Kate Middleton wears Queen Elizabeth’s pearls for 100th birthday

Long live the Queen’s pearls.

Kate Middleton paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II on what would have been the monarch’s 100th birthday, wearing a beloved three-strand pearl necklace to a Buckingham Palace reception Tuesday.

The Princess of Wales, 44, chose a bespoke Emilia Wickstead lilac midi dress with three-quarter-length sleeves for the occasion, pairing it with the Queen’s Bahrain Pearl Earrings — crafted from pearls gifted to the then-Princess Elizabeth on her wedding day in 1947.

Middleton joined Prince William, 43, King Charles, Queen Camilla and other royals in the palace’s Marble Hall, where they mingled with citizens also celebrating their own centennial birthdays.

The late monarch’s signature pearls have become a meaningful throughline in Middleton’s wardrobe since Queen Elizabeth’s death in September 2022. She wore the triple-strand necklace for a Buckingham Palace reception ahead of the funeral — along with Princess Diana’s pearl bracelet and the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Pearl Earrings.

She’s since put the necklace into rotation for some of her biggest fashion moments, including last July’s state visit from French President Emmanuel Macron, when she paired it with a pale pink Dior ensemble — her first time wearing the French fashion house.

The centennial celebrations extended beyond the reception. King Charles and Queen Camilla visited a new exhibition at Buckingham Palace displaying more than 300 pieces from the Queen Elizabeth II’s wardrobe, and Princess Anne opened the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Garden at Regent’s Park.

The Prince and Princess of Wales also shared a social media tribute featuring photos of their children — Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7 — with their great-grandmother.

“Remembering Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the 100th anniversary of her birth,” the couple wrote. “Inspiring generations through a lifetime of duty.”