The Princess of Wales Dazzling Chandelier Earrings Are Steeped in Royal History.
Ever for the reason that becoming a member of the royal family, Kate Middleton—Catherine, Princess of Wales—has frequently sported heirloom jewelry; whether or not that’s the Cartier Halo tiara that she wore on her wedding ceremony day, or the four-strand pearl and diamond choker that she selected for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. At the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London this week, Kate opted for sentimental rings as soon as again, in the shape of a pair of brilliant Cartier rings that belonged to the late Queen.
Known as the Greville chandelier earrings, they had been a wedding ceremony present to the then Princess Elizabeth from her dad and mom in 1947. The Queen Mother had herself inherited them from Dame Margaret Helen Greville, who had firstly commissioned the rings in 1918. Over the years, the British socialite had the rings remade on two separate occasions, the usage of an array of diamond cuts, from half-moon and trapeze, to baguette, and emerald.
Queen Elizabeth II was once photographed carrying the chandelier rings on severa activities for the duration of her reign, which includes for her first Royal Variety Performance as monarch in 1952—making it a in particular becoming desire for the Princess of Wales final Wednesday night. It’s no longer the first time that Kate has worn the jewels: she until now sported them at the wedding ceremony of Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan and Princess Rajwa Al Saif in Amman, Jordan in 2023, and at the Diplomatic Corps reception that identical year.
The Cartier jewelry weren’t the solely piece from the royal rings field that Kate Middleton wore at the Royal Albert Hall: the royal additionally opted for the Queen Mary Choker bracelet, which again, belonged to each the Queen Mother and Queen Elizabeth II, to go with her velvet inexperienced gown.
After forgoing closing year’s ceremony whilst getting better from chemotherapy treatment, the Princess made her standard look alongside her husband, Prince William, making the nighttime all the extra special.
Kate Middleton’s Greville Chandelier Earrings: A Sparkling Tribute to Royal Legacy.
On November 19, 2025, the Princess of Wales made a triumphant return to public life alongside Prince William at the Royal Variety Performance in London’s Royal Albert Hall, an annual charity event supporting the entertainment industry. After a two-year hiatus—marked by her cancer prevention treatment and recovery—Kate captivated onlookers in a figure-hugging emerald green velvet gown by Talbot Runhof, complete with a sharp V-neckline and flowing skirt. But it was her jewelry that truly commanded attention: a pair of platinum-and-diamond chandelier earrings from Cartier, valued at around £1.6 million (approximately $2 million), which served as a poignant nod to her late mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II.
These aren’t just any statement pieces—they’re the Greville Chandelier Earrings, heirlooms dripping with over a century of royal history and Art Deco glamour. Crafted by the legendary French house Cartier in London, their creation spanned more than a decade post-World War I. What began in 1918 as simple brilliant-cut diamond drops evolved through meticulous additions: 12 more diamonds in 1922 to lengthen the design, and a final 10 in February 1929 to perfect their cascading, fringe-like form. The result? An exquisite embodiment of 1920s-1930s Art Deco elegance, with scrolling motifs and shimmering tiers that evoke the era’s opulent sophistication.
The earrings’ royal journey began with Dame Margaret Greville, a wealthy socialite and close confidante of the British aristocracy. Upon her death in 1942, she bequeathed much of her jewelry collection—including these earrings—to her friend, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Five years later, on the eve of Princess Elizabeth’s wedding to then-Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten on November 20, 1947, the King and Queen (George VI and the Queen Mother) gifted them to their daughter as a wedding present. It was a fitting token: the very next day marked the start of Elizabeth’s life as a future queen, and the earrings would accompany her on countless milestones.
Queen Elizabeth II cherished the Greville earrings, wearing them to high-profile engagements that spanned her 70-year reign. Notably, she donned them to her *first* Royal Variety Performance as monarch in 1952—mirroring Kate’s choice exactly 73 years later, just one day shy of the 1947 wedding anniversary. Other iconic outings included a 1976 state visit to Washington, D.C., where she met President Gerald Ford, showcasing their diplomatic sparkle. The pieces later passed to Kate, who has worn them sparingly but symbolically: first at the 2023 wedding of Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa, then at that year’s Diplomatic Corps reception.
Kate’s decision to revive them feels especially layered this time. As royal jewelry expert Nilesh Rakholia of Abelini notes, it conveys “royal continuity,” linking the Waleses’ modern duties to Elizabeth’s enduring legacy. She layered the look with another vault gem: the Queen Mary Choker necklace, reimagined as a bracelet (valued at £260,000), originally from the 1920s and worn by both the Queen Mother and Elizabeth II. Completing the ensemble was a silver Casa clutch by Jenny Packham, tying the shimmering accents together.
In an era of fast fashion, Kate’s embrace of these “priceless” heirlooms—re-worn across generations—reminds us that true dazzle comes from stories as much as stones. From Greville’s interwar salons to Elizabeth’s coronation-era poise and now Kate’s poised resilience, these earrings aren’t mere accessories; they’re threads in the tapestry of monarchy.
Tags: Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince Louis, Prince William and Kate Middleton, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Meghan, Lilibet
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