Princess Charlotte Didn't Wear an $1,800 Necklace Designed by Prince Harry's Ex on Christmas—But Did She Rock a $13 One Instead?

Update, 1/9: In a statement to Marie Claire via Gemfields, Aya confirmed that Princess Charlotte was not wearing their necklace.

Original story:

Princess Charlotte stole plenty of hearts when she joined the Royal Family for their annual walk to church on Dec. 25, even stopping and posing for selfies with fans. The 9-year-old daughter of Prince William and Princess Kate matched with her mom in a navy-and-green plaid coat as she stepped out on Christmas, but one detail many royal watchers might have missed is her dainty necklace.

The tween wore a delicate gold chain featuring various colors of rough-cut crystals, with dozens of media outlets reporting that the design was an $1,800 piece from Prince Harry's ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy's jewelry line, Aya. It was a story I found rather puzzling, because if you follow the Wales family at all, giving a 9-year-old a nearly $2,000 necklace isn't quite their style, not to mention the fact that Aya's necklaces all feature bezel-set stones and nothing that resembles this design at all.

I was chatting with my friend and fellow royal style expert Christine Ross about the mystery this morning, and after shooting off emails to the designer, got to work searching for something similar. Unsurprisingly, Ross—who authors the Princess Project newsletter—quickly pulled up a link to an £11 (roughly $13) necklace from one of Princess Kate's favorite brands, Accessorize. A representative from Aya didn't get back to Marie Claire in time for publication to confirm if the princess was wearing their design, and after poring over the photos from Christmas this seems to be the design Charlotte was wearing—or at least an almost exact version of it—versus a four-figure necklace.

The 14-carat gold-plated piece—which was originally £22 and is now half-off at Debenhams—features quartz, carnelian, amethyst, citrine and onyx stones. It's a pretty and age-appropriate piece for a young princess, and crystals like citrine are said to bring the wearer joy and positive energy.

High street brand Accessorize has been one of Princess Kate's go-to affordable labels for years, and she's worn some of their under-$20 earrings for everything from Zoom meetings to casual daytime outings to her annual Christmas carol concert.

As for the rest of her look, Charlotte coordinated with her mom in a full green-and-navy ensemble, pairing her checked coat with blue tights, patent Mary Janes by Papouelli and a forest green velvet bow by another one of her mom's favorite brands, Beulah London.

Unfortunately, the Accessorize necklace Charlotte seems to be wearing is unavailable to ship to the United States, but you can tap into your own princess energy with these pieces, below.