As the funeral service for the late Queen Elizabeth II came to an end, attention turned to the other members of the Royal Family and how they would be dressed for the funeral. On the day of the Queen's funeral on 19 September, the leading ladies of the Royal Family wore a collection of jewelry given to them by the late Queen as a final farewell to her.
Some of the objects were on loan to the royal family members from the Queen. Camilla, Queen Consort, wore a brooch from the royal family's collection called the "Hesse Jubilee Diamond Brooch," which was once owned by Queen Victoria. Catherine, Princess of Wales, donned a four-row pearl choker and the Bahrain pearl drop earrings that the Queen and Princess Diana had previously worn (better generally known by her maiden name, Kate Middleton). However, according to Buzzfeed, the Queen had gifted jewels to Princess Charlotte of Wales and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
The jewelry worn by Camilla, Kate, Meghan, and Charlotte is seen in further detail below:
Kate: Bahrain Pearl Drop Earrings
During the Queen's rendition, Princess Kate wore the Queen's diamond and pearl leaf brooch with three large pearls in the center, which she wore on her 73rd birthday visit to South Korea and later gave to Kate. The pearl earrings in Princess Kate's ears are rumored to be a relic of Princess Diana. The pearls became a must-have accessory for the royal family, especially during funerals, but there is a history to this.
Hidden History behind Royal Pearls
In the 19th century, pearls were thought to mean "sorrow" and tears because of their similarity in appearance and color to tears. In 1861 when Prince Albert died, his wife Queen Victoria 40 years is only wearing black styling dresses, and plain jewelry, among the most, get her favorite is pearls, and she has been wearing a long string of pearls for the rest of her life.
Ever since Queen Victoria wore pearls after the death of her husband, pearls have been a tradition in the royal family, especially at funerals and mourning ceremonies, where they have become a dignified and historic accessory. Even when attending royal funerals in other countries, the royal family wears elegant pearl earrings and beads, as Princess Diana did at the funeral of Princess Grace of Monaco in 1982. The Queen wore pearls at the funerals of her husband Prince Philip, her sister Princess Margaret and Princess Diana.
In keeping with royal tradition, Princess Kate also wore a four-strand pearl necklace at the funeral of Prince Philip last year, a necklace she wore to the Queen and Prince Philip's 70th wedding anniversary as a way of paying tribute to them. The pearls were also worn by the Royal Family at events both large and small.
Camilla: Hesse Diamond Jubilee Brooch
On the day of the Queen's funeral, Camilla wore the Hessian Diamond Jubilee Brooch commemorating the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne in 1897. The brooch is composed of diamonds and sapphires, with an open heart in the center and two pear-shaped sapphires dangling from the bottom of the brooch in addition to the egg-shaped sapphire above the heart. Camilla's choice is seen as a tribute to the 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in Britain, and the fact that Queen Victoria and the late Queen Elizabeth II are the only two Diamond Jubilee monarchs in British history to have reigned for more than 60 years.
Meghan: Wonderful Pearl Earrings
Meghan, who announced her retirement from the top of the royal family with Prince Harry, wore a decidedly simpler outfit on the day of her funeral, with a pair of understated pearl earrings. These were also a gift from the Queen when Meghan joined the Royal Family in 2018.
Charlotte: Diamond Horseshoe Brooch
Although Princess Charlotte, aged seven, did not wear any necklace earrings, she did wear a miniature horseshoe brooch given by the Queen on her plain black outfit. The Queen gave Charlotte a diamond horseshoe brooch, which she wore and affectionately referred to as "Gan-Gan," as a present, according to a statement released by Buckingham Palace on Monday. As the Queen was a keen horse rider and observer of horse racing, Princess Charlotte's outfit was also seen as a tribute to her great-grandmother.
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