Kate Middleton Wears Subtle But Meaningful Tribute to Her Love Story with Prince William at Latest Appearance

In addition to honoring herself with a sentimental piece of birthstone jewelry, the Princess of Wales also honored her 14-year marriage.

The Gist

• From head to toe, Kate Middleton’s outfit worn to a surprise July 2 appearance at Colchester Hospital in Essex was loaded with significance and meaning.
• In addition to wearing a garnet necklace—her birthstone—as a likely homage to her own strength, the Princess of Wales also wore a sentimental $8,000 Cartier watch.
• That timepiece was given to the future queen by her husband, Prince William, to celebrate their third wedding anniversary in 2014.

Kate Middleton has long been known to send sentimental messages through her clothing, particularly her jewelry—and her latest engagement on July 2 was no exception.

InStyle has previously covered how her garnet necklace is likely a subtle tribute to herself and her own strength as she faced down a harrowing cancer journey—the Princess of Wales, born in January, has a birthstone of garnet. The future queen also brought out her engagement ring, which she doesn’t always do for hospital visits, like the one she undertook Wednesday to Colchester Hospital in Essex. That, as GB News pointed out, is a subtle tribute to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, who was the wearer of the iconic sapphire and diamond sparkler before Kate became engaged to Prince William in 2010.

And, speaking of the Prince of Wales, Kate wore a hidden tribute to her husband of 14 years last week in the form of her Cartier Ballon Bleu watch—a third wedding anniversary gift from William, according to GB News.

The watch “features blue hands that beautifully echo the sapphire in Kate’s engagement ring,” the outlet reported. “The watch displays a large Roman numeral dial housed in a stainless steel case with a matching bracelet, with Kate favoring the 33mm size.”

The piece retails for £5,900—which translates to just over $8,000—and was purchased in 2014 for their third wedding anniversary that April 29. “The thoughtful gift has become one of the princess’s most cherished accessories,” according to GB News.

One of Kate’s favorite jewelers, Catherine Zoraida Blackwell of the brand Catherine Zoraida, said that Kate is “so good at sending those thoughtful messages [through her jewelry] and I love that about her.”

“She’s so thoughtful and caring in every way,” Blackwell told People of the Princess of Wales, who has regularly worn Catherine Zoraida designs since 2012, which Blackwell called “mind-blowing” and “a dream moment.” She added that she gets in touch with Kate “every so often” to “tell her how grateful I am” for her support.

“I love seeing how she styles everything,” Blackwell added. “Every time I see her, I am always wowed. It’s so clever how she puts it all together.”

On July 2, in addition to her Cartier watch from William (as well as a pair of Cartier Trinity earrings), Kate also wore a Bali Birthstone necklace in the aforementioned garnet by Auree Jewellery. Amelia Carmichael, the brand’s founder, told GB News that Kate “is a brilliant supporter of so many small British designers. Not only is this hugely encouraging to young brands, many of which are run by women and mothers, but it gives such recognition and credibility to the British jewelry industry.”