The Princess of Wales Wears an Amethyst Heirloom for a Royal Film Performance

Tonight’s Royal Film Performance brought us a delightful heirloom royal jewelry moment, with the Princess of Wales wearing a necklace linked to two of her predecessors: Queen Alexandra and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

Prince William and Princess Catherine arrived in Leicester Square on Tuesday for the Royal Film Performance of Digger, a new film by the writer and director Alejandro G. Iñárritu. The royals greeted the filmmakers and actors behind the movie, including Iñárritu and several of the film’s stars. Tom Cruise, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Jessie Plemons, Sandra Hüller, and Michael Stuhlbarg were all on hand for the occasion.

Catherine made a dramatic entrance at the event in a deep purple gown from one of her favorite designers, Jenny Packham. The silk chiffon dress is a custom version of a gown made by the company in 2016.

With the dress, Kate wore a special piece of royal jewelry that was a perfect fit for both the color and the cut of the gown: the diamond, amethyst, and pearl sautoir necklace that Queen Alexandra gave to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother as a wedding present in 1923.

Queen Alexandra presented the necklace to the Queen Mother, then Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, in April 1923, just days before her wedding to the future King George VI. The necklace was put on display with the rest of the wedding gifts at Buckingham Palace, along with a handwritten note from Alexandra: “For my dear future grand daughter Elisabeth from her affte [affectionate] Grand Mother.”

Elizabeth, to the best of my knowledge, was never photographed wearing the sautoir. But a newspaper columnist wrote in 1933 that Elizabeth had indeed worn it, and for a very sentimental occasion: the period of court mourning that followed Alexandra’s death in November 1925. (Elizabeth was pregnant with the future Queen Elizabeth II at the time.)

The necklace is now back in the royal vaults. We most recently saw it in the autumn of 2012, when Queen Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall, wore it for the premiere of the James Bond film Skyfall at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Now, Princess Catherine has joined the ranks of the women who have worn the necklace. Here’s another look at the jewel from tonight’s premiere. You’ll note that Camilla wore a shorter version of the jewel, but Kate opted for a longer length with the plunging neckline of her dress.

With the necklace, Catherine wore a special pair of diamond and pearl drop earrings. These were an engagement gift from Collingwood to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. Diana wore them faithfully throughout her life—including a very famous outing in 1994, which we discussed earlier this week—and Kate has now been wearing them for the better part of a decade.

And speaking of Diana, Catherine also wore the sapphire and diamond engagement ring that both women have treasured. As usual, she stacked it with three additional rings: her Welsh gold wedding ring, a diamond eternity ring, and a diamond and sapphire band.

I’m putting this post up a little early, because why wait for heirloom sparkle, right? There’s more coming your way tomorrow at Hidden Gems, where we’ll be discussing the reappearance of this fabulous German royal tiara during a recent family wedding. And later on Wednesday I plan to cover the mourning jewels worn for the funeral of the beloved aunt of the King of Norway, Princess Astrid. I’ll see you there.