I Was So Distracted by Kate Middleton’s Hair, I Nearly Missed Her Nod to Princess Diana

Did you catch it?

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It’s been an eventful few weeks for the Wales family. From Prince William’s whirlwind five-day trip to Brazil to a weekend full of Remembrance Day events (known as Veterans Day in the U.S.), the royals have been everywhere. Kate Middleton, of course, was front and center for several appearances and even brought along Prince George for one. While I was busy admiring her chic outfit, sweet mother-son moment and unexpected hair switch-up, I almost missed her subtle (and very touching) nod to Princess Diana.

Over the weekend, the Princess of Wales, 43, attended the 2025 National Service of Remembrance at The Cenotaph in London, wearing a sleek black coatdress and coordinating hat. But it was what was under that hat that caught my attention: a pair of sentimental earrings with deep family history, the late Princess Diana’s Collingwood pearl drop earrings.

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“The earrings carry emotional weight,” explains Abelini Jewelry founder Nilesh Rakholia. “They’re elegant, yes, but more importantly, they’re a quiet connection to Diana—a woman who also used jewellery to communicate compassion, grace, and presence.”

According to Nilesh, the choice was especially meaningful for the occasion.

“Pearls are deeply symbolic in royal jewellery,” Nilesh says. “They traditionally represent purity, wisdom, and mourning, which makes them especially fitting for Remembrance events. By wearing Diana’s earrings, Catherine wasn’t just honouring her mother-in-law; she was honouring every life remembered over the weekend.”

The pearls, originally crafted by Collingwood & Co. and gifted to Diana ahead of her wedding, are a favorite in Princess Catherine’s collection. She’s worn them before, including earlier this year for a service at Westminster Abbey celebrating the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

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As for Princess Diana, she famously wore the same earrings on several occasions, most notably at the 1994 Vanity Fair party at the Serpentine Gallery, paired with her unforgettable revenge dress.

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Freelance PureWow Editor