The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, paid a heartfelt tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II through her fashion choices at a Buckingham Palace reception celebrating what would have been the Queen’s 100th birthday. In a nod to the Queen’s penchant for vibrant attire, Kate, 44, dazzled in a custom lilac dress by her go-to designer, Emilia Wickstead, based in London. Complementing her elegant ensemble, Kate honored her grandmother-in-law by wearing the Queen’s cherished three-strand pearl necklace and the Bahrain pearl drop earrings, which were crafted from pearls given to Elizabeth by the Hakim of Bahrain as a wedding gift for her marriage to Prince Philip. These earrings were a favorite of the Queen’s early in her marriage.

Later, Queen Elizabeth lent the earrings to both Princess Diana and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh. However, since Remembrance Sunday in 2016, they have been exclusively worn by Kate. The pearl necklace, a staple in the Queen’s wardrobe, was often seen around her neck, as her former assistant private secretary, Sam Cohen, once shared with People, noting that the Queen was uninterested in material wealth and wore the same necklace daily. Joining Prince William, King Charles, and Queen Camilla, Kate attended the reception designed to honor Queen Elizabeth II’s life and legacy on her birth anniversary. The event also saw some of the UK’s oldest citizens, who share the April 21st birthday, receiving their centenary cards personally delivered by Charles.

Charities and organizations connected with the late Queen, such as Cancer Research UK, the Jockey Club, and the Army Benevolent Fund, were among the invitees. In a rare appearance, the King was accompanied by a full assembly of working royals, ranging from the youngest to the most senior: the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and even the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra, aged 90 and 89, respectively. The historic Marble Hall at Buckingham Palace, one of the few public areas still accessible amid ongoing refurbishment, was transformed into a festive street party scene with bunting and artwork. This hall, previously used for VJ Day commemorations last year, was adorned with décor crafted by household staff from remnants of historic curtains and drapes.

Guests were treated to champagne and a special QEII ‘tribute’ cocktail made from her favourite Dubonnet. The traditional gin had been left out because it was a ‘daytime’ event and replaced with lemon juice, rosemary and tonic. Stands showing portraits of the late monarch visiting each of the charities lined the halls and the Band of the Household Cavalry played a series of jolly modern tunes. A Paddington Bear could be seen peeking out from behind three Queen Elizabeth II roses created by Harnkness Roses in 2021, gifts for the birthday guests of honour from the Royal Horticultural Society. The King and Queen led the royal party in from the gardens as the band played, encouraging guests to sing a verse of Happy Birthday.

He bent down to speak to birthday girl Mary Wood from Yatton in North Somerset, who insisted trying to get up from her wheelchair to greet him. Born in Wolverhampton, Mrs Wood trained as a nurse at Corbett Hospital in Stourbridge, and enjoyed a lifelong career in nursing. She had two sons, David and Nicholas, with her late husband, Victor. ‘Is it your birthday today?’ he asked as he gave her a card. ‘Oh how wonderful. The same as my Mama. That’s marvellous!’ Queen Camilla told her: ‘You don’t look old enough to be one hundred!’ Mrs Wood told her the secret was eating well in her youth. ‘Good food as I grew up,’ she said. The Queen told her she also ate ‘good plain food’ when she was a child as well. Mrs Wood said afterwards: ‘I came here to meet the late Queen when she celebrated her 80th birthday as mine was also on the same day. And now I have met her son. It’s been wonderful and so unexpected. I have followed the Royal Family my whole life.’

The King and Queen were followed by the Prince and Princess of Wales down the line, bending down to chat to the three centenarians. The King and Camilla then helped birthday lady Joan Hollingworth to cut a cake made by the palace pastry chefs. Holding the knife she said: ‘It’s hard to cut this cake’ Camilla tried her hand first before Charles gave her a hand with the knife saying: ‘Let me do that with you.’ John Jervois, who served with the Royal Signals in Second World War in the Far East, stood up to greet the King. Charles was heard wishing him a happy birthday and they had a warm chat. Speaking afterwards John said he used to get lots of presents when he was a child because everyone remembered his birthday as it was the same as the Queen’s. He said: ‘It was very valuable.’ On being at Buckingham Palace and meeting the King and Royal Family, he said: ‘It’s extraordinary. I didn’t think it would happen to somebody like myself.’ He also recalled as young man climbing on to the roof of a building in Regent Street to watch the Queen’s Coronation procession.

Joan Hollingworth was wished happy birthday by all the senior royals. William said jokingly to her: ‘I can’t believe you are 100! Do we need to call security, have you snuck in?’ Afterwards, Joan said: ‘I said to Camilla ‘I’m deaf’ and she joked ‘join the club’. ‘The Prince of Wales said I looked well for my age and asked what was my secret.’ The royals spent an hour in the Marble Hall where 200 guests from many of the late Queen’s patronages were hosted. The Princess of Wales hugged an emotional George Cross hero. Tony Gledhill, 88, who won the highest award for chasing down and capturing gun toting crooks, looked emotional as he shared a delicate moment with Kate. Speaking afterwards he explained that his wife had recently died and she had told him before she passed that he must attend the palace event. And said of Kate: ‘She was fantastic.’