Kate Middleton wore Queen Elizabeth’s pearl and diamond choker and pearl earrings to Prince Philip’s poignant funeral at Windsor Castle today — and the jewelry is full of symbolism.
The Duchess of Cambridge previously wore the necklace for Queen and Prince Philip’s 70th anniversary dinner in 2017, also at Windsor Castle, to celebrate a royal marriage for the ages.
The Japanese Pearl choker has four strands of pearls and features a striking curved diamond clasp, and the jewels wore worn by three generations of royals. Both the Queen and the late Princess Diana chose the choker for special occasions through the decades.
Diana, Middleton’s late mother-in-law, wore the necklace in 1982, when the Queen loaned her the piece for one of Diana’s first royal engagements following her marriage to Prince Charles. Diana stepped out in the jewels for a dinner with Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus of the Netherlands during the Dutch royal family’s visit to the U.K.
The Monarch also wore the choker for major occasions throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including to Margaret Thatcher’s 70th birthday celebration at Claridge’s in 1995.
For the funeral today, Middleton also rewore a black Roland Mouret she previously chose for the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance in 2018.
Prince Philip died last week at age 99 after a life of service and dedication to the Queen.