Much like her beloved skinny jeans, Kate’s enduring relationship with polka dots has been rehabilitated on recent runways. “While the polka dot print was once the preserve of Holland Park mums on the school run,” wrote this magazine’s Olivia Allen back in April, “lately it has been shaking off its sloaney associations to emerge as something fresh, and altogether more fashion-friendly.” To wit: Conner Ives presented sheer slips appliquéd with large tonal spots for autumn/winter 2025 and Valentino scattered them on ‘80s-inspired cocktail dresses, while Moschino blew them up to Mickey Mouse-sized proportions on power-shouldered blazers that same season.
Kate joined Prince William at today’s service.
WPA Pool/Getty Images
But back to the earrings: gifted to Diana from Collingwood jewellers, these pearl drop jewels – which hang from two round diamonds at the top and three rows of smaller diamonds underneath – were famously worn by the then-Princess of Wales as part of her going away outfit, following her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981, and later as part of that infamous “revenge dress” ensemble. Kate has worn the earrings in tribute to Diana on multiple occasions since having been bestowed them some time around 2017. If the royals have long recycled old, heirloom pieces, the Princess of Wales seems committed to continuing the same tradition with her own personal archive of rewears.