Kate Middleton wears a rarely-seen pearl necklace from her personal collection at Windsor Castle
The Princess of Wales teamed a pair of heirloom diamond and sapphire earrings with a recently purchased necklace
As she has an impressive array of sparkling gems from the royal vaults at her disposal, it would be easy for Kate Middleton to look only to heirloom jewellery for special occasions. However, the Princess of Wales is adept at mixing pieces that bear royal significance with more modern additions to her own jewellery box – as she proved on the first day of the German state visit to Britain.
Following the arrival of Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and First Lady Elke Büdenbender, Kate Middleton and Prince William joined the couple at Windsor Castle for a tour of a specially-designed exhibition of items from the Royal Collection that boast a link to Germany. Earlier that day to welcome the German delegation at Heathrow, the Princess had showed off an outfit from her existing wardrobe: a bespoke royal blue coat from Alexander McQueen, paired with a complementary Juliette Botterill ‘Bow and Arrow’ hat and a pair of navy boots.
Prince William and the Princess of Wales joined Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and First Lady Elke Büdenbender to view a special exhibition at Windsor Castle
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Underneath her Alexander McQueen coat, Kate wore a smart, black dress from heritage British label Burberry, which she styled with a subtle point of difference for lunch following the welcome and carriage procession to Windsor Castle. Removing her hat and coat, she chose to keep her earrings on – and add a five-strand pearl necklace, a favourite piece from her own jewellery collection.
Kate debuted her Susan Caplan pearls during a ceremony commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day in January 2025
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The Princess has donned the vintage necklace several times since – including for a concert to mark the 80th Anniversary of VE Day in May 2025
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Kate Middleton has worn the necklace on several occasions since then – including for the VE Day 80th anniversary concert at Horse Guards Parade in May, when she teamed it with matching pearl earrings, also from Susan Caplan, and a white bouclé and chiffon midi dress by high street brand, Self-Portrait. Clearly, it was an outfit that resonated for her: she wore the exact same look for the Order of the Garter celebrations a month later, this time adding a new, wide-brimmed hat by milliner Sean Barrett.
Kate Middleton has long demonstrated a knack for combining high-end designer labels with more low-key, affordable styles; clearly, she is just as talented at doing the same with her jewellery – pairing family heirlooms with pieces she has sourced herself, for a thoroughly modern royal look.
