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The Duchess of Sussex and the Princess of Wales both paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday as the queen's coffin was taken to Westminster Hall to begin a period of public lying-in-state.
In a service for the reception of the coffin, which processed from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster complex on Wednesday afternoon, members of the royal family and households gathered to pay their respects.
Meghan and Kate both attended the service dressed somberly in black—and wearing items that had connections to their grandmother-in-law.
Kate's Tribute in Pearls
The Princess of Wales often wears jewelry that has links to Princess Diana or Queen Elizabeth, or that pays tribute to her hosts at royal engagements.
On Wednesday, to accompany her black longline collared coat dress and veiled hat, the princess wrote a large diamond and pearl brooch that had been loaned to her by the queen after her marriage.
The brooch features three large pearls set in diamonds, in the shape of a large leaf. Pearls have long been associated with mourning, in particular royal mourning.
The exact provenance of the brooch is unknown but Queen Elizabeth was photographed wearing the piece during an official visit to Seoul, South Korea, in 1999.
The brooch did not make another appearance in public until 2017. It was loaned to Kate for a visit to Belgium, where she and Prince William attended a ceremony marking the centenary of the World War I Battle of Passchendaele.
Kate wore the brooch again in 2018, to the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in London. It was used to secure her three poppies, each representing a branch of the armed forces.
The monarch was known to have loaned Kate a number of priceless jewels from her personal collection over the years, including tiaras, necklaces, earrings and bracelets.
Kate paired the queen's brooch with pearl and diamond earrings that had once belonged to her mother-in-law, Diana, whose title of Princess of Wales she now bears.
Meghan's Gift From the Monarch
The Duchess of Sussex also paid tribute to the queen by wearing pearl jewelry to the service on Wednesday.
Meghan wore a pair of diamond and pearl stud earrings, a replica of a larger pair owned by Elizabeth, which she had presented to Meghan as a wedding present during their first solo engagement together.
Meghan spoke about the day that Elizabeth gave her the gift, and her deep respect and admiration for the queen, during her landmark 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.
"[The queen] has always been wonderful to me," the duchess said in the interview, during which she and Prince Harry spoke about feeling unsupported by some in the royal family and household.
"We had one of our first joint engagements together. She asked me to join her, and … We had breakfast together that morning and she'd given me a beautiful gift, and I just really loved being in her company."
Pressed by Winfrey to reveal what the gift was, Meghan replied: "She gave me beautiful pearl earrings and a matching necklace. And we were in the car going between engagements, and she has a blanket that sits across her knees for warmth. And it was chilly, and she was like, 'Meghan, come on' and put it over my knees as well."
She added: "It made me think of my grandmother, where she's always been warm and inviting and really welcoming."
Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96 on September 8, while at her Scottish home Balmoral Castle. Meghan and Prince Harry were in Britain at the time to attend a number of charity events—the last of which was canceled after the queen's death.
After a five-day period of lying-in-state, the queen's life will be celebrated with a state funeral on Monday, September 19. Her successor, King Charles III, has approved proposals for the day to be a national holiday.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more