Kate Middleton Pays Tribute to Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth During Coronation

The coronation of Charles III and Camilla took place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday. While all of the focus was on the King and Queen, Kate Middleton made sure to pay tribute to two other members of the royal family on the big day. As E! News noted, the Princess of Wales paid tribute to both Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth II with her choice of accessories. 

According to the outlet, Kate wore a layered diamond necklace that once belonged to the late monarch. She also honored her late mother-in-law with another jewelry choice, as she wore Diana’s pearl drop earrings. Of course, her look wasn’t complete without the gorgeous hairpiece that she sported in lieu of donning a tiara. British Vogue reported that that flower crown was designed by Alexander McQueen. Adorably enough, Kate’s daughter, Princess Charlotte, wore a mini, matching version of the same hairpiece for the occasion. 

Even though Kate did not wear a tiara for the coronation, British Vogue noted that her choice of headpiece was traditional all the same. The outlet’s jewelry director, Rachel Garrahan, said, “In spite of eschewing the traditional platinum and diamonds, Kate’s leaf crown nevertheless follows a long tradition of royal headgear paying homage to the natural world.” Garrahan noted that this is the same theme of the Cartier Halo Tiara, a piece that was originally made for Queen Mary in 1913. Kate wore the same tiara on her wedding day back in 2011. The jewelry director continued to say that Kate and Charlotte’s floral crowns offered a “softer, more human touch” to the traditional royal ceremony and added, “The fact that Princess Charlotte is wearing a miniature one to match her mother’s makes the choice even sweeter.”

Various members of the royal family were on hand for King Charles’ coronation day. Naturally, many eyes were on Prince Harry, who attended the ceremony without his wife, Meghan Markle. It was previously reported that Harry would attend the event solo while Meghan stayed home in California with the couple’s two children, Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie, the latter of whom celebrated his birthday on Saturday. His trip back to the United Kingdom was a brief one. CNN reported that he flew back to California right after the ceremony and made it back in time to celebrate Archie’s birthday.