Kate Middleton was out in London yesterday to attend the opening of a new surgery unit at Evelina London Children’s Hospital.
Classy as always, the Princess of Wales appeared to pay tribute to her late mother-in-law, the Uber-elegant Princess Diana.
For the outing, Kate opted for a bold choice of a full French blue ensemble, featuring a fitted suit, T-shirt and sapphire jewellery to match.
Prince William’s wife completed the look with a French blue belt and matching stilettos – adding much-needed colour to a gloomy day in the capital.
The simple, yet stylish outfit called to mind one of Princess Diana’s iconic blue blazer looks, which she wore to Prince William’s first official public engagement in 1991.
Read more: Camilla wows in white Fiona Clare gown and royal jewels at Palace reception
Similarly, Kate evoked the late royal in 2021, when she donned a similar version to of one of Diana’s blue skirt suits, exchanging the 1992 pencil skirt for a pleated version.
Known for its beautiful deep blue colour, sapphire has often been a favoured precious gemstone by both women.
In fact, Kate now has several items of jewellery which originally belonged to Princess Diana in her impressive jewellery collection.
Back in 2021, Express.co.uk spoke to Zack Stone, leading diamond expert and managing director at Steven Stone jewellers about Diana’s original pieces which are now in Kate’s collection.
Among these invaluable pieces, is a Ceylon sapphire from Sri Lanka, which according to the expert, has recently become popularised due to Netflix’s The Crown’s portrayal of the Royal Family.
Zack said: “Kate’s ring, which was formerly Princess Diana’s, features a 12 carat Ceylon sapphire, originating from Sri Lanka.
“Like with most precious gemstones, the quality and value of a sapphire is graded by its colour and hue, which can range from a light, pale blue to a dark, royal blue.
“The sapphire is a deep, royal blue, of AAAA quality, making it amongst the most valuable of its kind.
“Globally, the sale of blue sapphires increased by around 300 percent at the time, and even now, thanks to Netflix show The Crown, sales of sapphires continue to surge, with vintage style halo designs being extremely popular,” he continued.
