Platinum Jubilee: Kate Middleton wears sapphire earrings that belonged to Princess Diana

  • 03/06/2022

Kate Middleton debuted a very special pair of earrings on the first day of the Platinum Jubilee, four days of pomp, parties and parades to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's record-breaking 70 years on the British throne.

The Duchess of Cambridge, 40, wore a blazer-style white dress from Alexander McQueen with a navy and white Philip Treacy saucer hat at the Trooping the Colour event at Buckingham Palace on Thursday (local time).

But it was Kate's pair of dazzling sapphire and diamond earrings that generated headlines. The earrings once belonged to Princess Diana - and Kate wearing them publicly for the first time reportedly debunks a rumour.

Princess Diana at the Met Gala in 1996; Duchess Kate at Trooping the Colour in 2022.
Princess Diana at the Met Gala in 1996; Duchess Kate at Trooping the Colour in 2022. Photo credit: Getty Images

According to People, over the past decade Kate has sported a smaller pair of sapphire and diamond earrings that were thought to have been fashioned using Diana's classic pair, which had not been seen since she died in 1997.

"This is the first time we've seen Kate wear this pair of earrings in public," Lauren Kiehna, royal jewelry expert, told People.

"The sapphires in Diana's earrings are cabochons, and the sapphires in Kate's smaller earrings are faceted. The claim has now been fully debunked as Kate has now worn the double cluster earrings."

Kate beamed with happiness as she waved at the crowds gathered for Trooping the Colour. She rode in a car with husband Prince William, 39, who sported full military regalia for the event.