![The Prince and Princess of Wales attend a service at St. David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales, to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, September 8, 2023 (Toby Melville - WPA Pool/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-0908-02-kate01.jpg?resize=1200%2C852&ssl=1)
On Friday, members of the royal family made brief public appearances to mark the first anniversary of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, paying tribute to the late monarch with pearls.
![People gather outside of St. David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales, ahead of a service to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, September 8, 2023 (Toby Melville - Pool/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-0908-02-kate02.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
On Friday morning, a service was held in the late monarch’s memory at St. David’s Cathedral in Wales. People gathered outside the cathedral ahead of the service, which was attended by the Prince and Princess of Wales.
![The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive for a service at St. David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales, to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, September 8, 2023 (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-0908-02-kate03.jpg?resize=1200%2C1800&ssl=1)
Prince William and Princess Catherine were greeted by members of the clergy, including the Very Rev. Dr. Sarah Rowland Jones, Dean of the cathedral, and Sara Edwards, the Lord-Lieutenant of Dyfed.
![The Prince and Princess of Wales attend a service at St. David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales, to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, September 8, 2023 (Toby Melville - WPA Pool/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-0908-02-kate04.jpg?resize=1200%2C796&ssl=1)
William and Kate were shown to their seats ahead of the brief, private service. Prayers were said in both Welsh and English, and one of the late Queen’s funeral hymns, “Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts,” was sung.
![The Prince and Princess of Wales attend a service at St. David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales, to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, September 8, 2023 (Toby Melville - WPA Pool/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-0908-02-kate05.jpg?resize=1200%2C850&ssl=1)
In one of the most moving moments of the service, the prince and princess paid a special tribute to William’s grandmother.
![The Prince and Princess of Wales attend a service at St. David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales, to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, September 8, 2023 (Toby Melville - WPA Pool/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-0908-02-kate06.jpg?resize=1200%2C1397&ssl=1)
Kate curtseyed and laid a bouquet of flowers before a portrait of the late Queen that had been placed in the cathedral. On their social media account, the couple shared that the moment was particularly poignant for them, too: “A moment of reflection at St Davids Cathedral honouring Her Late Majesty and all that she did for communities like this around the UK, the Commonwealth and the world.”
![A portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II is displayed inside St. David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales, after a service to commemorate the first anniversary of her death, September 8, 2023 (Toby Melville - Pool/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-0908-02-kate18.jpg?resize=1200%2C1800&ssl=1)
This is the portrait, signed by the late monarch in 2015, that was chosen by the cathedral staff. It features the late Queen wearing Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara with Queen Mary’s Mackinnon Floret Earrings and the Nizam of Hyderabad Necklace. Kate has already worn the necklace on multiple occasions, and I’m hopeful that we’ll see her wear the tiara in the coming years as well. It’s a grand piece, but after all it was made for and worn by a previous Princess of Wales for years before her husband’s accession.
![The Prince and Princess of Wales attend a service at St. David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales, to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, September 8, 2023 (Toby Melville - WPA Pool/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-0908-02-kate08.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Before departing from the cathedral, William and Kate viewed a book of condolences that had been signed by members of the public.
![The Prince and Princess of Wales attend a service at St. David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales, to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, September 8, 2023 (Toby Melville - WPA Pool/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-0908-02-kate09.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
They also signed the cathedral’s visitors book before their departure.
![The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive for a service at St. David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales, to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, September 8, 2023 (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-0908-02-kate10.jpg?resize=1200%2C1800&ssl=1)
For the church service, Kate chose a coat dress with matching accessories in a muted, autumnal shade of burgundy.
![The Princess of Wales arrives for a service at St. David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales, to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, September 8, 2023 (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-0908-02-kate11.jpg?resize=1200%2C1800&ssl=1)
She added a bejeweled touch with a poignant pair of earrings, loaned to her several years ago by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
![The Princess of Wales arrives for a service at St. David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales, to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, September 8, 2023 (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-0908-02-kate12.jpg?resize=1200%2C1744&ssl=1)
These are the late Queen’s Silver Jubilee Pearl Earrings. They feature a lovely round diamond stud and a petite pearl drop.
![The Prince of Wales, the Queen, and the Duke of Edinburgh arrive at St. Paul's Cathedral, for a service of thanksgiving celebrating the monarch's Silver Jubilee, June 7, 1977 (Trinity Mirror/Mirrorpix/Alamy)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/1977-1981-1999-williamson01.jpg?resize=1200%2C1775&ssl=1)
The earrings take their name from one of their most important public appearances: the celebration of Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee in London in June 1977.
![Queen Elizabeth II rides in an open landau during the return processional drive to Buckingham Palace after a luncheon at the Guildhall in London to celebrate her Silver Jubilee, June 7, 1977 (PA Images/Alamy)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/1977-1981-1999-williamson07.jpg?resize=1200%2C1646&ssl=1)
Queen Elizabeth wore the diamond and pearl earrings for a service of thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral and a luncheon at the Guildhall in London. She paired them with the Hanoverian Pearls and the Williamson Pink Diamond Brooch.
![The Countess of Wessex attends the wedding of the Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, October 20, 2012 (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-0908-02-kate13.jpg?resize=1200%2C1672&ssl=1)
The earrings were never among Elizabeth’s most-worn jewels, and over the last decade she loaned them to two members of the family. The Duchess of Edinburgh, when she was Countess of Wessex, wore the earrings for the royal wedding of the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg in October 2012.
![The Duchess of Cambridge visits the Immigrant Services Society in Vancouver, British Columbia, September 25, 2016 (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-0908-02-kate14.jpg?resize=1200%2C1449&ssl=1)
Four years later, the Queen loaned the earrings to the Duchess of Cambridge, who wore them for the first time during a royal visit to Canada in September 2016.
![The Duchess of Cambridge visits a special exhibition, "Vermeer and Contemporaries from the British Royal Collection," in The Hague during a visit to the Netherlands, October 11, 2016 (EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-0908-02-kate15.jpg?resize=1200%2C1692&ssl=1)
Kate has reached for the earrings for important daytime occasions several times in the years that followed. She brought them with her to the Netherlands for her very first solo foreign trip in October 2016.
![The Duchess of Cambridge attends a church service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor on Easter Sunday, April 16, 2017 (JONATHAN BRADY/AFP via Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-0908-02-kate16.jpg?resize=1200%2C1953&ssl=1)
In April 2017, she wore them on Easter Sunday at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor.
![Catherine, Princess of Wales views floral tributes at Sandringham on September 15, 2022 in King's Lynn, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-0922-01-kate06.jpg?resize=1200%2C1799&ssl=1)
In the days after Queen Elizabeth II’s death last September, the new Princess of Wales wore the pearls several times. Above, she wears them with a diamond cross pendant as she views floral tributes laid by members of the public at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
![Britain's Catherine (C), Princess of Wales, speaks to guests during a lunch held for governors-general of the Commonwealth nations at Buckingham Palace in London on September 17, 2022 following the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II on September 8](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-0922-01-kate08.jpg?resize=1200%2C1932&ssl=1)
And here, she wears the pearl drop earrings with one of the late monarch’s pearl necklaces for a luncheon held for governors-general of Commonwealth nations at Buckingham Palace.
![King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend a service at Crathie Kirk near the Balmoral estate to mark the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2023 (Andrew Milligan - Pool/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-0908-02-kate17.jpg?resize=1200%2C2013&ssl=1)
Kate wasn’t the only British royal lady who paid a pearly tribute to the late monarch on Friday. King Charles and Queen Camilla attended a quiet, private service in his mother’s memory at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral. For the service, Camilla wore the diamond, sapphire, ruby, and pearl earrings that also come from the late Queen’s jewelry collection.
![Queen Camilla arrives for the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London on March 13, 2023 (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023-0313-01-commonwealth05.jpg?resize=600%2C903&ssl=1)
Camilla debuted the earrings last March at the annual Commonwealth Day service. Above, I’ve added a close-up of the earrings from that occasion.
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