16 Times the Royal Family Paid Tribute to Queen Elizabeth II Through Fashion

Queen Camilla paid tribute to her late mother-in-law with her jewellery during the Kenya stop of her royal tour on 31 Oct. She donned the Courtauld Thomson Scallop-Shell Brooch, which was previously worn by Queen Elizabeth II when she travelled to Kenya in 1952. Coincidentally, it was during that trip when the then-Princess Elizabeth first learned that she would become Queen following the death of her father, King George VI.

Commonly referred to as the oyster brooch, the piece of jewellery is shaped like a shell and features an array of diamonds and a single large pearl. It was reportedly designed by Lord Courtauld-Thomson in 1919, and first belonged to the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth, before being passed down to her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II.

Worn here by Princess Diana in Hong Kong on 11 Oct., 1989, the Lover's Knot tiara was a wedding gift from the queen, who presented it to Diana after keeping it in her own possession since 1953, when her cousin Queen Mary passed away. The piece was originally created for Queen Mary by House of Garrard in 1913 to emulate a similar design worn by her own grandmother Princess Augusta of Hesse. This version of the Lover's Knot comes with suspended pearls and was crafted from some recycled material taken from Mary's Ladies of England tiara.

Middleton accessorised her Alexander McQueen wedding dress with the Cartier Halo tiara, originally purchased by King George VI for his wife, Queen Elizabeth, who passed it down to her daughter, then-Princess Elizabeth, on her 18th birthday. It is made of 739 brilliant-cut diamonds and 149 baton diamonds set in platinum.

On 16 Nov., 1982, the Princess of Wales was loaned Queen Elizabeth II's four-strand pearl choker, which is said to be made from pearls gifted to her by the Japanese government in the '70s, according to The Court Jeweller. Diana wore it at Westminster Pier to greet Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands during her state visit, then again later that evening for a banquet at Hampton Court Palace, finished with Queen Mary's Lover's Knot tiara.

Middleton, too, was loaned the four-strand choker to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh's 70th wedding anniversary at Windsor Castle. Middleton let the jewels shine, wearing the necklace with a black lace dress and pearl drop earrings next to Prince William, who also arrived in black tie. Middleton wore the design one more time, for the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh in April 2021.

Middleton memorably wore this red, asymmetrical Preen dress for a reception at the Government House on 26 Sept., 2016, during her royal visit to Canada. Pinned on the right side was the Maple Leaf brooch, which was originally gifted to the Queen Mother by King George VI in 1939 and was first worn by Elizabeth when she was still a princess in 1951. Middleton is not the only royal to have been loaned the brooch, as Queen Elizabeth II also allowed Camilla Parker Bowles to wear it.

During a visit from King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Middleton wore a blue Alexander McQueen dress with the Lover's Knot tiara, which was passed down to her after Princess Diana's death. She wore it for the first time at Buckingham Palace in 2015, and it has since become one of her favourite pieces to accessorise with on special occasions.

On the queen's 95th birthday, Middleton and Prince William visited the Air Training Corps in East London, with the duchess sporting diamond and pearl drop earrings that were loaned to her by the monarch. Queen Elizabeth II notably wore them during her silver jubilee year of 1977.

Meghan Markle's outfit for the queen's funeral on 19 Sept. paid tribute to the late monarch in more ways than one. Markle re-created a Stella McCartney dress in black that she originally wore in navy to the queen's 92nd birthday concert celebration at Royal Albert Hall on 21 April, 2018. In choosing the designer, she also opted for McCartney as a British cultural icon who was bestowed with a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II ahead of the Platinum Jubilee three months before her passing. Finally, Markle also accessorised with the pearl earrings given to her by the queen ahead of their first official outing together. Traditionally, pearls have also represented purity and tears within the royal family, and the queen wore them often.

On Monday, 19 Sept., Middleton, who recently received the new title of Princess of Wales, arrived to the queen's state funeral at Westminster Abbey in the same four-strand pearl choker that she wore to Prince Philip's funeral last year, and to the late couple's 70th wedding anniversary celebration at Windsor Castle in 2017. The necklace — which was styled with Bahrain pearl drop earrings that also belonged to the queen — was lent to Princess Diana on occasion, and is reportedly made of pearls gifted to the queen by the Japanese government in the '70s.

At Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral on 19 Sept., Princess Charlotte pinned her first-publicly-worn brooch to her Ancar coat, which was a piece of jewellery gifted to her by the late monarch that is in the shape of a diamond horseshoe, as a nod to her love of horses. The accessory, though miniature in size, stood out against her all-black outfit, which also included Manuela de Juan Mary Janes and a JT Millinery bow hat.

Queen Camilla's coronation robe was full of hidden symbolism, including a special tribute to Queen Elizabeth. Camilla had several flowers embroidered into the garment, including lily of the valley, which was a treasured favourite of Queen Elizabeth. The bloom is so significant, in fact, it was featured in Queen Elizabeth's coronation bouquet when she was crowned in 1953.

Queen Camilla's coronation necklace was also connected to Queen Elizabeth II. Created originally for Queen Victoria, it was worn by Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth on all their coronation days as well.