Princess Kate's Bee-Themed Hoop Earrings Have a Touching Tie to Manchester

The Princess of Wales had an emotional day visiting patients at a cancer center on June 4.

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Princess Kate wearing a blue dress and smiling
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Princess Kate spent the day meeting with cancer patients at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester on June 4, and she added a symbolic touch to her wardrobe for the emotional visit.

The Princess of Wales brought back a blue coat dress she wore in 2021 for the event, wearing an Eponine London piece accented with two buttons at the waist. The double-breasted coat dress plays into this season’s cobalt blue trend, and she wore a matching Astley Clarke lapis lazuli pendant.

But it was Kate’s bee-themed earrings that stood out for her visit to the cancer center. In 2022, the Princess of Wales debuted the bespoke Vanleles hoop earrings when she joined Prince William to open the Glade of Light memorial in Manchester. Featuring bee and honeycomb charms, the earrings pay tribute to the city’s symbol, which became a sign of unity when 22 people died in a May 2017 terrorist attack.

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Princess Kate wearing a blue coat sitting at a table

Princess Kate wore her bee hoop earrings in Manchester on June 4.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Princess Kate kneeling and speaking to a child in a wheelchair

Princess Kate meets a patient at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The ninth anniversary of the Manchester Arena bombing was on May 22, making her bee earrings an especially meaningful accessory. For her visit to The Christie, the Princess of Wales removed the additional honeycomb charm, opting to wear them with just their sapphire and diamond-studded bees.

Kate finished off her outfit with a pair of beige suede pumps, wearing her hair down in loose curls for the event.

While visiting the cancer center, Princess Kate watched on as patient Claire Lorente rang a bell to finish her chemotherapy treatments. She told Lorente's partner that she understood it was "just as hard for family and loved ones" to see someone going through cancer. "I know how hard it was for the children and my parents," she said. "You go through it with them."

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Kristin Contino
Kristin Contino
Senior Royal and Celebrity Editor

Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.