If we were princesses and had a vault of jewels on loan from the Queen, we’d be dripping in diamonds 24/7.
But unfortunately when you’re a working member of the royal family like Duchess Catherine and Duchess Meghan, you won’t catch them flaunting the rocks that they’ve got. At least, not before 6pm.
Turns out that when royal ladies are out and about on royal engagements, it’s deemed to be rather tacky to be sporting diamonds.
While their engagement and wedding rings and perhaps the odd necklace or pair of earrings are fine to wear day-to-day, things like tiaras and other extravagant pieces of jewellery are reserved for more formal occasions.
“Other jewels are worn pre-6pm,” royal etiquette expert Myka Meier told news.com.au.
“Before 6pm, you’ll see metallics, gemstones, pearls, sapphires. At night, you’ll see the diamonds come out, and that’s in order to not come across as flashy in your appearance.”
Fellow etiquette expert William Hanson reinforced this telling Femail: “For grand events like state banquets and formal dinners, royalty usually wear more lavish, priceless jewellery.”
Put the diamonds away: Kate and Megs won’t be looking flashy before 6pm.
(Image: Getty Images)And when it comes to flashy jewellery, Duchess Meghan is no stranger to wearing it.
On her 2018 royal tour with Prince Harry, the Duchess of Sussex showed off her burgeoning baby bump in a floor length blue gown and accessorised the look with some stunning chandelier diamond earrings.
Meghan wore them once again at a soiree celebrating Prince Charles’ 70th birthday and no wonder she recycled when the eye-watering price of the earrings was revealed.
WATCH: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry arrive for first evening soiree in Fiji. Post continues after video…
Instagram user Meghan’s Mirror discovered that Meghan’s diamond drop earrings are by Butani Jewellery from one of their 2016 collections.
Though Kensington Palace stated at the time that the earrings were ‘borrowed’, a jewellery expert revealed to Femail that the earrings could be worth almost AUD $1 million.
“These drops appear very heavy, almost pulling down the lobe, but sparkle beautifully even with the slightest turn of the head and are truly stunning,” gemologist Deborah Papas told the publication.
“They could easily be worth £500,000 [AUD $910,830] or more.”
Duchess Meghan’s earrings were rumoured to be worth almost AUD $1 million.
(Image: Getty Images)Aside from on her wedding day, we are yet to see Duchess Meghan sport a tiara. However, seeing as she attended a handful of state banquets, Duchess Catherine has worn a selection of the royal headpieces.
We’ve only seen the Duchess of Cambridge don a tiara 10 times since joining the royal family, but it’s safe to say she has a favourite.
Of those 10 times, on seven occasions she has opted for the Cambridge Lover’s Knot design; an heirloom headpiece which The Queen inherited from her grandmother Queen Mary, before giving it to Princess Diana as a present on her wedding day in 1981.
When Princess Diana and Prince Charles divorced in 1996, however, it was returned to the Queen and could one day belong to Duchess Catherine herself.
