From Kate Middleton’s jewelry to the kerfuffle over Prince Harry’s suits.
The official goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II has begun, and there’s already been lots to unpack about what members of the royal family are (and aren’t) wearing as they pay their respects.
On Wednesday, the Queen’s body was moved from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster, where she will lie in state for several days until her funeral service on Monday. She will be ultimately buried in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, next to her husband, Prince Philip, who died last spring.
Once the queen arrived at Westminster, there was a service in her honor, and hawk-eyed royals watchers identified a few sentimental pieces from Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle’s wardrobes.
Middleton — whose formal title has been upgraded since the Queen died from Duchess of Cambridge to Princess of Wales, the same title held by Princess Diana — showed up decked out in jewelry with deep meaning. Her diamond and pearl brooch in the shape of a leaf, which you can see in the photo below, is a piece formerly worn by the Queen. Elizabeth was photographed wearing the brooch when she celebrated her 73rd birthday during a 1999 trip to South Korea.
And that’s not all: Middleton’s earrings were a pair previously worn by the late Princess Diana, the mother of her husband, Prince William. The pearl pieces by jewelry maker Collingwood were spotted on Diana many times over the years, and it’s believed she first wore them in public during a 1981 dinner honoring King Khalid of Saudi Arabia.
There were also an important pair of earrings on Meghan Markle, the wife of Prince Harry. Her diamond and pearl accessories were actually a gift from the Queen, which she received during their first public outing together back in 2018, a few months after Markle and Harry got engaged.
Speaking of Harry, he’s been getting attention for his own sartorial choices for the Queen’s services. While King Charles III, Prince William, Princess Anne, and Prince Edward are expected to attend all events in their full military regalia, Harry will instead be dressed in civilian clothes.
Though Harry served for a decade in the British Army, which included two deployments to Afghanistan, he lost his official military titles when he and Markle stepped back from their duties as members of the royal family and moved to the United States.
But Harry’s lack of regalia is ruffling feathers because of another member of the family who will be wearing the official dress: Prince Andrew, who was stripped of his royal titles and military affiliations after a sexual assault lawsuit was filed against him (which he later settled) in addition to controversy about his friendship with the infamous billionaire and sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein. As a result, there’s been plenty of outrage on social media from people who see a double standard in the disgraced Andrew being in military wear, while Harry, who electively stepped away from his duties, won’t be.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Harry confirmed his wardrobe plans and attempted to redirect the conversation back to the matter at hand: “Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, will wear a morning suit throughout events honouring his grandmother. His decade of military service is not determined by the uniform he wears and we respectfully ask that focus remain on the life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.”
