Here’s why the pearls Kate wore to the funeral are so significant

(Image credit: Getty)
Penny Goldstone
By Penny Goldstone
published

Despited a military send-off and a national minute of silence, it was the little touches that made Prince Philip's funeral on Saturday so emotionally special.

Queen Elizabeth left a heartfelt letter on Philip's coffin, and paid tribute to him with some special mementoes in her outfit, while Meghan also sent a handwritten note, having not been able to attend in person as she is heavily pregnant.

Following suit from the Queen, Kate Middleton also paid tribute to the consort with a pearl necklace with a rather significant meaning.

The Duchess chose a sombre coat dress by Roland Mouret to attend the funeral, which she paired with a black hat with veil, as well as a striking pearl necklace.

It features four-strands of pearls surrounding a diamond clasp, and was a gift to the Queen by Japan, who commissioned royal jewellery Garrard to create it.

The Queen has loaned it to Princess Diana in the past, and more recently to Kate Middleton, who was photographed wearing it to Her Majesty's and Prince Philip's platinum wedding anniversary dinner in 2017.

So it's very likely the pearls symbolise a happy union that Kate wanted to remember on such a sad day.

Penny Goldstone
Penny Goldstone

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.

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