Princess Kate Middleton honored the late Queen Elizabeth II when she stepped out at the National Service of Remembrance procession at The Cenotaph.
The Princess of Wales, 41, stood on the balcony in London alongside Queen Camilla, on Sunday, November 12, as they both donned black coats, hats and poppy lapel pins. Kate, who re-wore a Catherine Walker dress, completed her look with a pair of pearl earrings that had clusters of diamonds around it.
Kate’s earrings appeared to be repurposed from the demi-parure of Elizabeth’s Diamond and Pearl Leaf brooch, per Hello! magazine. The demi-parure, a sartorial term for a partial set of jewelry, has previously never been seen before in public.
The late queen, who died in September 2022 at the age of 96, had an expansive brooch collection. Elizabeth rarely wore the Diamond and Pearl Leaf bauble, last donning the accessory in 1999 during a concert in South Korea. The brooch features a trio of pearls in the center of a pave-set leaf.
The Duchess of Cornwall wore the jewelry item for the first time during a July 2017 official appearance in Belgium, when she visited the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Tyne Cot Cemetery. Kate sported the brooch again at the 2018 Festival of Remembrance, affixing poppy pins over the pearls. She mostly recently wore the piece at Elizabeth’s lying-in-state ceremony at Westminster Hall in September 2022.
Kate also borrowed the late sovereign’s jewels for the Festival of Remembrance service at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday, November 11. The princess wore a triple-strand pearl necklace that also appeared to be from Elizabeth’s collection.
Both the Festival of Remembrance and the Remembrance Sunday procession pay tribute to veterans who died while serving in the armed forces. The royal family traditionally steps out at multiple events throughout the memorial weekend.
Kate and Camilla, 76, were joined on Sunday by their respective husbands, Prince William and King Charles III. The king, 74, and the Prince of Wales, 41, participated in the procession. William even laid a wreath at The Cenotaph as Kate and Camilla watched from the balcony.
Kate, who shares three children with William, has since been reshaping her role in the royal family.
“Kate feels the spotlight more than ever since the queen’s passing,” a source exclusively explained in the latest issue of Us Weekly, which is on stands now. “She’s in a new phase of her life, and she wants her image and actions to reflect that. Kate used to portray the perfect, feminine wife, mother and caregiver. Now she wants to be seen as a powerful and kind humanitarian leader.”
