Kate, Princess of Wales has had exclusive access to jewellery in the royal vaults ever since she entered St James’s Palace in November 2010 wearing the late Princess Diana’s engagement ring.
She borrowed the Cartier Halo tiara for her wedding. She wore the late Queen’s pearl choker during the burial services for the late Duke of Edinburgh.
She has also donned Diana’s former emerald choker as a headpiece, the Nizam of Hyderabad necklace, the Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara, and the Lotus Flower tiara during her time as a working royal.
The value of all those items is worth millions of pounds. But Suzy Menkes, a seasoned fashion editor and a contributor to Vogue, thinks Kate is a “disappointment” when it comes to jewellery.
She said on the podcast If Jewels Could Talk: “The Princess of Wales is a bit of a disappointment about jewellery, isn’t she?
“She gives the impression that she only puts it on when she absolutely has to. I imagine her looking beautiful in one of those dresses or gowns… and then sort of pulling a face [as if to say] ‘do I have to wear this?’
“She doesn’t give any sense of adoring jewellery and being pleased to put it on.”
However, it could be the case that Kate does like jewellery but she’s being strategic with her style choices.
The Princess has worn jewellery that Britons might purchase from the main street on numerous occasions.
At the Baftas in January, she wore an Alexander McQueen gown along with a set of £17.99 Zara chandelier earrings.
To watch the Wimbledon men’s final this month, she put on a pair of £45 Milina earrings.
Jewels from Accessorise, Anthropologie, H&M, J. Crew, as well as more niche brands like Soru and Simone Rocha, may be found in the Princess’s jewellery box.
Kate has at least eight pairs of earrings from the French brand Sézane, which is a particular favourite.
Some of the explanations for Kate’s jewellery choices are obvious: Britons are experiencing a severe crisis in the cost of living.
It would be brazen to visit a hospice or a baby bank with a pair of diamond earrings worth £300,000 on display.
She also appears more relatable because she is wearing jewellery that, while not necessarily cheap, is more affordable for ordinary people.
Kate’s high-street finds also validate the decisions made by women who frequent the same stores: if the Princess of Wales buys her earrings at Zara, then they must be excellent.