Kate Middleton is exploring the royal archives for fashion inspiration.
For the first time ever, the Princess of Wales wore the Queen Mother’s amethyst sautoir—a 103-year-old necklace featuring a heart-shaped pendant framed in diamonds and hanging from strands of pearls—at the London premiere of Tom Cruise‘s new movie Digger on September 22.
Joined by her husband Prince William, Kate paired the stunning piece of jewelry with teardrop pearl earrings and a plunging, royal purple gown complete with a billowy skirt by Jenny Packham.
This was the first public appearance of the necklace since 2012, when Queen Camilla—then known as the Duchess of Cornwall—wore it to a premiere of Skyfall. At that time, the wife of King Charles III donned the piece with a plum, off-shoulder evening gown made from velvet.
Indeed, the Queen Mother’s amethyst sautoir has been passed down through several royal hands. It was first gifted to Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later known as the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother) by her future mother-in-law Queen Alexandra in 1923.








