The Princess of Wales keeps Prince William close in diamond and sapphire earrings at the rugby

The Princess of Wales wore a pair of sentimental diamond earrings gifted to her by Prince William as she turned out to support England in their Six Nations clash against Ireland over the weekend. Kate Middleton looked resplendent in a royal blue coat dress as she showed her support in the stands at Twickenham, accessorising with an England Rugby fan scarf and elegant leather gloves.

But it was her earrings that caught the eye. Catherine opted for a favourite diamond and sapphire pair that are believed to be a wedding gift from Prince William ahead of their nuptials in April 2011. The delicate bejewelled drops are strikingly similar to a set owned by Princess Diana.

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They have since become a staple of her royal wardrobe, with Catherine wearing the jewels on several occasions as the Duchess of Cambridge, including a trip to a Stoke-on-Trent pottery factory while pregnant in 2015, a visit to Dundee for the opening of the V&A museum in 2019. They were most recently spotted on an outing to RAF Coningsby in October last year, when the Princess of Wales chose the sapphire and diamond earrings to brighten up a tailored blazer ensemble.

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Diana's earrings, which feature cabochon sapphires, were not seen for more than a decade following her death. But the rumours were laid to rest in 2022 when Catherine arrived at Trooping the Colour wearing Diana's earrings in their original configuration – proving that she owned a second set and Diana's gems remained untouched.

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In the January 2026 issue of Tatler, royal historian Hugo Vickers went inside palace circles… The late Princess of Wales often wore the sapphire cabochon and diamond cluster earrings for royal engagements, wearing them as both double drops and studs over the years. Outings included a 1986 trip to Japan and a 1995 visit to New York, when she paired the earrings with a matching sapphire choker.

Indeed, the jewels became an iconic piece in the Princess’s collection.