The Queen Mother’s Sapphires for Kate at Westminster Abbey

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived at Westminster Abbey on Wednesday evening for “Together at Christmas,” a special community carol concert.

The concert, supported by the Royal Foundation, honors those who have worked to support their communities during the pandemic. Kate hosted the event, which will be aired on Christmas Eve on ITV in Britain, and William participated by doing one of the readings.

Music was provided by the Abbey choir, as well as by celebrity musicians like Leona Lewis and Ellie Goulding. Several familiar faces were in the congregation for the crowd, including little Mila Sneddon. Mila was in cancer treatment during the early days of the pandemic, and the Duchess’s Hold Still project featured a poignant picture of Mila separated from her father. Later on, Kate and Mila were able to meet at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, and it’s lovely to see them reunited here.

Kate arrived for the concert wearing a Catherine Walker coat in a festive shade of holiday red with a bow detail. This is the second color of the coat that Kate owns.

She wore the black version of the same ensemble in April for the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor.

With her red outfit and accessories, Kate added sapphires and diamonds to finish off the ensemble.

Kate wore a pair of earrings borrowed from the Queen. These earrings were previously worn by the late Queen Mother.

Here’s a closer look at the earrings, which feature a diamond and sapphire cluster with a diamond fringe.

Here’s a photograph of the Queen Mother wearing the earrings. The image was taken at Buckingham Palace on November 13, 1998, at a 50th birthday reception for the Prince of Wales. She paired the earrings with pearls and the Duchess of Teck’s Flower Brooch for the occasion.

Kate wore the earrings for the first time in October 2015, for a 100 Women in Hedge Funds gala dinner held at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

She also wore them on June 3, 2019 for the American state banquet at Buckingham Palace, pairing them with Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara, a pearl bracelet, and her Oak Leaf Brooch.

The earrings form a nice little married set with Kate’s famous sapphire and diamond cluster engagement ring. She wore the pieces together for Wednesday’s concert.

Several other members of the royal family also attended the concert. The Countess of Wessex arrived wearing earrings with pavé-set drops and a necklace with a pendant that positively glowed.

Princess Beatrice of York attended with her husband, Eduardo Mapelli Mozzi.

And Princess Eugenie of York was present for the concert as well. Neither York princess wears much jewelry, and they continued with that trend on Wednesday.

Zara and Mike Tindall attended the concert as well, with Zara wearing a pair of sparkling earrings for the occasion.

Kate’s Middleton family was also out in full force to support her concert project. Her parents, Mike and Carole Middleton, attended with her sister, Pippa Matthews, and her brother and sister-in-law, James and Alizée Middleton.

I’d imagine that the kids who attended the concert were much more star-struck by the reindeer outside the Abbey than by any of the royals or other prominent people in attendance, though!