The grieving Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge has been pictured for the first time since the Queen's death on an afternoon drive through Windsor. Kate, 40, was seen today wearing a black jumper, sunglasses and dainty pearl earrings framing her face.
Kate has been spotted wearing the 18ct pearl hoops on numerous special occasions, including the first official photographs of Prince George. Though today, it is believed the earrings - by British designer Annoushka Ducas - are a touching tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
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Pearls are often referred to as 'mourning jewellery', a royal tradition that dates back to Queen Victoria.
Following the death of her husband Prince Albert, the Queen famously commemorated him by wearing black for 40 years - only accessorising with either black or colourless jewellery, including pearls.
According to The Telegraph, the pearls were thought to represent tears, and she wore strands of them for the duration of her life.
Pearls have since been worn by royal ladies when attending funerals over the years.
Princess Diana was seen wearing a single strand of pearls at Gianni Versace's funeral in 1997.
Queen Elizabeth II also honoured the tradition at Princess Diana, Princess Margaret and King George VI's funerals.
At Prince Philip's funeral last year, both the Queen and Kate were seen wearing pearl jewellery.
As well as signifying grief, pearls are worn by royal ladies to represent modesty and decorum.
The Queen was rarely seen without her signature pearl necklace, and had quite a collection of pearl jewellery, ranging from three strands to six.
"Pearls are traditional for Queens going back one thousand years - there has never been a Queen who didn't wear pearls," Leslie Field, author of The Queen's Jewels, told People.
"They were rare, beautiful and lustrous and the more you wear them, the more lustrous they become."
Field added: "She wants to wear pearls every day as her mother and grandmother did before her.
"She wouldn't wear a diamond necklace to go to a charity lunch - it is simply traditional that a lady would wear pearls during the day."
The Queen's love of pearls began early on in her life and will continue to be passed down through generations of royal women to come.
You can leave your tributes to Queen Elizabeth II here .
This weekend, the Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror celebrate the life of Her Majesty the Queen with a commemorative special filled with all the key moments from Britain's longest reigning monarch. Be sure to pick up your copy of the Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror to get both pull-outs.
