Kate Middleton wore a pair of sentimental earrings gifted to her by Prince William as she stepped out for a royal visit earlier this week. The Princess of Wales gave a masterclass in monochrome power dressing on Thursday during her busy day of engagements at RAF Coningsby. As Middleton met with junior recruits and toured a rapid response fighter jet as the station’s Royal Honorary Air Commodore, she showcased an outfit that bore a striking resemblance to one of Princess Diana’s most notable looks.
Middleton chose to wear a pair of sapphire and diamond earrings, which looked remarkably similar to a pair owned by Princess Diana. The late Princess of Wales often wore sapphire cabochon and diamond cluster earrings for her royal engagements, wearing them as both double drops and studs over the years. Outings included a trip to Japan in 1986 and a visit to New York in 1995, when she paired the earrings with a matching sapphire choker. The jewelry has become an iconic piece of the princess’s collection.
Perhaps that’s why Prince William gave his future wife a similar pair to mark their wedding in 2011 — a poignant gift, especially considering Middleton is known for valuing the symbolic meaning of her earrings. Whether it was her Wimbledon debut with earrings in 2011, a trip to a Stoke-on-Trent pottery factory while pregnant in 2015, or a visit to Dundee for the opening of the V&A museum in 2019, the Princess of Wales has cherished jewelry throughout her royal career.
That wasn’t the only nod Middleton gave her mother-in-law during the outing. Wearing a gray Bella Freud suit (with a Prince of Wales check pattern that may well be a nod to her husband, Prince William), Middleton continued to gravitate toward one of her royal favorites. She had previously chosen the suit for an outing to a textile manufacturer. But that might not be the only reason the outfit looks familiar. After all, the Princess of Wales appears to have taken style inspiration from Prince William’s mother, the late Princess Diana.
During a trip to Paddington Station in honor of the Red Cross on May 3, 1988, the then Princess of Wales wore a Catherine Walker suit, also made in a Prince of Wales check pattern. Although this number is navy blue and paired with a white satin turtleneck rather than Middleton’s choice of a gray sweater, the resemblance between the two royal women’s wardrobes is uncanny.
