Kate Middleton paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth through fashion at her latest engagement.
On May 13, the Princess of Wales, 43, presented the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design at an event hosted by the British Fashion Council in London, where she honored her late grandmother-in-law through jewelry. Princess Kate wore the Bahrain Pearl Drop earrings, a favorite in her rotation and a pair she inherited from her husband Prince William’s grandmother.
According to The Court Jeweller, the Bahrain Pearl Drop earrings were created using pearls that then-Princess Elizabeth received as part of a royal wedding present from the Hakim of Bahrain before she married Prince Philip in 1947.
The drop earrings feature round and baguette diamonds dangling down to the pearls and have been exclusively worn by Princess Kate since 2016.
Aaron Chown – WPA Pool/Getty; Chris Jackson – WPA Pool/Getty
(Left) Kate Middleton on May 13, 2025; (Right) Queen Elizabeth on Nov. 7, 2015.
That November, she made her debut in the timeless style at the Remembrance Day service at The Cenotaph, a year after the Queen wore the earrings during the commemorative Remembrance weekend.
In a poignant choice, Princess Kate also wore the Bahrain Pearl Drop earrings to Queen Elizabeth’s state funeral at Westminster Abbey in September 2022.
On Tuesday, the Princess of Wales added a little sparkle to her outfit with the earrings for the fashionable event linked to the late Queen. Kate stepped out at London’s 180 Studios to recognize the reach of young British creatives and the U.K.’s thriving fashion industry, celebrating designers who are leading the way in sustainability.
There, Kate did the honors of presenting the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design to rising designer Patrick McDowell. The Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design was unveiled and presented in February 2018 when the Queen attended London Fashion Week for the first time.
AARON CHOWN/POOL/AFP via Getty
Patrick McDowell (center) and Kate Middleton (right) pose for a photo with his mother at a British Fashion Council event at 180 Studios in London on May 13, 2025.
The prize provides a legacy of support for the sector in recognizing the role that fashion played throughout the Queen’s record reign and continues to influence diplomacy, culture and communications.
The sustainable label is a circular luxury fashion brand, and McDowell says it was a “dream come true” to accept the recognition from the Princess of Wales, who is widely celebrated as a style icon herself.
“We showed the Princess our latest collection, which is called Portraits of a Painter, and we also showed her some work we were currently developing for the September show,” McDowell, 29, exclusively tells PEOPLE. “She was so interested to see the different crafts people were working on… She was genuinely interested to meet all of them and hear about what they do and how each of them contributes to the process of a fashion collection coming together.”
“It was such a dream come true that she was presenting the award. To see her in person and see her genuine interest and real love of fashion and crucially the people making the clothes which is a love I share, was so special,” they say.
Aaron Chown – WPA Pool/Getty
Kate Middleton (center) at a British Fashion Council event at 180 Studios in London on May 13, 2025.
Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
“She was so interested, she spent so much time meeting each of the team. She was really so kind, and that genuine interest is so crucial to how British fashion is put forward on a global stage.”
Read the original article on People
