Princess Diana planned for her jewellery to go to her sons after her death, and eventually the daughters-in-law she would never meet.
Those wishes have come true, never more strikingly than this week when the new Princess of Wales wore her Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara.
It was a favourite of Diana’s loaned to her by the late Queen as a wedding gift and returned after she separated from Charles.
In a “letter of wishes” to accompany her will, she stated 75% of her belongings were to go to her sons, and the rest to godchildren.
Princess Diana wrote: “I would like you to allocate all my jewellery to the share to be held by my sons, so that their wives may, in due course, have it or use it.”
Kate wore the tiara, made for Queen Mary in 1914, at the first state function of King Charles for the South African president.
Here are a few more of Kate and Diana’s shared favourites...
Engagement ring
“It is very special to me and Kate is very special to me now as well,” Prince William said of his mother’s engagement ring when he and Kate announced they too were going to tie the knot.
“It is only right the two are put together. It is my way of making sure my mother didn’t miss out on today.”
The ring, created by the then crown jeweller Garrard, has a 12-carat oval blue Ceylon sapphire set in 18-carat white gold surrounded by 14 diamonds chosen by Diana herself.
Diamonds and pearls
South Sea pearls to be exact. These diamond and pearl earrings with a horseshoe design at the top were reportedly among Diana’s favourites. Kate wore them to the 2019 BAFTAs, to Ascot this year with polka dots, and in sombre black at the Remembrance Sunday memorial at the Cenotaph.
They even made an appearance with the Lover’s Knot tiara at this week’s state visit. They are clearly a favourite of the current Princess of Wales, too.
Diamonds and Sapphires
Kate wore this pair of sapphire double drop earrings at the parade for the Trooping the Colour which marked the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June.
They are part of the same set as a pair of drop earrings which are a perfect match with her engagement ring. They were a wedding gift to Diana from Crown Prince Fahd of Saudi Arabia. William gifted them to Kate after his proposal, and she has updated them from studs to drops.
Three-strand pearl bracelet
Designed by Nigel Milne in 1988 for Diana, the bracelet is a frequent visitor to Kate’s wrist, first being spied in 2017 on a royal tour in Germany, then in the Caribbean.
For Diana it had a powerful significance. It was part of a three-piece collection to raise funds for Birthright, a charity set up to stop women and babies dying during labour, of which she was patron. Diana wore it at the Birthright Ball in 1989.
The feather brooch
The Princess of Wales’ feather brooch was given to Diana by the Queen Mother when she became engaged to Charles in 1981.
Her daughter-in-law Catherine wore the unusual piece against a burgundy dress for the ceremonial welcome of the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, at Horse Guards Parade.
Collingwood pearl earrings
Collingwood the jewellers gifted these to Diana for a wedding gift and she wore them as part of her going away outfit.
Kate first wore them in 2017 for a Spanish state banquet, and most memorably, in the stunning black and white images released to mark her 40th birthday in January 2022. They were also an elegant addition to her black and white polka dot dress at Prince Philip ’s service of thanksgiving earlier this year.
Four-string pearl choker
Perhaps the most distinctive necklace shared by the two royals, the choker was actually in the Queen’s collection and made of pearls gifted by the Japanese government, but was loaned to Diana for an extended time.
She wore it for a state banquet in honour of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in 1982. Kate had it on beneath her black face mask at Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021 during the pandemic.
