See the many times the Princess of Wales has paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II by wearing jewels from her collection
Queen Elizabeth II's jewelry collection was remarkable in its size, history and variety, and throughout her record-setting reign as the Queen of England, from 1953 until her death in 2022, she wore many pieces — from an everyday three-strand pearl necklace to an assortment of jaw-dropping crowns and tiaras. Many pieces were gifts from her parents and other world leaders to commemorate events in her lifetime, including her wedding, state visits and the births of her children, and more than a few are hundreds of years old.
While she was alive, the Queen lent pieces from her personal collection to her grandchildren (as she did for Beatrice and Eugenie's weddings) and granddaughters-in-law, often providing meaningful pieces to wear on diplomatic trips, as she did for Kate Middleton's visits to Australia and Canada, and to formal events of state.
Since the Queen's death in 2022, the Princess of Wales has worn more of the Queen's jewelry publicly, both to pay tribute to the Queen and to ensure the legacy of the crown's jewel collection lives on. See all the pieces worn by the Queen that have also been seen on Kate.
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Triple Strand of Pearls
Credit: Stefan Rousseau – WPA Pool/Getty; Kirsty O’Connor-WPA Pool/Getty
A classic three-strand pearl necklace is part of the Queen's iconography; it was by far her most-worn piece of jewelry. For a state reception in the Queen's honor shortly after her death, the Princess of Wales donned a long set that had belonged to her grandmother-in-law. Four years later, to mark what would have been Elizabeth's 100th birthday, Kate wore the pearls to a Buckingham Palace reception on April 21, 2026.
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Pearl-and-Diamond Choker
Credit: David Levenson/Getty; Tim Rooke/Shutterstock
For the Queen's funeral, Kate wore a four-strand pearl choker with a diamond clasp, which she has worn on several previous occasions (including the 2021 funeral for her grandfather-in-law Prince Philip). The Queen is seen in it here at 1983 state dinner in Bangladesh.
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Greville Chandelier Earrings
These knockout diamond danglers were worn frequently by Queen Elizabeth (including to a state banquet in her honor in Sweden in 1983), and are now a favorite of Kate's for formal events. They were given to the Queen as a wedding gift by her parents, and she often wore them with the Festoon necklace (also pictured above), which Kate donned for the royal portraits taken at King Charles' coronation.
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Bahrain Pearl Earrings
These slim diamond-and-pearl drops are another piece of the Queen's that Kate has worn often, including to the Queen's funeral. She also has been seen in them at Balmoral, a Remembrance Day event and at the Platinum Jubilee.
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Pearl and Diamond Earrings
The simple but statement-making two-drop earrings (a diamond stud and pearl pendant) were worn often by the Queen during her Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977, marking 25 years on the throne. Kate has worn them frequently in her role as Duchess, and now Princess, most recently sporting them to greet the troops ahead of the Queen's funeral.
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Diamond and Pearl Pin
Another meaningful piece of the Queen's that Kate chose to wear in her honor during her funeral events: a diamond-and-pearl leaf-shaped brooch that the Queen first wore in Korea in 1999, and which Kate has worn several times since before selecting it for a service for the late Queen at Westminster Hall.
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The Nizam of Hyderabad Necklace
Given to the Queen as a wedding gift by a dignitary who told her to pick out anything from Cartier that she wanted, this necklace was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth's throughout her life, as well as one that she loaned to Kate on several occasions.
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Edinburgh Wedding Bracelet
According to the Court Jeweller, the story goes that Elizabeth's intended fiancé, then Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, had to find a suitable wedding gift for a Princess on his naval officer's salary. Conveniently, though, he happened to be formerly known as His Royal Highness Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, and his mother was able to loan him a family tiara to dismantle and have refashioned into her engagement ring and the bracelet seen here on the Queen's right wrist and Kate's left.
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Greville Ruby Necklace
Another favorite necklace of Queen Elizabeth's was the Greville ruby necklace, which was given to her by her parents as a wedding gift and which she wore for official portraits both as a young queen, a monarch in mid-life (like in this 1987 photograph) and to royal engagements all the way through 2018.
Kate was first seen wearing it with a pink lace gown en route to the Spanish state dinner in 2017.
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Sapphire Teardrop Earrings
Kate is already the wearer of several famous royal sapphires, but the ones she borrowed from Queen Elizabeth for a movie night in 2021 were particularly striking. Made by Asprey, they originate from a sapphire suite gifted to Queen Elizabeth by Sheikh Rashid of Dubai when she visited the Middle East in 1979.
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Maple Leaf Brooch
The Queen fittingly wore this diamond brooch at many events in celebration of Canada, and lent it to many of the women in her family to do the same — including granddaughter-in-law Kate, who wore it on her first state trip to the Commonwealth country in 2011.
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Emerald Tassel Earrings
The knockout diamond-and-pearl knot earrings with emeralds on the tassels were worn both at formal state events: Queen Elizabeth II wore hers with the matching necklace to a dinner hosted by President Barack Obama, while Kate chose them to complement the green Jenny Packham gown she wore while visiting Jamaica.
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Diamond Teardrop Earrings
These large teardrop-shaped diamond earrings appear to be a relatively recent addition to the Queen's jewelry collection, and a favorite of Kate's; she's worn them several times, both for more informal receptions as well as state dinners.
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Pearl Drop Brooch
One of the Queen's most-worn brooches throughout her life was affectionately called the "Duchess of Cambridge" brooch after its original owner, so it was fitting that the Queen lent it to Kate, then the Duchess of Cambridge, to wear in her first joint portrait with William.
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Cambridge 'Lover's Knot' Tiara
The tiara Kate favors is most associated with her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, but the Queen was also seen in it frequently throughout the 1950s before turning to other styles.
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Floral Earrings
The floral earring and brooch set seen in this 1949 photograph with a baby Prince Charles were a 19th birthday gift from Queen Elizabeth's parents. Kate has worn them several times, including for this 2021 event in Edinburgh.
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Diamond Fern Brooch
Given to the Queen by the Women of Auckland on Christmas in 1953, when she toured New Zealand, Elizabeth wore it fairly frequently, and lent it to Kate when she went on her own tour of Australia and New Zealand in 2014, with a baby Prince George in tow.
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