When it comes to her jewellery choices, Kate Middleton is certainly an advocate of keeping it in the family – and with Queen Elizabeth II’s extensive jewellery archive at her disposal, who can blame her?
Earlier this week, the Duchess of Cambridge attended a gala dinner in aid of one of her personal causes, the Anna Freud Centre. For the event, which was hosted at Kensington Palace, Kate paired her black lace dress by Diane von Furstenberg (a style which she first wore when expecting Princess Charlotte back in 2014) with a chunky diamond cuff.
Upon closer inspection, People magazine revealed the bracelet in question to be the Diamond Quatrefoil Bracelet. This piece of jewellery holds a particular emotional significance for Her Majesty, as it once belonged to the Queen Mother, and was handed down to the monarch ‘as part of a vast collection of jewellery given to the Queen after her mother’s death in 2002’ (per People).
The bracelet, which boasts a number of intricate ‘quatrefoil’ motifs, can be seen in photos of the Queen Mother taken in 1958; the Queen, meanwhile, wore it over white gloves while opening Parliament in 2010.
Kate teamed the bracelet with the Diamond Pendant earrings, which also come from the royal jewellery collection. The Duchess has loaned the statement pieces from the Queen before, and was most recently seen sporting them for this year’s Trooping the Colour celebrations.
Indeed, Kate regularly loans dramatic jewels from her grandmother-in-law for special occasions (if only the rest of us were so lucky…), a tradition which many royal commentators see as indicative of the monarch’s high regard for the Duchess.
For lower-key public appearances, the Duchess is rarely seen without her blue sapphire engagement ring, a piece which holds particular sentimental value due to its association with the late Princess of Wales. When Prince William announced his engagement to Kate back in 2010, he told the press: ‘Obviously, [my mother]’s not going to be around to share in any of the fun and excitement of it all, so this is my way of keeping her sort of close to it.
NOW READ: 35 Reasons Why There's Only One Kate Middleton
There's Only One Kate Middleton
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She's got a great eye for high street bargains - she's been spotted in pieces from Topshop, Reiss, Zara and Whistles.
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Her red carpet game is unrivalled…
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As is her maternity style…
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And her royal wave is always on point.
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In fact, she never looks less than a model of elegance and grace…
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Even when she's doing a spot of impromptu gardening - in high heels, no less.
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Speaking of which, Kate can beat everyone at volleyball while wearing towering wedges…
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And while she may be royal, she's not afraid to get over-involved in a game of tennis.
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She also has a competitive streak – especially when she's playing against Prince William.
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She's the perfect ambassador for British designers, regularly seen in pieces by Erdem, Temperley and Emilia Wickstead.
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She's a total pro when it comes to styling out potentially awkward photo opportunities...
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Or this meet-and-greet. Kudos.
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Kate throws herself into everything she does, whether it's a drumming session (look at those jazz hands...)
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Or the first royal trip to Diagon Alley (it's Levi-OH-sa, not Levi-oh-SAR).
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She has her own waxwork doppelganger at Madam Tussauds (though Wills' looks more like Tony Blair) …
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Not to mention her own Lego wedding scene...
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And she's also the proud owner of this huge rubber duck.
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Her hair is straight out of a shampoo commercial…
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And she looks great whichever hairstyle she's chosen, whether it's the grown-out fringe…
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A classy up-do…
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Long loose waves…
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or her current shoulder length chop.
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It's no wonder that she's also mastered the fine art of the hair flick.
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She can also do 'side-eye' like no one else.
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She might be one of the most photographed women in the world, but she's not averse to recycling a good outfit.
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Here's just one of many examples...
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She's married to the second in line to the throne, but still does her own make-up.
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She made Harry Styles feel star struck…
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And held her own when she just happened to bump into Beyoncé at a basketball game.
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Her McQueen wedding dress changed bridal fashion forever…
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But most importantly, who else would get a bank holiday on their wedding day?
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The entire country comes to a standstill when we're awaiting news of a royal baby…
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And pictures of her with George and Charlotte never fail to warm our hearts.
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Kate loves stepping behind the lens, too – she snapped the first official pictures of Princess Charlotte, rather than using a famous photographer.
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She's dedicated to charity work, supporting charities like Action on Addiction, the Art Room and Place2Be.
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She loves twinning with Princess Charlotte which makes us smile.
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She loves a good tennis match, and even took sister-in-law Meghan along to Wimbledon in 2018.