Classic Pearls for the Princess of Wales in Southport

The Princess of Wales was out and about in Southport on Tuesday, wearing signature pearl drop earrings for an important visit to a pair of elementary schools.

The Prince and Princess of Wales made stops at Farnborough Road Infant and Junior School and Churchtown Primary School on Tuesday during the important community visit. The couple’s social media team noted that the visit was a “return to Southport … to see a community who are pulling together and healing in the wake of the tragic incident last summer.”

William and Catherine previously visited Southport last October, speaking with community leaders, residents, and first responders in the wake of an attack on a local dance class that July. Three young girls were killed and ten more people, including eight children, were physically injured in the attack.

This week’s visit was designed to highlight the memory of the three young girls, Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguiar, and Bebe King, who were killed in the attack, and to focus on the way that the community has come together in an effort to heal from the tragedy. The Prince and Princess visited Farnborough Road Infant and Junior School, where Elsie was a student, meeting with her parents as well as teachers and pupils. William and Catherine also stopped by a new playground at Churchtown Primary School created in memory of Alice and Bebe, who were students there. They had a chance to meet with the girls’ parents and teachers during the visit.

William, who has been open about dealing with grief at a young age, shared, “You have faced such horror, but from that you move forward with grace and fortitude, creating the most remarkable legacies for your girls. We will always be here to support you.”

For the visit to Southport, Princess Catherine wore a pink and gray ensemble. On her arrival at the school in Birkdale, Kate received a posy of white and pink flowers with a silver fabric butterfly nestled inside the bouquet.

Kate kept her accessories simple for the day of engagements, wearing a favorite pair of pearl drop earrings that have been in her personal collection for more than a decade. The earrings are a combination of pieces from two different brands: gold and diamond hoops from Kiki McDonough and pearl drops from Annoushka Ducas.

Kate has worn the hoops and the freshwater pearl drops for a remarkable range of occasions over the past thirteen years, having made her debut in the earrings during the London Olympics in the summer of 2012. Above, she wears the earrings in Belgium for commemorations marking the centenary of the outbreak of World War I in August 2014.

And here’s another look at the earrings from yesterday’s visit to Southport. Pearls are always an easy choice for an event where remembrance is part of the equation. These casual, familiar pearls added just enough “princess” to Catherine’s ensemble without drawing the attention away from the focus of the event.