During the Qatar State visit, The Princess of Wales wore one of her favoured pieces of jewellery from the Royal collection – the Four Row Japanese Pearl Choker.
The Princess of Wales at a Ceremonial Welcome for The Amir of Qatar at Horse Guards Parade, during the first full day of their State Visit; Catherine wears the late Queen’s Japanese pearl choker
The necklace was made by Garrard from pearls in Elizabeth II’s collection. The pearls were a gift from the Japanese government, given to the Queen during her six-day visit to Japan in May 1975.
There are four individual strands of pearls with a diamond clasp in the centre. A matching four-strand pearl bracelet with a diamond clasp was also created. The pieces are known as The Japanese Pearl Suite.
A close up of the Four Row Japanese Pearl Choker worn by Kate
Elizabeth II first wore the Four Row Japanese Pearl Choker, with the bracelet, in November 1983 during her visit to Bangladesh. However, she was not the first Royal to wear it. A year before, in November 1982, Diana, the then Princess of Wales, wore the necklace for the return banquet at Hampton Court Palace during the Dutch State Visit of Queen Beatrix.
The Princess of Wales at a banquet for the British royal family given by Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus of the Netherlands at Hampton Court Palace in 1982; Diana loaned a pearl choker from the Queen
Elizabeth II wore the necklace irregularly throughout her reign, in both formal and informal settings. In 2017, she loaned the necklace to the then-Duchess of Cambridge for the first time, for her and the Duke of Edinburgh’s 70th wedding anniversary.
Catherine would wear it again in 2021 for the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral and wore it for the first time as Princess of Wales in September 2022 at Elizabeth II’s funeral. The choker seemed a fitting choice for the two funerals given the occasion she had first worn it on.
Catherine has also worn the bracelet from the suite. She first wore it in June 2019 during the State Banquet for President Donald Trump, and again in 2021 at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
Catherine’s appearance in the necklace during the Qatar State Visit is her fourth time wearing of the choker, and her second as Princess of Wales. It looks as though the piece could be on loan to her on a permanent basis.
