LONDON (AFP) – Catherine, the Princess of Wales, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, on Monday every opted for pearls to mourn Queen Elizabeth II at her state funeral at Westminster Abbey.

Pearls are also known as mourning jewelry — a practice stated thus far again to Queen Victoria s period within the nineteenth century.

Camilla, the Queen Consort of the brand new King Charles III, in the meantime wore Queen Victoria s Hesse Diamond Jubilee Brooch — diamonds within the form of an open coronary heart, with two sapphire pendants.

This was accompanied by a pair of oval stud earrings that includes a sapphire stone encircled with diamonds and a gold pendant necklace.

Catherine, the spouse of inheritor to the throne Prince William, selected the identical hanging necklace and earring mixture which she wore simply over a 12 months in the past for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II s husband Philip.

Her Japanese choker with 4 rows of pearls and a curved central diamond clasp was accompanied with a pair of Bahrain drop pearl earrings, each from the queen s private jewelry assortment.

The Princess of Wales additionally selected the identical jewelry for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh s seventieth marriage ceremony anniversary dinner in 2017.

It’s believed the necklace was commissioned by the queen utilizing pearls gifted to her by the Japanese authorities after her first state go to to the nation in 1975.

The earrings have been made utilizing two from a set of pearls given to the queen as a marriage reward from the Hakim of Bahrain in 1947.

Each have been beforehand worn by William s mom Princess Diana throughout a state go to from Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in 1982, whereas the queen was pictured sporting the set throughout an engagement in Bangladesh the next 12 months.

– Treasured heirlooms –

Meghan selected pared again jewelry with a pair of pearl and diamond stud earrings gifted to her by the queen and which she wore on her first joint engagement alongside the monarch in June 2018.

In a nod to the queen s lifelong love of horses, Princess Charlotte, the seven-year-old daughter of William and Catherine, wore a small diamond horseshoe brooch which was a present from her late great-grandmother.

The queen s private jewelry assortment, from which most of the items worn at Monday s funeral have been drawn, is steeped in royal historical past and accommodates over 300 gadgets together with brooches, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, watches and pendants.

The Princess of Wales was additionally seen sporting the queen s diamond leaf brooch that includes a trio of pearls for the procession to the mendacity in state on Wednesday.

Though the late queen s will is non-public, it’s anticipated that the jewelry can be handed on to members of the royal household together with the monarch s 4 youngsters and their spouses.