The Princess of Wales made a stunning style statement with a sentimental touch during her unexpected royal engagement with the Prince of Wales in London yesterday.

Kate stepped out in a chic ensemble, pairing her new £995 Jimmy Choo heels with cropped trousers and a checkered blazer by Catherine Walker. The royal couple’s busy schedule included a tour of Bermondsey’s Beer Mile and a scenic boat ride along the River Thames.

Sharp-eyed observers may have noticed a meaningful detail in Kate’s outfit: her Cartier ‘Trinity’ hoop earrings. These elegant earrings are believed to be a thoughtful gift from Prince William to celebrate her 43rd birthday.

The earrings, valued at £3,200, have been a frequent choice for Kate, 44, who has worn them at least five times this year. They feature a sophisticated design with three intertwined bands crafted from 18-carat white, yellow, and rose gold.

Originally created by Louis Cartier in the 1920s, these earrings are part of Kate’s growing collection from the Trinity line, marking her sixth piece. The three interlocking hoops are thought to symbolize her three children.

This choice of jewelry also serves as a touching homage to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana. Known for her love of Cartier’s ‘Trinity’ collection, Diana often wore a distinctive Trinity ring on her pinky finger.

Kate first debuted the striking piece in January 2025 during a poignant visit to London’s Royal Marsden Hospital, her first solo engagement following her cancer diagnosis and to announce she was in remission.

The momentous royal outing, which came just days after her birthday, fuelled speculation that the earrings may have been a loving gift from her doting husband following a rather tumultuous year.

Eagle-eyed onlookers may have noticed a rather touching detail to Kate’s look yesterday: her  Cartier ‘Trinity’ hoops, believed to have been a thoughtful gift from William to mark her 43rd birthday

Created by Louis Cartier in the 1920s, the earrings are Kate’s sixth jewellery item from the Trinity collection, with the three intersecting hoops believed to be a nod to her three children. They are also thought to be a touching tribute to Princess Diana

Throughout 2025, Kate wore the hoop earrings on eight different occasions as they became a staple part of the princess’s summer looks and Wimbledon wardrobe.

Indicative of her love for the sentimental item, Kate opted to wear the timeless piece for the Sandringham Christmas Day service before re-wearing them for a visit to Bradford in January.

The meaningful jewellery item was also featured in her and William’s heartwarming St David’s Day message earlier this month, with the three bands believed to represent past, present and future, alongside love, loyalty and friendship.

Since she first entered the royal fold in 2011, the princess has often opted for Cartier pieces during her numerous engagements and even selected a petite Cartier halo tiara for her wedding day. 

Kate and William were both in high spirits yesterday as they embarked on a royal pub crawl and poured pints, while also learning about beer production during the outing in London.

The couple made their way through the Bermondsey Beer Mile, a renowned walking route featuring more than 20 craft breweries, taprooms and bottle shops.

They popped into the Southwark Brewing Company where they were shown the process, got to smell some ingredients and even got to stir a brewhouse kettle. 

Teaming her favourite earrings with new £995 Jimmy Choo shoes, cropped trousers and a Catherine Walker checkered blazer, Kate and William enjoyed a jam-packed day in the capital ranging from a tour of Bermondsey’s Beer Mile to a boat ride along the Thames

When she was invited to try some beer and cider, Kate told owner Hannah Rhodes: ‘Since my diagnosis I haven’t had much alcohol.’

She added: ‘It’s something I have to be a lot more conscious of now.’ Ms Rhodes, who offered Kate a soft drink instead, said: ‘Fair enough.’ 

Turning to William, Kate patted her husband’s knee and said: ‘But you like your cider, don’t you?’

Earlier William and Catherine tried their hand at brewing at nearby Southwark Brewing Company, a craft beer firm further down the Bermondsey Beer Mile which was founded in 2014 as one of the area’s first small-batch breweries under the railway arches.

Greeting Peter Jackson, 66, they were shown how to ascend a ladder where William wore black rubber gloves to add hops to the ‘kettle’.

After tipping the hops in, William said: ‘It smells like horse feed as you’re doing it. There’s a real mixture of smells.’ 

Mr Jackson joked: ‘Yes. It’s good that it changes by the time it gets to your glass.’

Catherine then went up the ladder to stir them in. They then had a competition to see who could pull the best pint, and Kate and William’s was declared to be better than the owner’s. 

Mr Jackson told them: ‘Do you know what? You can come back on Saturday for a shift.’ 

The royal couple also visited Humble Crumble, a dessert business which grew from a single market stall into multiple locations and now has a large social media following. 

For their final stop of the day, the royal couple arrived at the RNLI Tower Lifeboat Station by E-class lifeboat, thanking the crew for steering them safely ashore.

Delivering cake and biscuits they had bought at Borough Market earlier that day, they joined staff and volunteers to learn more about their lifesaving work on the tidal river and mark the 25th anniversary of the RNLI Lifeguards.

After getting changed out of the yellow waterproofs, the Prince and Princess took seats at a table for a cup with representatives of the lifeboat station, and were brought cups of tea while they talked. ‘Oh, that’s very kind,’ said the Princess.

Outside, where a small crowd had gathered to meet them after the engagement was pre-announced, there was a lone shout of ‘have you been covering for Andrew, William?’ – referring to William’s uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his friendship with the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Several dozen well-wishers, however, shook their hands and asked for photographs.

One woman shouted ‘Happy Mother’s Day, Catherine!’ and a second showed her the tattoo she has of the Princess’s handwriting on her torso.

The Princess responded: ‘Oh my goodness, my handwriting isn’t the best!’