Kate Middleton’s Dazzling Chandelier Earrings Are Steeped in Royal History

Ever since joining the royal family, Kate Middleton—Catherine, Princess of Wales—has often sported heirloom jewelry; whether that’s the Cartier Halo tiara that she wore on her wedding day, or the four-strand pearl and diamond choker that she chose for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. At the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London this week, Kate opted for sentimental jewelry once again, in the form of a pair of dazzling Cartier earrings that belonged to the late Queen.

Known as the Greville chandelier earrings, they were a wedding gift to the then Princess Elizabeth from her parents in 1947. The Queen Mother had herself inherited them from Dame Margaret Helen Greville, who had initially commissioned the earrings in 1918. Over the years, the British socialite had the earrings remade on two separate occasions, using an array of diamond cuts, from half-moon and trapeze, to baguette, and emerald.

Queen Elizabeth II was photographed wearing the chandelier earrings on numerous occasions during her reign, including for her first Royal Variety Performance as monarch in 1952—making it a particularly fitting choice for the Princess of Wales last Wednesday night. It’s not the first time that Kate has worn the jewels: she previously sported them at the wedding of Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan and Princess Rajwa Al Saif in Amman, Jordan in 2023, and at the Diplomatic Corps reception that same year.