The Princess of Wales honoured her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, with a treasured family heirloom as she attended the annual National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph on Sunday.
Catherine, 44, wore a black Catherine Walker coat and a Jane Taylor hat, but her earrings, estimated at up to £35,000, carried particular significance. She wore Diana's Collingwood pearl-and-diamond drop earrings, gifted to the late Princess before her wedding to the then-Prince Charles in 1981.
The earrings feature South Sea pearls suspended beneath diamond settings and became one of Diana's signature accessories, regularly appearing at royal engagements and state banquets.
A Beloved Heirloom
The Princess has worn the earrings more than 20 times since first debuting them at a Spanish state banquet in 2017, including for Remembrance commemorations and her 40th birthday portraits.
Beyond their sentimental value, pearls traditionally represent loyalty, integrity and purity, qualities associated with the monarchy. Maxwell Stone, a diamond expert at Steven Stone Jewellers, told the Daily Express: "Wearing pearls has notoriously always been associated with the royals and monarchy and for good reason, their symbolic meaning of loyalty, integrity, and purity."
Stone added that pearls are traditionally believed to offer protection and attract good fortune, while their timeless elegance makes them versatile for royal occasions.
Additional Poignant Jewellery
Catherine also wore her HMS Glasgow brooch, a specially commissioned silver accessory celebrating her connection to the Royal Navy. Created in 2025 by Scottish jeweller James Porter & Son, the design features Scotland's national flower, the thistle, alongside St Kentigern, Glasgow's patron saint, and a naval crown representing Britain's maritime heritage.
The Princess was presented with the brooch during the official naming ceremony for HMS Glasgow in May last year, having been appointed Lady Sponsor of the Type 26 frigate in 2021 at the request of the late Queen Elizabeth II. The piece also incorporates botanical detailing reflecting Catherine's love of nature.
Remembrance Traditions
Princess Catherine returned to her tradition of wearing three red poppies this Remembrance Sunday, having opted for just one last year.
She joined King Charles and senior members of the Royal Family at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, where the nation gathered to honour those who lost their lives in the two World Wars and subsequent conflicts.
Originally commissioned as a temporary memorial in 1919, the Cenotaph became a permanent monument in 1920 when it was unveiled by King George V, bearing the inscription "The Glorious Dead". The annual ceremony, held on the Sunday closest to November 11, commemorates the 1918 Armistice that ended fighting in the First World War.
The appearance followed Saturday evening's Festival of Remembrance at London's Royal Albert Hall, where Catherine joined Prince William, King Charles and Queen Camilla for an evening of tributes.
