The $20 Million Item Princess Kate Inherited From Princess Diana's Jewelry Collection
Diana once wore the piece of jewelry, which features huge diamonds and emeralds, as a headband.
Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle are often spotted wearing precious items from their late mother-in-law's extensive jewelry collection. Unsurprisingly, some of Princess Diana's jewelry carries a high price tag, with Princess Kate reportedly inheriting one item that's valued at a staggering $20,000,000.
Princess Kate has worn many pieces from Princess Diana's jewelry collection throughout the years. Alongside her sapphire engagement ring, one of the most striking items she's worn is Diana's emerald and diamond choker. The former Princess of Wales once wore the choker as a headband, making the sparkling item completely unforgettable.
According to The Sun, Princess Diana's emerald choker is worth "$20,000,000 due to each diamond weighing 10 carats." The choker was given to Queen Elizabeth's grandmother, Queen Mary, "during the Delhi Durbar from the Maharani of Patiala" in 1911, per Regal Fille. After that, Queen Elizabeth II gifted the choker to Diana after she wed King Charles III on July 29, 1981.
Kate Middleton in December 2022.
In May, Princess Diana's long-time hairstylist, Richard Dalton, opened up about the royal's choker-turned-headband moment at a "Styling Princess Diana" panel in New York. "I think she had sunburn on her neck so we said, 'Let's make a headband of it,'" he explained, via People. "I asked Evelyn, her dresser, for six inches of knicker elastic, [the kind used by] grannies." Dalton managed to attach the priceless choker to Diana's head for the night, and the rest is history.
Princess Diana in July 1988.
Meanwhile, People reported that Diana may have ended up wearing the choker as a headband completely accidentally. "Instead of clasping it around her neck, she tried to fit it over her head, but the choker became stuck, according to royal biographer Kitty Kelley," People reported. "She liked the way it looked across her forehead so much that she decided to wear it that way for the evening."
It's no surprise that Princess Diana's jewelry remains in high demand. For instance, Kim Kardashian wore a cross pendant previously worn by the former Princess of Wales earlier this year. At The King's Coronation in May 2023, Princess Kate paid homage to Princess Diana by wearing a pair of diamond and pearl earrings, which Diana was given by Charles ahead of their 1981 wedding, per the Daily Mail. Decades after her untimely death, Princess Diana's style continues to influence future generations.
