Kate Middleton's Pearl Earrings at Canterbury Cathedral Honor Prince Louis

Prince William and Princess Catherine were at Canterbury Cathedral on Wednesday for the enthronement ceremony installing Dame Sarah Mullally as the new Archbishop of Canterbury. For the occasion, the Princess of Wales reached into her jewelry archive and pulled out a pair of pearl cluster studs that carried unmistakable family resonance: the same earrings she first wore to her son Prince Louis's christening in 2018.

On March 25, the Princess of Wales chose a gray cashmere Suzannah topcoat with a coordinating wide-brim Juliette Botterill hat, styling the look with the pearl cluster earrings she originally wore to Prince Louis's christening back in 2018. The coat carried its own layer of symbolism. Kate's outfit also paid a subtle tribute to Prince William, who was by her side at the installation. The coatdress was cut in the Prince of Wales check, a pattern that honors William's royal title, which he has held since 2022.

The earrings themselves are a quiet feat of goldsmithing from British jeweler Cassandra Goad. The Cavolfiore Pearl Earrings feature pearls tipped with diamonds in a yellow gold setting, and the name gestures toward their inspiration source: "the clusters of young flower stalks of the cauliflower (cavolfiore)" in a Sicilian market. Each stud is set in 18ct yellow gold with seven pearls set with diamonds totaling approximately 0.3 carats. The earrings come from Cassandra Goad's Journey to Sicily collection. They are designed and handcrafted in London. The pair retails for about $10,210.

Kate debuted these pearl cluster earrings at Prince Louis's christening ceremony on July 9, 2018. They have since become one of her most recurrent accessories at significant royal moments. She wore them at Wimbledon on July 15, 2023, and at Trooping the Colour on June 15, 2024. That Trooping the Colour appearance carried particular weight: it was her first public outing since announcing her cancer diagnosis three months prior.

Dame Sarah Mullally is the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, and the first female to hold the high office in its 1,400-year history. The 90-minute ceremony began with Mullally knocking three times on the west door of Canterbury Cathedral, before being let in by local schoolchildren. Cassandra Goad started her jewelry business in 1985 and operates her store on Sloane Street, London. Her designs follow her belief that jewels should be carried forward for future generations, a philosophy the Princess of Wales appears to share instinctively. Worn first at a christening, then through a health crisis, and now at a service marking a milestone for women in the Church of England, the Cavolfiore studs have quietly become one of the most storied pieces in her collection.