Princess Diana had an unrivaled jewelry box during her lifetime, so it's no surprise that many of her famous pieces of jewelry have been passed on to her daughters-in-law. Both Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle have worn sentimental jewels from their late mother-in-law on numerous occasions, which is exactly in line with Diana's final wishes. Before her untimely death, the Princess wrote a "letter of wishes" that stated: " I would like you to allocate all my jewellery to the share to be held by my sons, so that their wives may, in due course, have it or use it. I leave the exact division of the jewellery to your discretion."
Here, we're taking a look at the most sentimental and stunning pieces of jewelry Kate inherited from Princess Diana.
Diamond and South Sea Pearl Earrings
These elegant diamond and pearl earrings were among Diana's favorite pieces of jewelry, and they've progressively become a go-to for her daughter-in-law as well. For example, Kate wore the earrings to the 2019 BAFTAs in London.
Diamond and South Sea Pearl Earrings
The then-duch*ess of Cambridge wore the pair again at the 2022 Royal Ascot. She paired them with a gorgeous polka-dot dress for the annual horse racing event.
Diamond and South Sea Pearl Earrings
The newly-minted Princess of Wales also opted for her late mother-in-law's earrings for a Remembrance Sunday service in 2022 at the Cenotaph in London.
Diamond and South Sea Pearl Earrings
Weeks later, Kate chose to wear the elegant baubles again with an ivory cape gown for a banquet in honor of President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa—the first state visit of King Charles's reign.
Diamond and South Sea Pearl Earrings
The Princess of Wales wore the earrings once again for King Charles's coronation in 2023.
Sapphire Engagement Ring
Perhaps the most famous piece of jewelry Kate inherited from Princess Diana is this sapphire engagement ring. The ring was created by British jeweler Garrard and chosen for then-Prince Charles's proposal to Diana in 1981. In 2010, Prince William presented the ring, which features a 12-carat oval Ceylon surrounded by 14 solitaire diamonds, to Kate for their engagement.
More: The Truth About Princess Diana’s Sapphire Engagement Ring
Three Stand Pearl Bracelet
This pearl bracelet frequently worn by Princess Diana was designed by Nigel Milne in 1988. Kate debuted the bracelet during a royal tour in Germany back in 2017.
Three Stand Pearl Bracelet
While on her and Prince William's royal tour of the Caribbean in 2022, Kate finished her lace Alexander McQueen look with her mother-in-law's bracelet.
Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara
The late Queen Elizabeth II often leant jewelry in her collection to other members of the royal family for extended periods of time. Such was the case with the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara, which was a favorite of Princess Diana's back in the day. After her death, the piece wasn't seen again until Kate put it on in 2015. Since then, it's become one of her favorite headpieces.
For King Charles's Scottish coronation ceremony, the Princess of Wales (or the duch*ess of Rothesay in Scotland!) paired the Collingwood Pearl Earrings (below) with the four chain pearl choker.
Collingwood Pearl Earrings
Collingwood jewelers gave Princess Diana these pearl earrings as a wedding gift. She wore them for the first time a month before her nuptials, and continued to sport them frequently thereafter. Kate first donned the earrings in 2017 for a Spanish state banquet.
Kate also wore the Collingwood Pearl Earrings in this portrait, taken to mark her 40th birthday. See all three of the photos of Kate released in celebration of the milestone in January 2022, here.
She wore them again at Prince Philip's memorial service in spring 2022, pairing them with one of Diana's favorite pattern, polka dots.
Not long after, she wore the elegant drop earrings once more for a service at Westminster Abbey to mark Anzac Day.
For the ceremonial welcome of the President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa at Horse Guards Parade in 2022, the Princess of Wales paired her burgundy ensemble with her late mother-in-law's earrings, as well as the Princess of Wales’ Feather Brooch, which was given to Diana by the Queen Mother upon her engagement to Prince Charles.
Kate once again opted for her late mother-in-law's pearls for the 2023 Order of the Garter procession. She paired the drop earrings with another elegant polka-dot ensemble.
The Reinvented Sapphire Necklace
In the fall of 2020, Kate debuted a new pendant necklace, which appeared to use precious stones from Princess Diana's famed Saudi suite of sapphires—a gift from the Saudi royal family to the late Princess of Wales on the occasion of her wedding, featuring sapphires and diamonds designed to match her Garrard enagement ring.
Double-Drop Sapphire and Diamond Earrings
At the 2022 Trooping the Colour parade, Kate wore Diana's double-drop sapphire and diamond earrings for the first time in public.
The Princess of Wales wore them again months later while arriving in the United States for a three-day trip in Boston.
At the 2023 Trooping the Colour, Kate once again wore Princess Diana's double-drop sapphire and diamond earrings.
Emerald Choker
This glamorous emerald choker originally belonged to Queen Mary and was famously worn by Diana on numerous occasions. For the Earthshot Prize Awards in Boston in 2022 Kate styled it the same way her late mother-in-law once did with a green gown.
Sapphire and Diamond Earrings
These earrings were originally a wedding gift to Princess Diana, part of a suite of jewels given by Crown Prince Fahd of Saudi Arabia. William gave the earrings to Kate after he proposed in 2010, and she evidently updated the design into a drop style. They've become one of Kate's signature earrings through the years.
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