Kate Middleton’s Most Spectacular Jewelry Rescued From Oblivion

Kate Middleton and Prince William this week made one of their rare appearances on the red carpet. It happened in London on the occasion of the world premiere of the film Digger, where they met Tom Cruise, director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, and other members of the cast. For the occasion, the Princess of Wales chose a flowing purple dress, which she paired with success with the Queen Mother’s long amethyst necklace.

This pearl necklace, adorned with diamonds and amethysts, was a wedding gift from Queen Alexandra to Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (the future Queen Mother) on her wedding day in 1923 and has rarely left Windsor’s vaults. In fact, the last time it was worn was more than a decade ago, when Queen Camilla (then the Duchess of Cornwall) wore it to the premiere of Skyfall in 2012.

This curious choice of this jewel by Kate Middleton has made us think of other occasions when the future queen of England has dazzled us with pieces that had been hidden for nearly a century. From the Cartier Halo Tiara she borrowed for her wedding to Prince William in 2011 to precious earrings and necklaces, these are the jewelry pieces most notable that the Princess of Wales has rescued from oblivion.

The Strathmore Rose Tiara

For a State Banquet with the president of South Korea held at Buckingham Palace in 2023, Kate Middleton wore all royal splendor in a white Jenny Packham gown that she complemented with elbow-length white gloves and a pair of diamond earrings from Queen Elizabeth II’s collection. But most notably she highlighted her choice of the historic Strathmore Rose Tiara.

With its romantic floral design, this diadem was a wedding gift to the Queen Mother in 1923 from her father, the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. Made in the late 19th century, the last time anyone wore the Strathmore Rose was in 1930, before Princess Kate rescued it from Windsor’s vaults.

The Cartier Hyderabad Diamond Necklace

Regalado a la reina Isabel II con motivo de su boda por Asaf Jah VII, el Nizam de Hyderabad, este collar de diamantes fue uno de los favoritos de la difunta soberana en las décadas de 1940 y 1950. Kate Middleton sigue siendo la única otra miembro de la familia real británica que lo ha lucido en público. Primero en una gala de 2014 y luego de nuevo en la Recepción del Cuerpo Diplomático de 2019.

Con un valor estimado en unos 80 millones de euros, esta es una de las joyas más caras de la familia real británica y también una de las más icónicas. Originalmente, el collar constaba de cinco grandes colgantes de diamantes, pero con el tiempo estos quedaron reducidos a uno de gran tamaño en el centro. El colgante doble central es desmontable y una hilera de 38 diamantes forma la banda del cuello, con un cierre de diamante ovalado.

Lotus Flower Tiara

In 2022, the Princess of Wales attended the annual Diplomatic Reception held at Buckingham Palace alongside Prince William and King Charles and Camilla. There they welcomed more than 500 members of the diplomatic corps in the palace’s gala rooms. Kate Middleton wore then a resplendent floor-length lace dress with beadwork and long sleeves by Jenny Packham and the very uncommon Lotus Flower Tiara.

It was again the Queen Mother who created the tiara from a Garrard diamond and pearl necklace that she received as a wedding gift in 1923 from her husband, the future King George VI. The piece later passed into the hands of Queen Elizabeth II’s sister, Princess Margaret, shortly before she married Anthony Armstrong-Jones.

Diana, Princess of Wales’s Sapphire Earrings

For about a decade, the Princess of Wales wore a pair of smaller sapphire and diamond earrings, which many suspected were a modified version of the pair her late mother-in-law, Diana, Princess of Wales, used to wear. But in 2022, Kate Middleton discreetly debunked that rumor by wearing the larger pair for the first time during the Trooping the Colour ceremony.

These earrings have become a wardrobe staple and she has worn them on several occasions since then, including the Anzac Day commemoration and thanksgiving ceremony held at Westminster Abbey earlier this year. The only other person to have worn this jewel was Princess Diana.

The Cartier Halo Tiara

For her wedding day in 2011, Kate Middleton wore the elegant Cartier Halo Tiara, lent by her husband’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. Although several women of the British royal family had worn it over the years—such as Princess Margaret or Princess Anne—the queen herself never wore it in public during her 70-year reign.

Designed with a band of 16 circles that taper toward the sides and hold a large diamond in the center, the dazzling Cartier Halo Tiara resurfaced after decades hidden in Elizabeth II’s jewelry box. Today it has become one of Kate Middleton’s most emblematic jewels, although since that wedding day she has not worn it again.