the age of 96 – pearls are traditionally worn during times of royal mourning.
“The royal tradition of wearing pearls for mourning dates back to Queen Victoria, who was so overcome with grief when Prince Albert died that she wore nothing but black for the rest of her life,” Maxwell Stone of British jeweler Steven Stone told Vidak For Congress Style .
“Occasionally her black ensembles were broken up with jewelry – although it was always black, colorless or mother-of-pearl,” he said, adding that the monarch had special brooches made to honor Albert and their daughter Princess Alice with a jet black pendant and some white pearl.
“The pearls were thought to represent tears — establishing a tradition that continues to this day,” said the jewelry expert.
Today members of the royal family followed the coffin on foot from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where Queen Elizabeth will remain in state until Monday’s funeral.
Middleton, who was traveling by car behind the procession with Camilla, 75, wore a new black Catherine Walker coat and veiled hat along with meaningful pearl jewelry from her mother-in-law.
She wore Queen Elizabeth’s pearl-and-diamond leaf brooch, which, according to Lauren Kiehna of The Court Jeweler, was another long-term loan to Middleton from the Queen. Although the Queen rarely wore it, the Princess of Wales has donned the sparkly piece several times since the first outing in 2017, the royal jewelry expert said.
Middleton also paid tribute to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, by choosing her Collingwood pearl earrings.
Camilla, on the other hand, chose one of her oft-worn four-strand pearl chokers with a diamond clasp along with pearl-and-diamond earrings.
Meanwhile, Meghan Markle, 41, who was riding with Sophie, Countess of Wessex, wore a black Givenchy coat she previously wore and the pearl and diamond earrings that were a gift from the Queen after she married Prince Harry.
Expect to see more pearls from the royal family at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, which will take place at Westminster Abbey on Monday, September 19.