What the Pearl Necklace Kate Middleton Wore to Prince Philip's Funeral Signifies
The Duchess of Cambridge has made an art form out of not only dressing beautifully, but deliberately. Her jewelry, particularly her royal heirlooms, often nods to the people or events that came before her. For Prince Philip's funeral on Saturday, Kate wore a four-strand pearl and diamond choker that had a special significance.
The pearl choker was originally gifted to the Queen from Japan in the 1970s and she wore it often–including to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's 70th birthday in London in 1995–and lent it to Princess Diana for one of her first royal engagements. Diana notably wore the necklace to a banquet at Hampton Court Palace in 1982. Then, the Queen lent it to Kate, who poignantly wore it to the Queen and Prince Philip's 70th wedding anniversary in 2017.
Wearing the gorgeous pearl necklace to the funeral with a black Rouland Mouret dress and fascinator, Kate paid homage to not only both her mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law, but also Prince Philip and his marriage and service to the Queen. Kate and Philip had a special relationship, which William referenced in his statement on Saturday. "I will always be grateful that my wife had so many years to get to know my grandfather, and for the kindness he showed her," he said.
At the funeral, the Queen herself wore a diamond brooch originally owned by her grandmother, Queen Mary. Queen Mary was given the brooch, made by Hunt and Raskell, in 1893 as a wedding present and it held romantic significance to the Queen.
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