Film premieres are always glamorous, star-studded affairs, but Tuesday's screening of Tom Cruise's latest release, Digger, took things to another level with the arrival of royalty. The Prince and Princess of Wales joined Hollywood 'royalty' for a special screening in London, and the Princess chose a historic necklace for the formal occasion.

On Tuesday evening (23 September), the Princess of Wales arrived at Leicester Square for the premiere of Digger, wearing a dramatic purple gown with billowing sleeves. Her ethereal gown was complemented by a stunning, heart-shaped necklace, reminiscent of the iconic 'Heart of the Ocean' jewel in the Titanic film – a fitting cinematic reference.

london, england september 22: catherine, princess of wales and prince william, prince of wales attend the digger film and tv charity royal film performance and global premiere inside leicester square gardens on september 22, 2026 in london, england. (photo by karwai tang/wireimage)
Karwai Tang
london, england september 22: catherine, princess of wales attends the digger film and tv charity royal film performance and global premiere in leicester square on september 22, 2026 in london, england. (photo by dave benett/wireimage)
Dave Benett
los angeles december 19: the movie titanic, written and directed by james cameron. seen here, the heart of the ocean blue diamond necklace. initial usa theatrical wide release december 19, 1997. screen capture. paramount pictures. (photo by cbs via getty images)
CBS Photo Archive
The iconic ‘Heart of the Ocean’ necklace from the 1997 film Titanic

While her dramatic necklace may look worthy of a film plot, it’s a very real necklace with a long and romantic history of its own. The necklace is more than 100 years old and used to belong to the Queen Mother, Prince William's great-grandmother. It has a romantic link as it was gifted to the Queen Mother on her wedding day in 1923 by Queen Alexandra. The necklace has since been kept as part of the royal family's personal collection, to be worn by other members throughout the years.

london, england september 22: catherine, princess of wales attends the "digger" film and tv charity royal film performance and global premiere inside leicester square gardens on september 22, 2026 in london, england. (photo by samir hussein/wireimage)
Samir Hussein

In 2012, Queen Camilla chose the necklace for a different film premiere, Skyfall, and, like Kate, designed her gown around the striking purple colour of the central stone – an amethyst. Further amethysts stud the 'chain' of the necklace, which is constructed of pearls.

london, england september 22: catherine, princess of wales attends the digger world premiere royal film performance™on september 22, 2026 in london, england. (photo by chris jackson/getty images for warner bros.)
Chris Jackson
london, united kingdom october 23: (embargoed for publication in uk newspapers until 48 hours after create date and time) camilla, duchess of cornwall attends the royal world premiere of skyfall at royal albert hall on october 23, 2012 in london, england. (photo by indigo/getty images)
Max Mumby/Indigo
Queen Camilla at the premiere of Skyfall in 2012

The Prince and Princess joined the star of the new film, Tom Cruise, at the event, as well as Sir David Beckham, who has a long history with the royal family. Sir David brought two of his sons, Romeo and Cruz, along to the premiere and introduced them to the royal couple.

london, england september 22: (l r) david beckham, prince william, prince of wales, catherine, princess of wales, cruz beckham and romeo beckham attend the digger world premiere royal film performance™on september 22, 2026 in london, england. (photo by chris jackson/getty images for warner bros.)
Chris Jackson
From left: Sir David Beckham, Prince of Wales, Princess of Wales, Cruz Beckham and Romeo Beckham

The evening was in support of The Film and TV Charity 'who help those working across the film, television and cinema industries through services and initiatives that promote wellbeing and create more supportive working environments,' explained Prince William and Kate in a social media post.

They described the night as 'a special evening in support of those who bring stories to life on our screens and make such an important contribution to British cultural life.'