Dazzling diamonds, sparkly sapphires and priceless pearls! And they're million-dollar hand-me-downs?
From twinkling tiaras to flashy feathers, these princess-beloved baubles slay all day!
When Prince Charles got
engaged to Diana Spencer in 1981, fans got their first peek at a ring
that would go on to become one of the most recognizable rocks in the world.
"This wonderful sapphire and diamond."
As noted by People, unlike other royals who went with custom designs,
Diana plucked her Garrard diamond and sapphire engagement ring straight out of a catalog.
The now-famous sparkler features a gorgeous 12-karat sapphire surrounded by 14 diamonds.
While it cost roughly $38,000 in the '80s, it's estimated to be priceless today. When Diana died,
the ring went to Prince Harry, but he gifted it to his older brother William so he could
pop the question to Kate. And she has been seen wearing the iconic engagement ring ever since.
Of course, Diana and Charles' engagement wasn't quite the fairytale that William
and Kate's was. When asked if they were in love, Charles uttered his infamous line:
"Whatever in love means."
…And he wasn't even sure if Diana would say yes. He popped the question after seeing the
then-19-year-old just a dozen times. While it didn't work out for the pair,
the legacy lives on with William and Kate.
When it comes to the family jewels,
most are borrowed from a royal who had previously worn them. Many of the pieces
fans recognize today belonged to Queen Elizabeth II, and she would regularly loan out much of her
collection to her daughter-in-law, Diana. One standout was a four-strand pearl choker with a
diamond pendant, a style which Diana wore many times throughout her life.
For her part, Kate has often incorporated meaningful jewelry into her wardrobe,
and the pearl choker is one of her favorites. As noted by Cosmo, Kate wore it while attending Queen
Elizabeth's state funeral in September 2022. Standing out against her all-black ensemble,
the look all at once honored the queen and paid tribute to Diana.
But it certainly wasn't the first time she wore it. Donning the same piece at Elizabeth
and Prince Philip's wedding anniversary party in 2017 and Philip's funeral in 2021,
Kate has accessorized with the pearls for all sorts of notable moments.
"Elegant and appropriate for this historic occasion."
If Diana's jewelry box could be defined by
a single sparkly combination, it would have to be diamonds and sapphires. Along with her engagement
ring, she cherished a number of similar pieces that Kate has been spotted in over the years.
While there has been some debate surrounding Diana's sapphire and diamond earrings,
Kate has been seen in Diana's glittering jewels plenty of times throughout her
royal career. The baubles feature a diamond halo and a sapphire center
and were said to be redesigned by Kate into a single-drop design.
For years, many thought that Catherine had changed the design of a different pair of
Diana's earrings, but this was proven false in 2022, according to Express.
The earrings were even memorialized in Kate's first official portrait in 2013.
It appears the sparklers have found a sentimental home with Kate — and as artist Paul Emsley put it:
"That's really who she is, I think."
Diana had a few key pieces of jewelry that
stood out during her time as a royal — including her diamond and South Sea pearl drop earrings.
Diana was spotted in the intricate design at the Royal Albert Hall in 1989,
in New York in '95, and in Sydney in '96.
When Prince William and Kate attended the British Academy Film Awards in 2019,
they looked radiant as ever — but it was Kate's accessories that had
people talking. Pairing her gorgeous white, one-shoulder gown with Diana's earrings,
she dazzled on the carpet. Creating a full circle moment, the awards just happened
to be held at the Royal Albert Hall — where the earrings first made their iconic debut.
As Town & Country notes, the setting on the piece has been redesigned throughout
the years. And Kate has worn the earrings a number of times since.
There's no question that
Kate has an impeccable sense of style. But the true power of her look is in
the details. Her jewelry often pays tribute to Diana. And Queen Elizabeth II's funeral
procession was no different. Amidst the mourning period for the late monarch,
Kate was spotted in Diana's Collingwood pearl earrings, according to the Daily Mail.
The jewels were given to Diana shortly before her wedding to Charles from the Collingwood jewelers,
featuring a diamond stud, a diamond-studded cap, and a drop-down pearl. They quickly
became a favorite of Diana's. She was spotted in them while touring the United States in 1985,
accessorizing with the Lover's Knot Tiara while dressed in all white.
As far as Kate's history with the earrings, she famously wore them back
in 2017 for a Spanish state banquet. But using them to make a statement on
the cusp of being named the Princess of Wales was certainly a poignant choice.
When you start talking about heirloom headpieces,
the Crown Jewels are their own entity as far as to whom they truly belong. But Diana wore
one tiara so often that it became synonymous with her and the title of Princess of Wales:
the Lover's Knot Tiara. A stunning display of diamonds and pearls,
the piece is possibly one of the most recognizable of the entire royal collection. And Kate chose
this particular tiara while making her first state appearance with her new title.
"I'm keen to support this for the long term."
Wearing a gorgeous Jenny Packham gown in November 2022, Kate's tiara was as dazzling
as it was symbolic, invoking the memory of the iconic woman who came before her.
Kate had also stepped out in the Lover's Knot in 2015,
2016, and 2019. But this time, it was all about creating that future queen energy.
Back to that diamond and
sapphire earring controversy. Stepping out for Trooping the Colour in 2022 in a stunning
Alexander McQueen dress and a Philip Treacy hat, Kate wowed in double drop earrings. And
as Lauren Kiehna of The Court Jeweller blog told People, she also debunked some persistent rumors.
Noting that fans had originally thought that Kate
had redesigned a different set of Diana's earrings, Kiehna explained,
"This is the first time we've seen Kate wear this pair of earrings in public. The sapphires
in Diana's earrings are cabochons, and the sapphires in Kate's smaller earrings are
faceted. The claim has now been fully debunked as Kate has now worn the double cluster earrings."
So there you have it! The sapphire and diamond rumor mill is officially closed for business.
Pearls were a definite signature feature
of Diana's look. And one of her most recognizable pieces was the triple-strand pearl bracelet that
she wore on a number of occasions. She famously wore it with her "Elvis" outfit back in the '80s.
Having adopted much of Diana's iconic collection,
the bracelet is among Kate's favorites. She's worn the piece on several occasions;
once back in 2017 while visiting Berlin and again in 2018 on a tour of Sweden.
Joining high-profile figures from around the world for the G-7 Summit in 2021,
Kate accessorized with the bracelet once again. She joined several other royals and dignitaries
to champion causes related to children and education. Given Diana's well-documented
history in advocating with children, Kate's choice in jewelry was a meaningful one.
"It became very clear that Kate was walking in Diana's footsteps."
In case we needed even more proof that the piece is indeed a timeless favorite,
the bracelet was painted into Kate and William's first official portrait together in 2022.
While Diana was on the royal scene, she often
experimented with the styling of her most famous pieces. Once, after trying to remove a choker
by pulling it over her head, she accidentally discovered that it could be worn as a headband.
As for Kate's tastes, she usually sticks a little closer to the traditional playbook.
But when she appeared at the Earthshot Prize Awards in Boston in 2022, she had everyone
talking. As noted by Glamour, Kate donned the show-stopping emerald and diamond choker that
Diana famously turned into a headband, complimented by a gorgeous green gown.
Diana rocked the choker around her neck back in 1993 and paired it with an equally
jaw dropping green Catherine Walker gown. When Kate stepped out in a similar look,
parallels were quickly made between the princess and her late mother-in-law.
Kate hasn't shied away from redesigning
Diana's jewelry on occasion. And she did just that in 2022. As noted by the Daily Mail, Kate appeared
in a plum Emilia Wickstead coat while welcoming South Africa's President to Britain, and pinned
to her coat was a feather brooch. As it turns out, the piece was once worn in pendant form by Diana.
And it was gifted to her by the Queen Mother shortly before her wedding to Prince Charles.
The brooch features 18 diamonds with emeralds scattered throughout,
and the feather detail is a nod to the Prince of Wales. Diana was first seen in the necklace
at the Royal Opera House in 1982. And wore it again during a tour of Austria in 1986.
It's no wonder fans have had trouble tracking
Kate's reinterpretations of Diana's jewelry collection. As it turns out, the late princess
kept a slew of sapphire and diamond pieces on regular rotation. And, having a wealth of designs
from which to choose, Kate has since repurposed one particular gemstone combo into a necklace.
As noted by the Daily Mail, when Kate and William met Ukrainian President Zelenskyy at a palace
reception, Kate accessorized her Emilia Wickstead dress with a diamond and sapphire necklace.
It was a new piece for Kate, yet one forever rooted in Diana's legacy. The gemstone came
from the late princess's collection and was reminiscent of her drop-down earrings.
Kate wore the single drop diamond and sapphire earrings for the occasion and
she simply dazzled. While the blue theme could have been a subtle nod to the Ukrainian flag,
royals are reluctant to speak about politics in public. Still, when it comes to her style,
Kate has been known to weave in subtle tributes wherever she can.