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ABC News
ABC News
National
Lara Smit

From Queen Elizabeth, to Diana and Catherine, these are the pearls that both princesses of Wales wore

If the pearls that Catherine, Princess of Wales, was wearing during Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral looked familiar, that is because they are. 

The necklace, first seen on Queen Elizabeth II, is a four-row pearl choker with a diamond clasp.

According to Leslie Field, author of The Queen's Jewels, the necklace was made from pearls reportedly given to the Queen by Japan in the 1970s. 

Garrard, the Crown Jeweller until 2007, made the necklace, which the Queen was seen wearing a number of times.

Ms Field speculated that the diamond clasp was large enough to be able to accommodate a fifth row of pearls, should the Queen ever want to add an extra strand, but she never did.

In November 1982 the Queen loaned the pearl choker to Princess Diana, her new daughter-in-law, who wore it during a state visit from Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

Diana wore the four strand pearls for the banquet at Hampton Court Palace, in combination with the large sapphire brooch given to her by the Queen Mother as a wedding present.

The brooch was later converted into a well-known seven-strand pearled choker.

Now, almost 40 years later, the necklace is being worn by Catherine, recently appointed Princess of Wales.

Catherine wore the pearls for a party that celebrated the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh's Diamond Wedding Anniversary in 2017. She also wore it for the funeral of the duke in 2021.

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