Princess Kate paid a touching tribute to the Queen this week

Kate Middleton and the late Queen Elizabeth II were said to have shared a very special bond. When the Princess of Wales was first invited to spend Christmas with the royal family at Sandringham, she gave the Queen a very thoughtful gift, and she was reportedly very impressed by Kate. 

When Prince William and Kate briefly separated in 2007, the Queen was said to be 'disappointed' by the break-up but was happy to see the couple reunite months later as she respected 'Kate's own style of duty and diplomacy'. 

This week, Princess Kate paid a touching tribute to the late Queen during an official engagement in Windsor. 

She joined her husband, Prince William, at a St David's Day military parade at the Combermere Barracks on Wednesday, and wore a red double-breasted coat by Alexander McQueen with Gianvito Rossi boots. The look was a nod to the outfit she wore for William's 2006 Sandhurst graduation, and she also chose the same black gloves from the event seventeen years ago. 

But it was Kate's brooch that garnered most attention, with the accessory holding a lot of sentimental meaning for the royal. 

The Queen would always opt to wear her silver leek brooch when attending any official engagements or events with the Welsh guards. The piece which was  originally designed in the 1960s and gifted to the monarch by the guardsmen. 

Over the years, replicas have been made. The late Princess Diana wore a similar brooch in 1990 at a parade of the First Battalion of Welsh Guards in London, and Queen Consort, Camilla has also been seen wearing a similar style. 

While it is unclear how many replicas the royal family has, Kate's decision to wear the piece of jewellery was a sweet nod to the late monarch who passed away in September 2022.