It was a historic moment for the Church this week, as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally was officially instilled as leader of the Church of England. There were 2000 guests there to mark the occasion at Canterbury Cathedral on Wednesday (25 March), including the Prime Minister, faith leaders, school children, healthcare workers (Dame Sarah is a former nurse) and The Princess of Wales.

For the auspicious day, The Princess wore a grey checked coat dress and matching hat, which she wore at an angle. Kate held onto her hat (literally!) as the wind picked up outside the cathedral. Meanwhile, the headpiece's asymmetric position allowed her impressive plaited bun to be on full show, alongside a pair of recognisable earrings.

canterbury, england march 25: catherine, princess of wales holds on to her hat as she leaves after dame sarah mullally was installed as the first ever female leader of the church of england at canterbury cathedral on march 25, 2026 in canterbury, england. today archbishop of canterbury sarah mullally is formally installed as the 106th archbishop of canterbury during a service marking the start of her public ministry. senior members of the british royal family, the prime minister, and other dignitaries are among more than 2,000 guests in attendance for the installation service, which also includes faith leaders, school children, and healthcare workers. mullally, who worked as a nurse before becoming ordained, is the first woman to be appointed leader of the church of england. (photo by dan kitwood/getty images)
Dan Kitwood
canterbury, england march 25: prince william, prince of wales and catherine, princess of wales attend the enthronement ceremony installing dame sarah mullally as the 106th archbishop of canterbury at canterbury cathedral on march 25, 2026 in canterbury, united kingdom. today archbishop of canterbury sarah mullally is formally installed as the 106th archbishop of canterbury during a service marking the start of her public ministry. senior members of the british royal family, the prime minister, and other dignitaries are among more than 2,000 guests in attendance for the installation service, which also includes faith leaders, school children, and healthcare workers. mullally, who worked as a nurse before becoming ordained, is the first woman to be appointed leader of the church of england. (photo by stefan rousseau wpa pool/getty images)
WPA Pool

The Princess opted for a pair of statement pearl earrings studded with diamonds in the shape of a flower. Pearls are a classic choice with members of the Royal Family, particularly associated with the late Queen Elizabeth II who wore the Three Stand Pearl Necklace and the Queen Mary Button Earrings for most public appearances. See below:

queen platinum jubilee
Tim Graham//Getty Images
The late Queen in two of her most-worn pieces of pearl jewellery

Many of the jewellery pieces the women of the Royal Family wear today - from earrings and rings to necklaces and brooches - can be traced back to various members of generations past (Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Mary, The Queen Mother and so on). However, Kate's flower pearl earrings are unusual in that their connection is to an even newer royal - her youngest son, Prince Louis.

So how did the nation's cheekiest royal become associated with a pair of earrings? Firstly, while these earrings are a striking and classic design, they aren't from the royal's personal collection of jewels spanning back centuries, they're a much newer pair by Cassandra Goard. As far as we're aware, the pair have only ever been owned by Kate, who bought them new a few years ago and wore them for very special occasion involving Prince Louis.

britains catherine, duchess of cambridge holds britains prince louis of cambridge on their arrival for his christening service at the chapel royal, st jamess palace, london on july 9, 2018. (photo by dominic lipinski / pool / afp) (photo by dominic lipinski/pool/afp via getty images)
Dominic Lipinski
topshot britains princess charlotte of cambridge and britains prince george of cambridge hold hands with their father, britains prince william, duke of cambridge, as britains prince louis of cambridge is carried by britains catherine, duchess of cambridge on their arrival for his christening service at the chapel royal, st jamess palace, london on july 9, 2018. (photo by dominic lipinski / pool / afp) (photo by dominic lipinski/pool/afp via getty images)
Dominic Lipinski
britains prince charles, prince of wales (r) and britains camilla, duchess of cornwall arrive for the christening of britains prince louis of cambridge at the chapel royal, st jamess palace, london on july 9, 2018. (photo by dominic lipinski / pool / afp) (photo by dominic lipinski/pool/afp via getty images)
Dominic Lipinski

Back in 2018, The Prince and Princess of Wales took a baby Prince Louis to the Chapel Royal at St James' Palace for a small Christening service attended by close family and friends including The King, Queen Camilla and Prince Harry. This was the first occasion where we saw flower pearl earrings worn by Kate for this week's event. It is likely they were chosen specifically for the occasion as they co-ordinate perfectly with the all-white outfit she wore on the day.