Kate Middleton’s pearl necklace is a touching tribute to Prince Philip

The Duchess of Cambridge has made a subtle tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh with her choice of jewellery at the funeral.

On Saturday, Kate Middleton arrived at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle wearing a pearl necklace known as the Four-Row Japanese Pearl Choker.

The necklace was loaned to Kate by the Queen from the Royal Collection, after it was given to Her Majesty by the Japanese Government.

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Kate previously wore the statement necklace in 2017 at a dinner to commemorate the 70th wedding anniversary of Prince Philip and the Queen.

The necklace has also been worn by Kate’s late mother-in-law, Diana, the Princess of Wales, who chose to wear it for a banquet at Hampton Court Palace in honor of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in November 1982.

 Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana. 

It’s not known exactly when the Queen acquired the necklace, however, it’s thought to have been sometime in the 1970s when she made her first state visit to Japan.

According to the book Garrard: The Crown Jewellers for 150 Years, written by Charlotte Gere, John Culme, and William Summers, the Queen commissioned the necklace during the visit from a set of the “finest cultured pearls presented to her by the Japanese government.”

The Queen has worn the necklace numerous times, including in 1983 when she visited Bangladesh.

It’s not the first time the Queen has loaned Kate an item of jewellery from the Royal Collection.

The Duchess has worn several items belonging to Her Majesty for official events, including the Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara, which she wore to a diplomatic reception at Buckingham Palace in 2017.

The Independent