The Princess of Wales wore Queen Elizabeth II’s necklace to her state funeral.
Princess Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge sported a diamond and pearl choker to her grandmother-in-law’s funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday (19.09.2022) from the Queen’s collection after previously wearing it to Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021 and at the 70th wedding anniversary of the couple, who wed in 1947.
According to the Telegraph the monarch - who died aged 96 at Balmoral on 8 September after more than seven decades reigning over the UK and other territories - got the statement piece of jewellery made after the Japanese government and often wore it in the 80s and 90s.
Along with the necklace at the funeral - which was attended by world leaders such as US President Joe Biden, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and included speakers such as Baroness Scotland - Kate added a pair of pearl and diamond earrings, which also came from the Queen’s collection and were made with seven pearls given to Her Majesty as a wedding present from the Hakim of Bahrain.
Both pieces were often borrowed by the 40-year-old Queen-to-be’s mother-in-law, the late Princess Diana, who while she was married to now-King Charles III was known as the Princess of Wales, a title that Kate has assumed since the accession of the 73-year-old monarch to the throne.
The eulogy for the Queen was given by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who praised her ability to keep her vow to keep her life “dedicated” to public service.
He said: "The pattern for many leaders is to be exalted in life and forgotten after death.
"The pattern for all who serve God – famous or obscure, respected or ignored – is that death is the door to glory. Her Late Majesty famously declared in a 21st birthday broadcast that her whole life would be dedicated to serving the Nation and Commonwealth. Rarely has such a promise been so well kept!
"Few leaders receive the outpouring of love we have seen. Jesus – who in our reading does not tell his disciples how to follow, but who – said: “I am the way, the truth and the life”. Her Late Majesty’s example was not set through her position or her ambition, but through whom she followed. I know His Majesty shares the same faith and hope in Jesus Christ as his mother; the same sense of service and duty.
"In 1953 the Queen began her Coronation with silent prayer, just there at the High Altar. Her allegiance to God was given before any person gave allegiance to her. Her service to so many people in this nation, the Commonwealth and the world had its foundation in her following Christ – God himself – who said that he “came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.
"People of loving service are rare in any walk of life. Leaders of loving service are still rarer. But in all cases those who serve will be loved and remembered when those who cling to power and privileges are forgotten."
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