The Princess of Wales has graced the green carpet at the 2022 Earthshot Prize awards ceremony wearing an emerald and diamond choker previously worn by her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana.
Princess Kate arrived at the climate event on Friday evening wearing a rented off-the-shoulder gown from the brand Solace London. The princess borrowed the sustainable outfit choice from designer rental platform HURR – which charges between $91 (£74) and $238 (£194) to loan the gown.
While Kate’s green gown was eco-friendly and affordable, the emerald and diamond encrusted choker around her neck was passed down to her from the late Princess of Wales, Diana. The choker is believed to be worth more than $15m.
Princess Diana once famously wore the art deco choker necklace not on her neck, but across her forehead. In 1985, the princess sported the necklace on her head during her and now-King Charles III’s tour of Australia. However, it wasn’t Diana’s intention to wear the Crown Jewels as a headpiece.
According to The Royals author Kitty Kelley, Diana tried to put the choker on over her head because she was in a hurry to get ready for the gala dinner in Melbourne. When the necklace stuck over her head, Canadian diplomat Victor Chapman reportedly talked her into wearing it as a headpiece.
The Queen was reportedly unhappy with Diana’s decision to wear the necklace on her head. “It was a piece that the Queen was very fond of, but which she, in turn, decided to pass on to Diana as a wedding gift,” royal commentator Debora Attanasio told Express. “According to sources close to the Queen, having seen what Diana had done with it, Her Majesty became very irritated."
The green choker was gifted to Diana by the Queen when she joined the royal family, after she herself inherited it from her grandmother Queen Mary when she died in 1953. The diamond and emerald choker was last worn by Diana on her 36th birthday.
Much like Princess Kate at the Earthshot ceremony, Diana also paired the choker with emerald drop earrings and a green dress.
Following the Earthshot Prize ceremony, some fans on social media have dubbed Kate’s jewelry choice her “revenge choker,” considering Prince Harry and Meghan Markle released the trailer for their Netflix docuseries, Harry and Meghan, just one day prior.
“When the stakes were high for The Princesses of Wales, Diana deployed a Revenge Dress. Catherine, The Princess of Wales has presented us: The Revenge Choker!” one person tweeted.
“#revengechoker from the beautiful #PrincessofWales,” said someone else.
On Thursday, Netflix released the first trailer for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s six-part documentary series, titled Harry and Meghan. The series is described by Netflix as “an unprecedented and in-depth documentary series” in which the “Duke and Duchess of Sussex share the other side of their high-profile love story.”
“Across six episodes, the series explores the clandestine days of their early courtship and the challenges that led to them feeling forced to step back from their full-time roles in the institution.”
The teaser shows several unseen photographs of the couple, as they tell their side of the story after several tumultuous years in the public eye. The trailer begins with an off-screen interviewer asking: “Why did you want to make this documentary?”
After a pause, Prince Harry responds: “No-one sees what’s happening behind closed doors.
Later in the teaser, he tells the interviewer: “I had to do everything I could to protect my family.”
Meghan’s voice appears towards the end of the teaser, when she asks, “When the stakes are this high, doesn’t it make more sense to hear our story from us?”
The timing of the teaser’s release didn’t come as a surprise to some, seeing as the late Queen’s lady-in-waiting – Lady Susan Hussey – resigned from the palace over a racism scandal the day before.
Lady Susan Hussey, who also happens to be Prince William’s godmother, apologised for making “unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments” to Ngozi Fulani of Sistah Space, a Black advocate for survivors of domestic abuse.
Following the trailer’s release, reports surfaced of a nickname given to Prince Harry and Meghan by sources close to Prince William and Kate: “the Kardashians”.
