The Prince and Princess of Wales hosted the second garden party of the season at Buckingham Palace on May 8.
The Gist
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Kate wore a custom Self-Portrait look and a vintage hat for the occasion, along with pearl jewelry from the collections of Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana.
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The future queen wore a favorite pair of pearl earrings from the late monarch, and also reached for a three-strand pearl bracelet from her late mother-in-law.
For her first Buckingham Palace garden party appearance of 2026,Kate Middletonaccessorized with pearl jewelry that paid tribute to bothQueen ElizabethandPrincess Diana.
While the Princess of Wales often wears Queen Elizabeth’s Bahrain Pearl Drop earrings—given to the then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947 as a wedding present—the future queen wears Princess Diana’s three-strand pearl bracelet designed by Nigel Milne with less frequency. Diana originally wore this pearl and diamond bracelet at an event for the Birthright charity at the Savoy Hotel in London in March 1989. In October of that same year, she wore the bracelet to attend a performance ofThe Masked Ballat the London Coliseum, and, perhaps most famously, the bracelet was on her wrist in November 1989, when she wore her iconic “Elvis” gown by Catherine Walker—along with her favorite tiara, the Queen Mary Lover’s Knot—for a banquet in Hong Kong.
Pearls have become a staple in Kate’s wardrobe. Along with her pearl accessories, at the garden party on May 8 the Princess of Wales wore a custom Self-Portrait look, according to the fashion siteWhat Kate Wore. According to the site, the top appears to be from the brand’s Cream 3D Flower Polka Dot Mididress, which is a wool-blend design with a double-breasted look, three quarter length sleeves, and an oversized flower on the bodice. The skirt of Kate’s bespoke look seems to be from the lower portion of the Belted Polka Dot Pleated Mididress, per What Kate Wore.
Atop the Princess of Wales’s head was a vintage hat from The Hat Circle, specifically a design by Mitzi Lorenz with a black floral embellishment and an oversized black net bow at the back, according to What Kate Wore. She carried a clutch by the Australian brand Forever New and wore a favorite pair of heels, the toffee-colored Ralph Lauren Celia Pumps, for the garden party, which she hosted alongside husbandPrince William.
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The future queen wore her brunette hair partially pulled back—perfect to catch a glimpse of Queen Elizabeth’s Bahrain Pearl Drop earrings. The set was given to the future monarch by the Hakim of Bahrain and was created from a cache of seven pearls, perTatler. The earrings are made of round diamond studs, from which round- and baguette-cut diamonds in an Art Deco style are suspended, plus two of the Bahrain pearls.
Both Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana wore the earrings frequently throughout their lives. Since 2016, Kate has been the exclusive wearer of them, and this is the third time this year alone that the Princess of Wales has reached for them. She also wore them in March to the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, and then in April for the annual Easter Sunday church service at St. George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Kate often honors the late queen through her jewelry and also frequently channels Diana sartorially. “I think we have seen lots of examples where the reference is very intentional, and I think that Kate uses fashion to pay tribute to Diana in a very positive way,” Bethan Holt, fashion director atThe Telegraph, previously toldPeople.
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