The Princess of Wales joined Prince William for a royal engagement in Liverpool on Wednesday, World Suicide Prevention Day, in a surprise appearance. She wore a teal two-piece by Edeline Lee, Hugo Boss heels and her £145 Laura Lombardi Portrait necklace, which she had worn days earlier when accompanying Prince George to his first day at Eton College.
However, it was her earrings that drew particular attention. Catherine wore £39 star-shaped gold hoop earrings from the Issy Star Brave Mind jewellery collection, created in memory of Issy Phipps, a gifted rugby player who died by suicide in April 2023 at the age of 17. A share of the revenue from each pair sold is given to Brave Mind, a mental health charity focused on suicide prevention, working within rugby communities and schools.
A tribute with personal meaning
The teenager had earned a gold medal as part of the England Under-18s touch rugby squad. In the wake of her death, her cousin, Sophie McGown, established the Issy Star jewellery brand, designing the star-shaped hoops as a tribute to her memory.
Issy's mother gave Catherine the hoops in June 2023. The Princess wore them to an event in Birmingham on World Mental Health Day later that year.
Ms McGown said she had "no contact" with the Princess of Wales or Kensington Palace before Catherine decided to wear her earrings on Thursday. "No, I had absolutely no idea," she told GB News. "I was flying down to London for Issy's birthday walk, and as I came off the plane and got onto the bus at Heathrow, notifications suddenly started appearing on Instagram. People were tagging me and saying, 'Oh my God, I think the Princess is wearing the earrings.'"
"I just sat there crying [...] It was completely overwhelming and incredibly special."
Suicide prevention toolkit unveiled
Also on Thursday, the Prince of Wales unveiled "On Your Side" - a new toolkit developed by The Royal Foundation, the British Standards Institution and Chasing the Stigma, to equip sporting organisations with practical approaches to suicide prevention.
A campaign video accompanying the launch featured England football captain Harry Kane and Formula One driver George Russell. In a foreword to the document, William wrote: "Through my work on mental health, I have met people whose lives have been changed forever by suicide. But I have also met people whose lives have been saved because someone stepped in to help."
He urged everyone involved in sport "to make suicide prevention part of your game plan".
A week of family milestones
The Princess was not expected to attend the Liverpool engagement. She spent the week at the family's Windsor residence, getting Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight, ready for their return to Lambrook School, Berkshire for the new academic year. Her eldest son, Prince George, 13, started at Eton College on Tuesday, following in the footsteps of his father and uncle, Prince Harry.
