But it was in 2026 that the Princess of Wales truly made pearl jewellery her own – indeed, she made a touching tribute to Princess Diana, wearing the three-strand pearl bracelet once owned by her late mother-in-law. Designed by Nigel Milne and his wife, Cherry, the bracelet was perhaps most famously worn by Prince William’s mother on her 1989 tour of Hong Kong with the then-Prince Charles. Diana paired the piece (which was created as a set to fundraise for the BIRTHRIGHT charity, for which the Princess acted as patron) with her ‘Elvis’ dress and jacket by Catherine Walker.
Catherine has truly made the bracelet her own, wearing it to the wedding of Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling earlier this month. Indeed, pearls have swiftly become a staple for the Princess of Wales.
Princess Diana in a three-strand pearl necklace at a Hong Kong gala in 1989
Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images
The Princess of Wales also wore pearls in January, when the Princess welcomed the England Women’s Rugby team to Windsor Castle to celebrate their World Cup win over Canada last September. In addition to her striking red Alexander McQueen trouser suit, Catherine wore a pair of vintage earrings, featuring a cluster of dazzling white pearls. The Princess of Wales is known to put much thought into the symbolic import of her jewellery, with many reading her love of pearls as a way of keeping her husband, Prince William, close to her heart on solo engagements: the gem is, after all, the Prince of Wales‘ birthstone.
The Princess first wore the earrings on a visit to HMP Styal in February 2025. The timing of the outing led some commentators to question whether the jewels might have been a present marking Catherine’s birthday just a few weeks before. A chance to wear some more historical pearls came in March, when the Princess of Wales joined her husband at Westminster Abbey for a Commonwealth Day service with King Charles, Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Catherine looked resplendent in a vintage five-strand pearl necklace, a personal piece rather than a royal heirloom. Pearls were also front and centre on Catherine’s royal trip to Italy in May, her first since the announcement of her cancer diagnosis.