Princess Catherine wears Queen Elizabeth's Bahrain pearls at centenary event

Princess Catherine brought one of the royal family’s most recognisable pearl suites back into view at Buckingham Palace on April 21, wearing Queen Elizabeth II’s Bahrain Pearl Drop Earrings and a three-strand pearl necklace for the centenary reception marking the late Queen’s birth. The appearance came as King Charles III and Queen Camilla gathered the working members of the royal family for a rare portrait, alongside centenarians who were celebrating their own 100th birthdays and representatives from Queen Elizabeth II’s former patronages.

The jewellery did more than complete a light purple Emilia Wickstead dress. It offered a masterclass in how pearl design stays relevant across generations: balance, restraint and provenance. The Bahrain Pearl Earrings were made from two of the seven pearls presented to Princess Elizabeth in 1947 by the Hakim of Bahrain, a wedding gift that carried diplomatic as well as decorative weight. Queen Elizabeth II wore the earrings frequently in the early years of her reign and at major public occasions, which helped turn them into a visual shorthand for duty and continuity.

That same history explains why the earrings still read as modern. They are not oversized, novelty pearls, but drop earrings with clear structure and strong line, the kind of piece that frames the face without overwhelming it. Catherine first wore them publicly in 2016 at Remembrance Sunday, and she has returned to them for high-profile mourning events in 2021 and 2022, underscoring how inherited jewels can move seamlessly between celebration and remembrance.

The matching necklace is equally telling. Described as one of Queen Elizabeth II’s favourites, it is believed to have appeared in her final official portrait. Three strands give it volume without excess, and the layered format keeps the look formal while remaining wearable with a simple dress. For buyers, that is the lesson in lasting pearl design: look for proportion, clean spacing between strands, and a setting or clasp that lets the pearls do the work.

Royal pearl pieces also carry a reminder about value that has little to do with carat weight alone. The Bahrain pearls were not just beautiful objects; they were gifts with documented origin, later loaned to Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1982 and to the Countess of Wessex in 2012, then passed back into circulation through carefully considered wear. In a market crowded with vague “heirloom-inspired” claims, that traceable story matters. The most enduring pearl jewels are the ones whose materials, history and design can all be named plainly, and these remain among the clearest examples.