Most poignantly, the Princess of Wales selected a new pair of earrings for the occasion. The mother-of-three swept her hair behind her ears to reveal the Daystar Blue Topaz jewels by Robinson Pelham. ‘These shield-shaped blue topaz earrings include a slim, elegant half moon and drop shield gemstone, shapes which are exclusively cut for Robinson Pelham,’ the brand revealed on Instagram, ‘Drawing inspiration from the Georgian era, the earrings also include diamond spokes in a claw setting, creating a ray like effect as they sit proud from the hero blue topaz central stones.’
Perhaps the jewels were a gift from Prince William, who recently spoke of how the couple had been through ‘the hardest year’ of his life, with Kate Middleton and King Charles both being diagnosed with cancer. It’s also possible the earrings were a present from Carole and Mike Middleton, with whom Kate shares an incredibly close relationship. The couple previously gifted the Princess a pair of earrings from Robinson Pelham for her wedding day.
After announcing her cancer diagnosis in March – amid a maelstrom of social media rumourmongering and tabloid speculation as to her whereabouts – the Princess of Wales stepped out of the public eye to undergo chemotherapy. It would, she later said, an ‘incredibly tough’ nine months. As the year continued, Catherine made a handful of public appearances, before announcing she had completed her treatment plan. In December, TIME named Catherine on their shortlist for Person Of The Year. While the title would eventually go to Donald Trump, it’s a sure sign that 2024 has been a true milestone for the Princess of Wales – a ‘brutal’ year, one that began with crisis and ended with a celebration of compassion, and one that will go down in history.
