Kate Middleton wore a very special necklace to the funeral of Prince Philip at St. George’s chapel on Saturday morning. The Duchess of Cambridge, who arrived wearing a black Roland Mouret dress and fascinator, was seen wearing a diamond and pearl necklace that was on loan from Queen Elizabeth. The striking piece of jewelry was once worn by Princess Diana in 1982 when Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands arrived for a state visit, but it was originally fashioned for the Queen.
The so-called Japanese Pearl Choker is a four-strand necklace with a central diamond clasp that was commissioned by the Queen and made from cultured pearls presented to her by the Japanese government. According to Her Majesty’s Jewel Vault, the Queen made her first state visit to Japan in 1975 and the choker was in use by the early 1980s. Queen Elizabeth wore it on several notable occasions, before loaning it to her daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law.
But there’s another special fact here. This isn’t the first time that the Duchess of Cambridge wore the gorgeous choker. She previously wore the necklace to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s 70th anniversary dinner in 2017, also held at Windsor Castle, to celebrate their long-lasting marriage.
Perhaps Kate’s necklace, which she’d worn to their anniversary, was a bigger statement about the incredible love that the monarch and her husband shared over the course of their lives.
Source Credit: Access
