Prince William's anniversary present to Kate was a touching tribute to Diana
If you look closely at pictures of Kate Middleton, especially those taken in 2014, you'll notice she wears the exact same thing in most of them: the Cartier Ballon Bleu watch.
The piece of jewellery was a present from Prince William to celebrate the couple's third wedding anniversary, but beyond that, it has another significant meaning.
Princess Diana use to own a Cartier Tank Francaise watch, which was a present from her father, John Spencer, and she was frequently spotted wearing it in the months leading up to her death (perhaps to replace the one she was wearing in that famous two watches picture).
It was one of Prince William's favourite pieces from his mother's collection, and he kept it as a memento. He has another special connection to the brand, as Princess Diana apparently bought him a Cartier watch of his own, which she had engraved for his birthday.
With Cartier so sentimental to him, it was an extra thoughtful gift to his wife. He also went the extra mile by adding a sapphire to the frame of the watch, so it would match Catherine's engagement ring, which of course used to belong to Princess Diana.
Marie Claire Newsletter
Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!
Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.
Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).
Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.
However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.
Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.
-
Prince Harry's ex girlfriend Chelsy Davy has ended her social media silence with an exciting announcement
By Jenny Proudfoot
-
Angelina Jolie’s words about “living as an older woman” are extremely powerful
By Jenny Proudfoot
-
The Perfect Couple cast formed a protest WhatApp Group to get the opening dance sequence shut down
By Jenny Proudfoot