Earlier this morning, the royal family and thousands of notable guests gathered at Westminster Abbey for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Among them was Catherine, the Princess of Wales, who throughout the 12 days following the Queen's death has been subtly paying tribute to England's longest reigning monarch through her choices in jewelry. Today was no different with the Princess of Wales donning a long black coat dress, complemented by a show stopping pearl necklace and pair of earrings.
The four-strand choker just so happens to be the Japanese Pearl Choker, one of Queen Elizabeth's most beloved pieces from her jewelry collection. The cultured pearls were given to the Queen in 1975 by the Japanese government during her first state visit to the country. She later commissioned the central diamond clasp so the pearls could be worn as a statement-making choker. The late monarch wore the piece many times throughout her lifetime, including for a state banquet with Bangladesh in 1983 and for Prime Minster Margaret Thatcher's 70th birthday celebration in 1995.
A notable pearl lover as well, Princess Diana wore the pearls to a banquet given by Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus of the Netherlands at Hampton Court Palace in 1992. Kate previously wore the pearl necklace to the Queen's and Duke of Edinburgh's 70th wedding anniversary dinner, and then, later to Prince Philip's funeral.
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Today, the Princess of Wales paired the necklace with the Bahrain Pearl Drop Earrings, which were made from a cache of pearls the Queen received as a wedding gift. The earrings feature round- and baguette-cut diamonds suspended from round diamond studs with the pearls acting as the drops. Throughout the 1950s, the Queen could be seen wearing the earrings to a number of royal engagements and official portraits. She would later loan the pair out Princess Diana, the Countess of Wessex, and of course, Kate.
Beyond being one of the Queen's favorite styles, pearls are also seen as mourning jewelry as they are subdued and symbolize purity. It became customary for members of the royal family to wear pearls at funeral appearances around the Victorian era. After the death of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria wore black that she often accessorized with pearls for 40 years.
Queen Elizabeth II carried on the tradition as she wore pearls to the funerals of King George VI, Princess Diana, and Princess Margaret. Other members of the royal family also wore the customary jewelry to the Queen's funeral, including Meghan Markle who wore a set of pearl-and-diamond earrings gifted to her by the late monarch.
Sarah DiMarco is the Assistant Editor at VERANDA, covering all things art, design, and travel, and she also manages social media for the brand.
