August 31st will mark the 20th Anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, one of the most iconic women of the last century. In honour of her death anniversary, we are featuring 20 of her most iconic jewels. Today’s feature is her diamond wedding earrings, which belonged to her mother, the Hon. Frances Shand Kydd, and are composed of a central pear-shaped diamond surrounded by 50 smaller diamonds-
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In 1981, Lady Diana Spencer borrowed her mother’s diamond earrings for her first official engagement with the famous black gown from the Emmanuel’s.
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The most famous appearance of these earrings came a few months later, when Lady Diana wore these earrings (and the Spencer Tiara from her father) to wed the Prince of Wales at St Paul’s Cathedral in London.
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While the Princess of Wales never borrowed her mother’s diamond earrings, the Hon. Frances Shand Kydd wore the earrings at a number of important occasions, including Prince Harry’s Christening in 1984, her son’s wedding in 1992, and one of the saddest events, the funeral of her daughter, Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. After her death in 2004, the earrings were inherited by her daughter Lady Sarah McCorquodale.
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For many years, Frances Shand Kydd’s diamond earrings were a part of the traveling Diana Exhibition. In 2011, it made headlines when Lady Sarah withdrew them from the Exhibition to wear at the wedding ball of her nephew, Prince William. Lady Sarah also wore the earrings at the wedding of her daughter, Emily McCorquodale, in 2013.
