No one’s doubting that Kate has many a bracelet to choose from when she’s picking out her impeccably accessorized outfit in the morning. As a royal, jewelry is one of the definite perks of the job. But one bracelet in particular has been noticeably absent from Kate’s outfits during public appearances, and a somewhat icky comparison to it in the press may explain why.
The bracelet in question is a gold chain gifted to Kate as a wedding present by her stepmother-in-law Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. The bracelet even made many appearances on Kate at various events she attended for the first few years after her wedding to Prince William.
For example, here it is in Santa Barbara in 2011:
The gold disc on the bracelet, according to Express UK, has a “C” engraved on one side, for Camilla, and on the other, another “C” with a coronet, for Catherine. It was reportedly Camilla’s way of welcoming Kate into the family and showing her that she’d be there for her—a very sweet gesture!
But leave it to the press to ruin that cuteness with a not totally off-the-mark comparison to a gift Camilla once gave to Charles. Apparently on his honeymoon to Princess Diana in 1981, Prince Charles donned a pair of gold cufflinks that Camilla had also given him, and which had a pair of C’s engraved on them as well—for “Camilla” and “Charles.”
Princess Diana later told a biographer that the poorly timed nod to Charles's former love made her feel “[j]ealousy, total jealousy — and it's such a good idea the two 'C's, but it wasn't that clever in some ways.”
And while Charles’s fairly rude choice to wear those on his honeymoon with someone else isn’t really a “Camilla problem,” it makes sense that some eyebrows went up with Kate’s bracelet choice.
Nevertheless, Camilla doesn't seem to feel snubbed by the fact that the bracelet has fallen out of Kate's wardrobe rotation: The two women are reportedly closer than ever these days.