Kate Middleton Included a Nod to Princess Diana in Her Outfit for Prince Philip's Funeral

Kate Middleton wore a royal family heirloom, a Japanese pearl choker necklace, to Prince Philip's funeral.

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  • For Prince Philip's funeral today, Kate Middleton paid homage to two important women in the royal family, the Queen and Princess Diana.
  • Kate wore a Japanese pearl choker necklace from the Queen's personal collection for the somber occasion, a piece that both Queen Elizabeth and Kate's late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, have worn in the past.
  • Diana notably wore the necklace in 1982 during a banquet that was part of the Dutch royal family's visit to the United Kingdom, while the Queen wore the piece multiple times, including to a 1995 dinner a in honor of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's 70th Birthday in London.

Kate Middleton is paying homage to several members of the royal family today.

The Duchess of Cambridge wore a royal family heirloom to Prince Philip's funeral today—a Japanese peal choker necklace from the Queen's personal collection that has a long history among the women of the royal family.

The piece is one that the Queen actually loaned to Kate's mother-in-law, Princess Diana, back in 1982, when she wore it for a banquet that was given by Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus of the Netherlands during the Dutch royal family's visit to the United Kingdom. It was one of Diana's earliest royal engagements, and took place in November the year after her royal wedding to Prince Charles.

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diana, princess of wales 1961 1997 at westminster pier ready to greet queen beatrix of the netherlands as she arrives on her state visit, london, 16th november 1982 photo by jayne fincherprincess diana archivehulton archivegetty images

(Image credit: Princess Diana Archive)

The Queen herself wore the necklace several times, including for an engagement in Bangladesh in November 1983 and to a 1995 dinner in honor of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's 70th Birthday in London.

bangladesh november 16 queen elizabeth ii wears a four strand diamond and pearl choker with grannys tiara to an engagement in bangladesh photo by tim graham photo library via getty images

(Image credit: Tim Graham)

margaret thatcher celebrates her 70th birthday photo by © pool photographcorbiscorbis via getty images

(Image credit: Tim Graham)

Kate actually wore the necklace before herself, for the Queen and Prince Philip's 70th wedding anniversary dinner at Windsor Castle in 2017.

windsor, united kingdom november 20 embargoed for publication in uk newspapers until 24 hours after create date and time catherine, duchess of cambridge and prince william, duke of cambridge arrive at windsor castle to attend queen elizabeth iis and prince philip, duke of edinburghs 70th wedding anniversary dinner on november 20, 2017 in windsor, england photo by max mumbyindigogetty images

(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo)

For the funeral, Kate also wore a black Roland Mouret dress with an asymmetrical neckline that reportedly cost £1,605. According to the Daily Mail, it was the same dress she wore for the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance in 2018.

windsor, england april 17 catherine, duchess of cambridge during the funeral of prince philip, duke of edinburgh at windsor castle on april 17, 2021 in windsor, england prince philip of greece and denmark was born 10 june 1921, in greece he served in the british royal navy and fought in wwii he married the then princess elizabeth on 20 november 1947 and was created duke of edinburgh, earl of merioneth, and baron greenwich by king vi he served as prince consort to queen elizabeth ii until his death on april 9 2021, months short of his 100th birthday his funeral takes place today at windsor castle with only 30 guests invited due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions photo by chris jacksonwpa poolgetty images

(Image credit: Chris Jackson)
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windsor, england april 17 prince william, duke of cambridge, prince harry, duke of sussex and peter phillips during the funeral of prince philip, duke of edinburgh at windsor castle on april 17, 2021 in windsor, england prince philip of greece and denmark was born 10 june 1921, in greece he served in the british royal navy and fought in wwii he married the then princess elizabeth on 20 november 1947 and was created duke of edinburgh, earl of merioneth, and baron greenwich by king vi he served as prince consort to queen elizabeth ii until his death on april 9 2021, months short of his 100th birthday his funeral takes place today at windsor castle with only 30 guests invited due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions photo by gareth fullerwpa poolgetty images

(Image credit: WPA Pool)

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Kayleigh Roberts
Contributing Editor at Marie Claire

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.