The Princess of Wales paid tribute to two of the Royal Family’s most influential women—the late Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana—through her Remembrance outfits over the weekend.
Catherine, 44, is known for her polished fashion choices, but it is often the personal meaning behind her accessories that makes her style particularly distinctive. Her jewellery is carefully selected, with many pieces carrying a strong royal or family connection.
For Remembrance Sunday, she wore a black coat with the Collingwood Pearl Drop Earrings that once belonged to her late mother-in-law, Diana.
Set with diamonds and large, lustrous pearls, the earrings were given to Diana by London jeweller Collingwood before her 1981 wedding to the then-Prince Charles.
The previous evening, at the Festival of Remembrance, Kate honoured Queen Elizabeth II by wearing her treasured ‘Orbital’ pendant earrings, which she inherited in 2016.
The elaborate design features a floral diamond cluster followed by four suspended diamonds framed in a sparkling setting.
The late Queen wore the earrings on several occasions during her 70-year reign, including at the State Opening of Parliament in 2012.
Kate has reserved them for significant events, wearing them for her 40th birthday portraits in 2022 and at Princess Eugenie’s 2018 wedding to Jack Brooksbank.
The Princess of Wales honoured the memory of two of the Royal Family’s most influential women—the late Queen and Princess Diana—with her Remembrance outfits over the weekend
On Remembrance Sunday, she wore her late mother-in-law’s Collingwood Pearl Drop Earrings
The princess also brought back a black polka-dot silk midi dress by Alessandra Rich, styling it with a handmade poppy brooch created by Izzy Ager of Lock & Co.
Kate altered the dress, which she had previously worn to the Service of Thanksgiving for Prince Philip in 2022. Among the changes, she removed the decorative silver buttons from the left shoulder.
The front slit was sewn closed, while the original matching belt was replaced with a black suede style from Ba&Sh, giving the outfit a more formal look for the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall.
She completed the ensemble with black slingback heels by Alessandra Rich, a Jimmy Choo clutch and her Irish Guards Regimental Brooch.
The following morning, Kate joined senior members of the Royal Family to remember Britain’s war dead as King Charles and Prince William led the nation at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday.
Watching the service from the balcony alongside Queen Camilla, Kate paid further tribute to Diana by wearing the Collingwood Pearl Drop earrings.
The earrings were presented to Diana as a wedding gift by Collingwood, a jeweller trusted by the Spencer family. She began wearing them several weeks before her marriage to Prince Charles, and they soon became one of her best-known pieces.
Their design combines a round diamond stud with a smaller diamond and a bell-shaped cap set with three rows of fine diamonds, from which hangs a glowing pearl drop.
Kate honoured Elizabeth II by wearing her ‘Orbital’ pendant earrings at the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday
The princess revived a black polka-dot Alessandra Rich silk midi dress, previously worn at the Service of Thanksgiving for Prince Philip in 2022
Kate adapted the dress by removing the decorative silver buttons from the left shoulder. She first wore it to the late Duke of Edinburgh’s memorial service at Westminster Abbey on March 29, 2022
Kate first wore the earrings at a state banquet in 2017 and has since styled them for a number of important occasions, including with Diana’s much-loved Lover’s Knot Tiara.
She also wore jewellery belonging to Diana at last year’s memorial service. This year, she introduced a bespoke black coat by Catherine Walker, one of her favourite designers.
The coat was paired with a wide-brimmed hat by Jane Taylor Millinery. Kate also attached three poppies and her HMS Glasgow Brooch, which was made by Glaswegian jewellers James Porter & Son to mark her role as sponsor of the Royal Navy vessel.
The brooch incorporates the ship’s crest, the Scottish thistle and an image of St Kentigern, also known as St Mungo, the patron saint of Glasgow.
The reason members of the Royal Family wear three poppies on Remembrance Sunday has never been confirmed, although several theories have emerged.
One explanation is that the three flowers represent the three branches of the British military: the Army, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force.
Another theory suggests that Princess Kate wears three poppies in memory of her three great-uncles, the brothers of her great-grandmother, who were killed during the First World War.
It has also been suggested that the arrangement helps ensure the poppies are clearly visible to television viewers and members of the public.
Camilla and Kate, who watched the service from the balconies of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, both wore three poppies, as did the Duchess of Edinburgh.
Standing beside Queen Camilla during the Remembrance Sunday service, Kate honoured Prince William’s late mother by wearing Diana’s Collingwood Pearl Drop earrings
Around 10,000 veterans took part in the Royal British Legion’s march past, representing more than 300 Armed Forces and civilian organisations.
Marchers of all ages took part on Whitehall, including bereaved children, military cadets and some of the last surviving veterans of the Second World War.
King Charles led the ceremony at the Cenotaph, laying the first wreath in honour of those killed in conflicts dating from the First World War. Prince William followed him.
Dressed in a field marshal’s uniform with a greatcoat, cap and sword, the King saluted as he moved away from the Whitehall memorial after leading the country in a two-minute silence.
His wreath closely echoed one made for King George VI, featuring 41 paper poppy petals arranged against black leaves.
William, wearing the uniform of a Lieutenant Colonel of the Household Cavalry with a black cloak and sword, also saluted after laying his wreath.
The Prince of Wales completed seven and a half years of full-time operational military service in 2013. Supporting current and former service personnel remains an important part of his public work.
The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward, laid a wreath after William, followed by the Princess Royal.
Politicians from both past and present governments also placed wreaths at the Cenotaph before the traditionally observed silence and a moving performance of the Last Post.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry was seen attending a memorial service in Brackley, Northamptonshire, after returning to the UK with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their children in August.
Photographs showed Harry standing among local residents in the market town, wearing his military medals and a poppy.
An onlooker said: ‘He was at the memorial service—he was stood next to the pub.
‘He was stood there watching and then afterwards he went into the market and started shaking everyone’s hand.
‘He was there for the whole service—we were there for 20 or 30 minutes, and he was there before us. He just wanted to show some respect.
‘It is a shame. At the end of the day he’s served, so why can’t he show his respects.’
Prince Harry spent more than a decade in the military, rising to the rank of Captain and completing two tours of Afghanistan.
