Kate Middleton has worn some spectacular pieces of jewelry since becoming a royal. After marrying Prince William in 2011, the Princess of Wales has inherited everything from diamond-covered tiaras to special brooches and earrings. Just like her late mother-in-law Princess Diana, Kate isn’t afraid to alter some of these lavish pieces and wear them in her own way.
Princess Diana turned 1 famous piece of jewelry into a headband
In 1981, Princess Diana received an Art Deco diamond and emerald choker as a wedding gift from Queen Elizabeth II. The piece was a gift to Queen Mary from the Delhi Durbar during her visit to India with King George in 1911, and it was designed to be a necklace.
However, Diana reinvented the piece when she inherited it and often wore it as a headband. The last time she wore it was in July 1997 when she attended a gala at London’s Tate Gallery to celebrate her 36th birthday.
According to royal biography Kitty Kelly, the fashion statement was actually the result of an accident that happened when the princess was in a rush. When Diana tried to put the choker over her head — instead of waiting for someone to help her clasp it — it got stuck and wouldn’t go over her nose. That’s when Canadian diplomat Victor Chapman convinced her to wear the choker as a headpiece.
“Whether this was an accident or not, wearing the choker as a headpiece was a wonderful choice. The diamonds in this piece alone are magnificent, looking to be around 10 carats each. They are old cut stones, which makes them even more valuable,” jeweler Maxwell Stone told Crisscut Magazine.
Kate Middleton wears 1 specific piece of jewelry in the most unique way
To celebrate Kate’s 41st birthday, UK jewelry retailer Steven Stone took a close look at how she has taken inspiration from Diana to keep her vintage jewelry from going out of style. They found that the Princess of Wales often wears Queen Mary’s diamond chain link choker as a bracelet — and she’s been doing it for years.
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Back in 2015, Kate wore the bracelet to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at a state banquet. She wore it again the following year at the “A Taste of Norfolk” charity gala and in 2017 during a visit to Paris. The last time she wore the bracelet was in 2018 during a diplomatic reception at Buckingham Palace, along with the Queen Mary Lover’s Knot Tiara.
“It’s heart-warming to see that Kate has followed in the steps of her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, when it comes to wearing jewelry in her own unique way, knowing exactly how to make each piece in her collection stand out,” Stone says. “From re-modeling brooches into necklaces to wearing chokers as headbands, Princess Diana set some huge trends and was always showcasing her jewels in unique ways.”
Kate Middleton’s choker-turned-bracelet was created a century ago
Queen Mary’s diamond chain link choker was created in the 1920s and featured diamond bars in an art deco design. It was one of several diamond chokers in her collection. This one was notable, though, because she wore it in an official portrait.
After Queen Mary’s death in 1953, the choker was not seen again until 1975, when the Queen Mother wore it as a bracelet in a series of portraits to mark her 75th birthday. Queen Elizabeth inherited the choker when the Queen Mother died in 2002, but it remained unworn until she loaned it to Kate. The experts at Steven Stone estimate the piece to be worth $345,000.
