The Princess of Wales paid tribute to her late mother-in-law today by wearing the Prince of Wales’ feather necklace given to Princess Diana by the Queen Mother.
Kate, 40, cut an elegant figure in a burgundy Emilia Wickstead dress, with matching hat, as she welcomed the South African president to the UK this afternoon.
The mother-of-three unified her sophisticated ensemble with the sparkling brooch, which features 18 round-cut diamonds with a tiny emerald flanking the symbol of the Prince of Wales’ feathers.
It was gifted to Diana by the Queen Mother upon her engagement to King Charles III, then Prince of Wales, in 1981.
The Princess of Wales paid tribute to her late mother-in-law today by wearing the Prince of Wales’ feather necklace given to Princess Diana by the Queen Mother.
The mother-of-three unified her sophisticated ensemble with the sparkling brooch, which features 18 round-cut diamonds with a tiny emerald flanking the symbol of the Prince of Wales’ feathers.
Princess Diana first appeared as a necklace at the Royal Opera House in 1982. She later wore the necklace with an attached emerald drop during a royal tour in Austria in 1986.
She wore her husband’s insignia, three ostrich feathers emerging from a diamond-encrusted tiara, and became one of Diana’s favorite accessories.
The gift first entered the royal family’s collection in 1863 when King Edward VII married Princess Alexandra of Denmark. The union saw Princess Alexandra showered with gifts – including a feather brooch from the ladies of North Wales.
It was passed to Alexandra’s daughter-in-law, Queen Mary, and then to Mary’s daughter-in-law, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, who gave it to the then Princess of Wales in 1981.
When Diana died, the piece became part of Queen Elizabeth II’s collection again, and could be borrowed free of charge by other royal ladies with Her Majesty’s permission.
