During the Renaissance, given their rarity and high value, these jewels of the sea became associated with wealth and high social rank. For Queen Elizabeth I, keen to project her image as the Virgin Queen, pearls represented purity and chastity, as well as being a visual code that conveyed her extreme wealth and power.
Royals have worn pearls as "mourning jewelry" in a tradition that dates back to Queen Victoria. After the death of her husband Prince Albert, the Queen famously wore black for the rest of her life, accessorizing only with black, colorless, or pearl jewelry.
The tradition dates back to Queen Victoria's reign in the late 1800s. Following her husband's death, she wore black for 40 years—and her outfits were lightened only with the addition of pearls. It was said that the unique shape of a pearl also alludes to a tear drop, which is appropriate for mourning.
Who will inherit the Queen's jewels? It is likely that these jewels will be passed down to members of the Windsor family and if the Queen follows tradition, she will leave the majority of them to the next monarch, which in this case is King Charles III.
Although pearls have been traditionally associated with mourning since Queen Victoria's reign, these specific earrings feature two out of the seven pearls gifted to Queen Elizabeth by Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Bahrain on her wedding day in 1947.
Kate and Meghan's choice to wear pearls, though, goes beyond it being a tradition. It's a special shout-out to the Queen herself, who loved wearing them on the day-to-day.
The royal family, of course, are lucky enough to wear largely natural pearl jewellery. Queen Elizabeth herself wore them when she was mourning her father George VI after his death in February 1952.
How much did Kate Middleton inherit from Queen Elizabeth II? Radar Online reported in September 2022 that was Kate was expected to inherit $110 million in jewelry from the Queen after her death. The collection includes 300 personal pieces of jewelry that belonged just to the Queen and not the Crown.
After the princess' death, most of her personal jewelry was inherited by her two sons Princes William and Harry, with pieces loaned to her during her lifetime being returned to Queen Elizabeth II, where they are most likely to have been inherited by King Charles in 2022.
Royal expert Katie Nicholl explained that, again, in typical royal fashion, “there is a hierarchy in all of this,” she says. “The Queen Consort, really, gets first choice of the Queen's jewelry. And after that is Princess of Wales, of course, Kate.
The tradition is said to date back to the late 1800s, during Queen Victoria's reign. Following the death of her husband, Prince Albert, in 1861, the monarch famously wore black for 40 years in tribute and only accessorised with black or colourless jewellery – and pearls were her jewellery item of choice.
The Duchess of Sussex, 41, accessorized with a special jewelry at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday morning: pearl and diamond drop earrings given to her by the late monarch. Meghan joined the rest of the royal family in mourning the Queen, who "peacefully" died at age 96 on Sept. 8.
After his mother's death, only the reigning monarch, King Charles III, is allowed use of the flag. The flag has been draped on the queen's coffin on the catafalque as she lies in state, and placed upon it is the Imperial State Crown, and the sceptre and orb.
Queen Elizabeth II is rarely seen in public without her favorite three-strand pearl necklace — a gift from her beloved father, King George VI, who passed away in 1952. What most Royal Family followers don't know is that the Queen actually owns three nearly identical pearl necklaces that she rotates freely.
Field writes, “The Queen, like her mother, always wears pearls during the day, usually a three-row necklace, of which she has three. One is of graduated pearls from the family collection, which the Queen had made up with a diamond clasp soon after her accession.
Not Wearing Pearls on Your Wedding Day
In some cultures, wearing pearls on your wedding day is frowned upon, as they are said to represent the tears that you'll shed during your marriage.
After Diana's tragic death at the age of 36 in a 1997 Paris car crash, her jewelry was inherited by her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. The glittering pieces collected by Diana throughout her married life held enormous sentimental value to both the princess and the princes.
'” According to Burrell, Harry wanted the ring because it represented a fond memory from his childhood. After Harry received the iconic jewel, Burrell remembers that William was happy for his brother because he's “not materialistic, so he didn't look for the flashiest jewel in mummy's collection."
It was a diamond bracelet and, reportedly, the same one from which the couple selected stones to create Meghan's engagement ring.
As for why the Queen left Meghan out of her inheritance, Radar Online's source speculated that it could be due to either “practicality” or Harry and Meghan's drama with the British royal family in the years leading up to the Queen's death.
Royal Inheritance
Representatives told Forbes in 2021 that Harry was not a beneficiary of any of the $100 million left to the royal family by his great-grandmother, the Queen Mother.
But the Queen Mother had an agreement that Prince Harry would get more than Prince William. So, when she passed away aged 101, the brothers had £14million to split between them, but as agreed the younger brother did better out of the deal.
Discover The Only Jewels Queen Elizabeth Will Be Buried With
According to royal expert Lisa Levinson, the only jewelry Queen Elizabeth II will be buried with will be the Welsh gold wedding ring she received at her wedding to Prince Philip in 1947 and a pair of pearl earrings.
'She gave me some beautiful pearl earrings and a matching necklace.
Pearls can be a good option. Small sterling silver, gold, or jeweled pieces are also usually a fine choice if they are not distracting. Religious jewelry, such as a simple cross, would also be appropriate. But, it's best to avoid any jewelry that might swing, clank together, or cause a disturbance to others.