The Princess of Wales’s engagement on Wednesday was sports-themed—but it also provided meaningful conversations and reminders about the importance of mental health care, and Kate received a pair of earrings that will serve as a memento of that moment.
Princess Catherine arrived at Maidenhead Rugby Club on Wednesday for an event linked to her Shaping Us initiative, which works to raise awareness of the importance of early childhood in shaping the adults we become.
Kate is the patron of the English Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League, so the engagement combined two of her major interests. She joined in drills during her visit to the club.
For the day, she chose a pair of gold chain hoop earrings from a high-street brand, Orelia London. But those weren’t the most important earrings featured during the visit.
During the visit, Kate met with Sarah Renton, coach of the Maidenhead under-14s team. Her daughter, Issy Phipps, lost her life to suicide in April. Renton presented Kate with a special pair of gold star earrings made in Issy’s memory.
The gold star earrings were designed by Issy’s cousin, Sophie McGown, who runs a jewelry brand called EarSass. The earrings are plated with 18K yellow gold and retail for £25.50. Five pounds from the sale of each pair of earrings are donated to Brave Mind, a charity dedicated to helping rugby clubs and schools to improve their approach to supporting mental health in their community.
The Telegraph shared comments from Renton about the earrings and her late daughter. “The proceeds from the earrings are going to a charity called Brave Minds, a mental health charity that supports children using the platforms of rugby clubs. Mental health is such an important issue,” she said. “She was wonderful, Issy – a real breath of fresh air. She had wonderful, wonderful friends; surrounded herself with the best people. She was owning life, doing so well in her A-levels. She was going to do an elite rugby programme. She played touch rugby for England and got a gold medal in the summer. But she was also struggling with depression. Everything was harder than it was supposed to be.”
Kate gratefully accepted the earrings and embraced Renton. The Telegraph reported that the princess was “visibly moved” by the interaction. Renton added, “The Princess said she would wear the earrings. She is very passionate about what she does. It was so great that she came down here today.” We’ll have to look out for the earrings on Kate at a royal engagement soon. (And, if you know me in person, you can look out for them on me, too—I couldn’t resist buying a pair myself to support the cause.)
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