The Princess of Wales offered a masterclass in sentimental royal dressing on November 9, 2025, as she honored Britain’s fallen at the National Service of Remembrance—yet it was her jewelry that told the most compelling story.
Standing solemnly on the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office balcony beside Queen Camilla, Kate, 43, wore Princess Diana’s iconic Collingwood pearl drop earrings, valued at approximately £30,000 ($40,000).
The luminous South Sea pearls, suspended from diamond-set surmounts capped with two round stones, have become a signature of two generations of Princesses of Wales.
Their provenance is as resonant as their sparkle.
Gifted to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 by Collingwood—the Spencer family’s longtime jeweler—just weeks before her wedding, the earrings made their public debut at a dinner honoring King Khalid of Saudi Arabia at Claridge’s. They soon became a Diana staple, frequently paired with Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara for state banquets and worn on high-profile tours to Australia, Canada, Italy and the United States.
Kate has been notably deliberate in deploying the Collingwood pearls for moments of remembrance. This marks the second consecutive year she has chosen them for Remembrance Sunday; she also wore them to the Festival of Remembrance in 2021 and 2024.
This year, she layered the Diana tribute with additional meaningful pieces. Pinned to her structured black Catherine Walker coat was a Royal Air Force wings brooch—a poignant nod to her late grandfather, Peter Middleton, a World War II fighter pilot. Alongside it, she wore a handcrafted silk poppy by Royal School of Needlework graduate Izzy Ager for Lock & Co. Hatters.
In a subtle departure from her own tradition, the Princess opted for a single large poppy rather than her customary trio, which many believe she wears in memory of her great-grandmother Olive Middleton’s three brothers, killed in action between 1915 and 1917.
Since first debuting the Collingwood pair at the 2017 Spanish State Banquet, she has elevated them to more than 20 significant appearances—including Baby Archie’s christening, Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral procession, and her own 40th birthday portraits.
Apparently, Kate’s choices underscore her refined command of royal symbolism: jewels selected not merely for beauty, but to honor lineage and craft a quietly powerful narrative that resonates far beyond the balcony.
