As Kate Middleton turns 41 today, we can’t get over how much the princess looks to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, for fashion advice. Although Middleton is one to set fashion trends, she’s also not afraid to take on vintage pieces for inspiration.
In fact, the Princess of Wales is following in Diana’s footsteps when it comes to this timeless jewelry hack.
From sporting Diana’s emerald choker to wearing the late princess’s sapphire earrings at the queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Middleton is known for donning her classic accessories.
The thing is, Middleton is taking more than one trick from Diana’s jewelry playbook. Similar to how her mother-in-law put her own spin on vintage accessories, the Princess of Wales isn’t afraid to alter the family jewels.
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Just as Diana was known for reimaging a choker into a headband, Middleton is finding innovative ways to wear classic accessories. One piece that the princess often wears in an ingenious way is Queen Mary’s diamond chain link choker.
Instead of a necklace, Middleton dons it as a bracelet. Created in the 1920s, the choker is most notable for appearing in one of Queen Mary’s portraits.
After Queen Mary died in 1953, the Queen Mother inherited the choker but did not publicly wear it until 1975. Turns out, the Queen Mother was also one to go against tradition because she also wore it as a bracelet in a series of portraits that year. Looks like Middleton is taking fashion advice from many royal family members!
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Although Queen Elizabeth II received the choker after the Queen Mother’s death in 2002, the late queen never wore the diamond choker. In fact, the choker-turned-necklace wasn’t seen again until 2015 when the late monarch loaned the versatile piece to Middleton.
Apparently, the princess is a huge fan of the diamond choker. After wearing it to a State Banquet in 2015 to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, Middleton also donned the piece the next year at the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices “A Taste of Norfolk” gala. She then wore it in 2017 at a gala dinner hosted by the British Ambassador to France.
The princess most recently showed off the diamond accessory in 2018 when she attended the Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace.
Evidently, Middleton is a fan of Queen Mary’s jewelry because she donned Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara with the bracelet.
Middleton also isn’t afraid to alter pieces that once belonged to Diana. In fact, the princess opted to remove some of the stones in her mother-in-law’s sapphire earrings.
By giving the earrings her own personal style, Middleton transformed the dazzling pair into jewelry fit for the 21st century. Since Diana also made jewelry modifications, we think that the late princess would be delighted with Middleton’s alterations.