Today marks the Anniversary of the birth of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, who was born on this day in 1961. The Earl’s daughter who became the Princess of Wales and one of the most iconic (and tragic) women of the last century, the Princess passed a spectacular jewellery collection, which included these Diamond and Pearl Earrings!
Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara | Spencer Tiara | Sapphire Choker | Prince of Wales Feathers Pendant | Art Deco Emerald Choker | Saudi Sapphire Suite | Diamond and Pearl Earrings | Sapphire Earrings | Qatar Pearl Earrings | Butterfly Suite | Jewels of Diana, Princess of Wales
The provenance of these earrings is unknown, but in the early 1990s, the Princess of Wales began wearing these striking earrings, each composed of detachable a large South Sea Pearl suspended from an ornate modern scroll design.
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One of the earliest appearances of the Earrings was when they were paired with Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara for the Enthronement Banquet of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan in November 1990, being worn with that same gown a year later for an official dinner in Lahore on a 1991 visit to Pakistan.
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The Princess of Wales later wore her Diamond and Pearl Earrings for a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 1991, with the Spencer Tiara at an English National Ballet Gala Performance in Budapest in 1992, at a State Dinner in South Korea in 1992.
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In the years of her separation leading up to her divorce, as the Princess shifted her focus from official duties to more glamorous philanthropic activities, the Diamond and Pearl Earrings were seen quite frequently, worn for a Gala Evening in Aid of Cancer Research at Bridgewater House In London in 1995, when she received the Humanitarian of the Year award from Henry Kissinger in New York, for the Victor Chang Research Institute dinner in Sydney and at a Gala Dinner in Washington held by the American Red Cross to raise funds for Landmine Victims around the World.
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The Earrings, without the large pearl drops, made a final appearance with the Swan Lake Necklace, when Diana, Princess of Wales attended a performance of Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall in London, which was her last official engagement just weeks before she passed away.
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After laying in the vault for over two decades, the Diamond and Pearl Earrings, with the pearl drops taken from a different pair of the late Princess’ earrings, appeared on the then Duchess of Cambridge at the BAFTAs in February 2019. Over three years later, the Duchess wore the Diamond and Pearl Earrings again, for a day at Royal Ascot.
A few months later came the first of a series of important appearances, when the Diamond and Pearl Earrings were worn by the new Princess of Wales at the Reception hosted by the the British Royal Family for visiting Heads of State and Representatives at Buckingham Palace, on the eve of the Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. A few weeks later, the Earrings were worn for King Charles’ first Remembrance Sunday Service at the Cenotaph on Whitehall.
Just a few weeks later, the Princess of Wales wore Princess Diana’s Diamond and Pearl Earrings again, paired with Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara for the South African State Banquet at Buckingham Palace.
More recently, the Princess of Wales wore the Diamond and Pearl Earrings for a very important occasion, when they were paired with the King George VI Festoon Necklace for the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey. There is no doubt we will continue to see these striking heirlooms for years to come!
Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara | Spencer Tiara | Sapphire Choker | Prince of Wales Feathers Pendant | Art Deco Emerald Choker | Saudi Sapphire Suite | Diamond and Pearl Earrings | Sapphire Earrings | Qatar Pearl Earrings | Butterfly Suite | Jewels of Diana, Princess of Wales
