The Princess of Wales recently wore a necklace made of gold links with a pendant charm. Many felt it was a surprising choice, given her usual style, but she has worn a similar piece in the past: a charm bracelet given to her by Queen Camilla.
We saw Kate, then the newly-minted Duchess of Cambridge, wear the gold charm bracelet for a trio of engagements shortly after her royal wedding. Her first appearance in the jewel took place on June 25, 2011, during a visit to the 1st Battalion Irish Guards Regiment at Victoria Barracks in London.
Kate wore the bracelet, which features textured gold links and an engraved gold disc charm, on her right wrist for the medal parade.
Royal photographer Chris Jackson snapped an excellent close-up photograph of the bracelet during the visit to the barracks. This side of the engraved charm features the Duchess of Cambridge’s royal monogram: the letter C (for Catherine) topped by a coronet.
The reverse side of the engraved charm features the royal monogram of the Duchess of Cornwall, as Camilla was then. That monogram featured her initial (also the letter C) surmounted by the coronet of the British heir apparent. The presence of Camilla’s monogram on the charm has led most of us to believe that the piece was a gift from her to Kate.
The bracelet coordinated with another piece of gold jewelry worn by Kate for the engagement: the Irish Guards Brooch. The brooch features a similar texture to that of the bracelet, with a single emerald set in the center.
Two days later, on June 27, 2011, Kate wore the bracelet for a second time, when she and William attended Wimbledon.
She again wore the bracelet on her right wrist on this second occasion.
Another royal photographer, Clive Brunskill, also gave us a close-up of the bracelet from the Wimbledon appearance. This close-up also features the side featuring the royal monogram of the Duchess of Cambridge.
The third—and, I believe, most recent—appearance of the bracelet came during William and Kate’s visit to the United States later that summer. She wore the bracelet for The Foundation Polo Challenge, held at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club on July 9, 2011.
Kate wore the bracelet once again on her right wrist for the polo match. As both Camilla and Kate will be receiving new royal monograms soon, in association with their new roles as Queen Consort and Princess of Wales, I have a feeling we may not see the bracelet again anytime soon—though, given the necklace worn by Kate recently, it’s certainly in line with some current jewelry trends.
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