Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, paid a sweet tribute to the late Princess Diana in a subtle gesture at the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla at Westminister Abbey. The princess arrived at Westminster Abbey with her husband, the Prince of Wales, and two of their children, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Both the Prince and Princess of Wales wore formal robes and mantels with the princess without a tiara at the request of the King and Queen. But the princess chose to wear pearl and diamond earrings which belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales, in a touching nod to William's late mother. Diana was the Princess of Wales and the King's first wife. She died in a tragic car accident in 1997 in Paris.
The earrings worn by the Princess of Wales were gifted by manufacturer Collingwood before her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981. They feature a bell cap set teardrop pearl coming from diamond-encrusted stud and were a firm favourite of Diana’s, reports The Metro.
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The delicate pieces made many appearances during her marriage including during a tour of the US in 1985 and with the the Lover’s Knot tiara for a gala dinner at the British Embassy. The earrings were also worn by Diana at the Vanity Fair party at the Serpentine Gallery in November 1994 alongside what would later become known as ‘the Revenge Dress’. The current Princess of Wales first wore the earrings in 2019. Kate looked regal in a deep blue Royal Victorian Order mantle edged in scarlet over an Alexander McQueen embroidered ivory silk crepe dress as she arrived at the ceremony.
She also wore Queen Elizabeth II's George VI Festoon Necklace, which George VI commissioned for his daughter Princess Elizabeth in 1950. The glittering three-strand necklace – a favourite of the late monarch's – was made using 105 loose collet-set diamonds.
The Princess of Wales was made a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) by the late Queen in 2019 so is entitled to wear the Grand Cross Mantles of the Royal Victorian Order. Made from dark blue silk satin, the grand floor-length cloak is edged with scarlet and lined with white silk taffeta with a hand embroidered badge and hood attached to the right shoulder.
Prince William wore his navy blue Order of the Garter mantle over his red Welsh Guards' ceremonial dress uniform as Colonel of the regiment. The cloak – which the prince wears to the Order of the Garter ceremony in June at Windsor each year – is made from deep blue silk velvet with white satin ribbons and a lining of white taffeta.
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