The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara, E Wolff & Co for R&S Garrard & Co, 1893, part of the late Queen Elizabeth II's personal collection Photo: VCG

From left: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Camilla, Queen Consort, Prince George of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales look at the coffin of the late Queen Elizabeth II on September 19, 2022. Photo: AFP

Catherine, the Princess of Wales, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, on Monday each opted for pearls to mourn Queen Elizabeth II at her state funeral at Westminster Abbey.

Pearls are often referred to as mourning jewellery, a tradition said to date back to Queen Victoria's era in the 19th century.

Camilla, the Queen Consort of the new King Charles III, meanwhile wore Queen Victoria's Hesse Diamond Jubilee Brooch, diamonds in the shape of an open heart, with two sapphire pendants.

This was accompanied by a pair of oval stud earrings featuring a sapphire stone encircled with diamonds and a gold pendant necklace.

Catherine, the wife of heir to the throne Prince William, chose the same striking necklace and earring combination which she wore just over a year ago for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II's husband Prince Philip.

Her Japanese choker with four rows of pearls and a curved central diamond clasp was accompanied with a pair of Bahrain drop pearl earrings, both from the queen's personal jewellery collection. 

The Princess of Wales also chose the same jewellery for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh's 70th wedding anniversary dinner during 2017.

It is believed the necklace was commissioned by the queen using pearls gifted to her by the Japanese government after her first state visit to the nation in 1975.

The earrings were made using two from a collection of pearls given to the queen as a wedding gift from the Hakim of Bahrain in 1947.

Both of the jewellery pieces were previously worn by William's mother Princess Diana during a state visit from Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in 1982, while the queen was pictured wearing the set during an engagement in Bangladesh the following year.

Precious heirloom

Meghan chose pared back jewellery with a pair of pearl and diamond stud earrings gifted to her by the queen. She also wore them on her first joint engagement alongside the monarch in June 2018.

In a nod to the queen's lifelong love of horses, Princess Charlotte, the seven-year-old daughter of William and Catherine, wore a small diamond horseshoe brooch, a gift from her late great-grandmother.

The queen's personal jewellery collection, from which many of the pieces worn at Monday's funeral were drawn, is steeped in royal history. The collection contains more than 300 items from brooches, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, to the rings, watches, and pendants.

The Princess of Wales was also seen wearing the queen's diamond leaf brooch featuring a trio of pearls for the procession to the lying in state on Wednesday.

Although the late queen's will is private and will not be revealed to the public, it is expected that the jewellery will be passed on to members of the royal family including the monarch's four children and their spouses.

AFP