It’s been two years since they last attended together, but last night, Prince William and Kate Middleton marked their official return to the Royal Variety Performance, a charitable occasion that has long been considered the official kick-off to the holiday season in the U.K. The attire? Black tie, of course—which is why Princess Catherine’s figure-hugging green velvet dress from Talbot Runhof more than fit the bill. Still, we couldn’t stop talking about her sparkling art deco earrings, which nod to the late Queen Elizabeth.
Kate Middleton Stuns in Sparkly Earrings Worth $2 Million (& There’s a Touching Tie to Queen Elizabeth)
Such a thoughtful tribute
Published Nov 20, 2025
•4:01pm
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When it comes to jewelry, the Princess of Wales is quite skilled at leaning more towards accessible brands ranging from Zara to Monica Vinader. That’s why it’s hard not to notice when she reaches into the royal vault to pull out a pair beloved by the late Princess Diana or other royals who came before. Last night’s style was especially meaningful: According to the jewelry experts at Steven Stone, they were a gift to Queen Elizabeth on her wedding day in 1947.
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Per Maxwell Stone, the diamond chandelier-style set were given to the late queen by her parents the day she married Prince Philip on November 20, 1947. The Royal Variety Performance just so happened to take place on the eve of that anniversary with Princess Catherine finding a thoughtful way to tie last night’s occasion to the monarch, who passed away in 2022.
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The estimated value of the earrings is approximately $2 million. Queen Elizabeth wore them regularly, too—most recently on a visit to Toronto in Canada in July 2010. (As for Catherine, she last donned the set at Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan’s wedding in June 2023.)
The year 2023 is also the last time that the Prince and Princess of Wales appeared at the Royal Variety Performance as a pair. In 2024, King Charles stepped in to attend with the Waleses choosing to take it easy throughout the holiday season in the wake of Catherine’s cancer diagnosis and ongoing recovery.
Last night marked a sparkly return to the occasion—earrings and all.
