When Catherine, Princess of Wales, arrived at the world premiere of Digger in London on September 22, the color alone made her difficult to miss. Draped in deep purple chiffon, with her hair falling in long waves down her back, Kate brought the kind of old-fashioned royal glamour rarely seen at an ordinary engagement.
But the most interesting part of her appearance wasn’t actually the dress.
Around her neck was a spectacular amethyst-and-pearl necklace that had been hidden away from public view for years — and the last royal woman photographed wearing it was Queen Camilla. (ABC News)
Kate’s purple gown marked a glamorous return to the red carpet
Kate, 44, attended the Digger premiere at London’s ODEON Luxe Leicester Square alongside Prince William. The Royal Film Performance supported the Film and TV Charity, and the couple joined Tom Cruise and other members of the movie’s cast and creative team. (ABC News)
For the evening, Kate selected a flowing purple Jenny Packham gown with sheer long sleeves, a plunging neckline, delicate pleating and a sweeping skirt. Although the design comes from Packham’s Fall 2016 collection, it had not previously been seen on the princess in public. (Vogue Germany)
She completed the look with burgundy Jimmy Choo velvet pumps and a coordinating clutch. (Dress Like A Duchess)
Yet it was the necklace sitting at the center of the purple gown that revealed a much older royal story.
The necklace is more than 100 years old
Kate wore the Queen Mother’s Amethyst Sautoir Necklace, a remarkable piece composed of pearls, amethysts and diamonds and ending in a large heart-shaped amethyst pendant.
Its history goes all the way back to 1923.
Queen Alexandra gave the necklace to Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon — the future Queen Mother — as a wedding present before Elizabeth married Prince Albert, Duke of York, who later became King George VI. (¡HOLA!)
That makes the necklace approximately 103 years old.
Despite its history, it has rarely appeared publicly in modern times.
And that’s where Queen Camilla enters the story.
Camilla wore it with purple, too
In 2012, when she was still the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla attended the London premiere of the James Bond film Skyfall with then-Prince Charles.
Her outfit was remarkably similar in spirit to Kate’s.
Camilla chose a rich purple velvet evening gown and wore the same historic amethyst sautoir around her neck. That 2012 appearance was the last documented public outing for the necklace before Kate brought it back onto the red carpet this week. (ABC News)
Placed side by side, the photographs inevitably invite comparisons.
Both women chose purple evening gowns. Both paired them with the enormous heart-shaped amethyst. And both wore the combination to major London movie premieres.
Online comments about which royal “wore it better” are subjective, of course. What can be established is that Kate’s appearance created a striking visual echo of Camilla’s look from 14 years earlier.
But Kate added another layer of royal history.
She wore Diana’s earrings at the same time
While the necklace connected Kate’s outfit to the Queen Mother — and more recently Camilla — her earrings came from another important woman in William’s family.
Kate wore the Collingwood pearl-and-diamond drop earrings, which belonged to Princess Diana.
The earrings were given to Diana around the time of her 1981 marriage to Prince Charles and became one of her recognizable pieces of jewelry. Kate has worn them on numerous occasions since marrying Prince William. (IndulgExpress)
So one outfit quietly brought together several generations of royal history: a necklace originally presented to the future Queen Mother in 1923, later worn by Camilla, paired with earrings closely associated with Diana.
And Kate made the combination distinctly her own.
Purple has followed Kate through some memorable appearances
This isn’t the first time the Princess of Wales has made purple the centerpiece of an outfit.
One of her most memorable recent examples came at Wimbledon in July 2024, when she attended the men’s singles final in a vivid purple Safiyaa dress.
That appearance carried particular significance at the time because it was only her second major public engagement after announcing that she was undergoing cancer treatment.
Her latest purple look was very different — darker, more dramatic and unmistakably designed for an evening red carpet.
William was beside her for the big night
Prince William accompanied Kate in black eveningwear, and the pair were photographed greeting Cruise and director Alejandro G. Iñárritu.
The occasion also marked another chapter in the Waleses’ long-running public friendship with Cruise. William and Kate previously joined him at the London premiere of Top Gun: Maverick in 2022. (ABC News)
At Digger, however, Kate’s royal jewelry arguably generated as much fashion attention as the Hollywood stars around her.
The necklace had spent more than a decade outside the public eye. Then Kate walked onto the red carpet wearing it against almost exactly the color Camilla had chosen years earlier.
One necklace, three generations of royal history
It would be easy to reduce the photographs to a simple “Kate versus Camilla” fashion comparison.
The real story is considerably richer.
The jewel Kate wore didn’t originate with either woman. It entered the royal collection more than a century ago through the future Queen Mother, disappeared from public view for long stretches, resurfaced on Camilla at a movie premiere in 2012 and has now appeared again around Kate’s neck at another London premiere. (¡HOLA!)
And then Kate paired it with Diana’s earrings.
So while people can decide for themselves which purple look they prefer, Kate’s outfit was something more than a beautiful gown.
It quietly connected the Princess of Wales with three women from different chapters of the monarchy — the Queen Mother, Queen Camilla and Princess Diana — through jewelry carrying more than a century of royal history.
For more royal red carpet moments, check out the time Tom Cruise Held Princess Kate’s Hand in Front of Prince William, or for other celebrity news, read about Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s Daughter Vivienne Selling Her Art.
