Kate Middleton wears replica of Elizabeth II’s Edinburgh Wedding Bracelet to Royal Variety Performance

The Princess of Wales is often celebrated for her thoughtful choice of accessories, frequently paying homage to both Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth. 

And the mother-of-three, 41, showcased her sentimental side at last night’s Royal Variety Performance, wearing a glittering bracelet reminiscent of the late Queen’s Edinburgh Wedding Bracelet.

Kate exuded elegance in a £1,745 Safiyaa gown, made from heavy crepe, with a jewelled boat neck, dramatic shoulders and split sleeves for the event at the Royal Albert Hall, yesterday.

She didn’t hold back on sparkle either, adding a glittering Jenny Packham clutch and J.Crew crystal and pearl earrings – as well as the bracelet in question.

Despite ongoing fallout from the Omid Scobie race row, the royal dazzled as she arrived at the Royal Albert Hall, alongside her husband Prince William, 41, and their guests, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Prince Daniel.

The Princess of Wales showcased her sentimental side at the Royal Variety Performance, wearing an alluring bracelet reminiscent of the late Queen’s Edinburgh Wedding Bracelet

The Princess’ wide cuff bracelet incorporated crystals and gemstones of varying sizes, perfectly complementing the embellished neckline on her dress. 

The design was reminiscent of the late Queen’s Edinburgh Wedding Bracelet, which was a gift from her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.

When Philip designed an engagement ring for his bride-to-be, he recycled stones from the Diamond and Aquamarine Tiara that belonged to his mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg.

The sparkler featured a round three-carat brilliant stone, flanked by smaller pavé-set diamonds, leaving plenty of diamonds left over for additional pieces, including the bracelet made by Philip Antrobus Ltd in London.

Queen Elizabeth wore the bracelet on a number of occasions, including the opening of Canada’s parliament in Ottawa in 1957 and the State Opening of Parliament in 1999.

She also loaned the opulent design to the Princess of Wales, notably for the 70th EE British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in 2017.

Kate’s bracelet, debuted last night, offered a subtle nod to the Queen’s beloved Edinburgh Wedding Bracelet.

Queen Elizabeth II pictured wearing the Edinburgh Wedding Bracelet while posing for a portrait in 1954

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, during celebrations for their Silver Wedding anniversary in 1972

Phillip created Elizabeth’s bracelet using diamonds from the Diamond and Aquamarine Tiara, which belonged to his mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg (pictured in 1908)

Safiyaa’s Destiny gown boasts a sleek silhouette and extended sleeves, created in a teal shade named Poseidon – the distinct hue from Penny Mordaunt’s Coronation outfit. 

Kate expertly styled her floor-sweeping dress with J.Crew crystal and pearl earrings, a Jenny Packham Casa lamé clutch and Emmy London Rebecca suede pumps – all of which she has previously worn.

It comes after Mr Scobie, 42, took the extraordinary step of swearing on his own life, and his family’s, on live TV last night that the naming of two royals in the Dutch version of Endgame is not a ‘stunt’ to shift more copies of his book.

He said he was ‘hurt’ by the suggestion and dismissed it as a conspiracy theory by people who want to believe that he is ‘in cahoots’ with Meghan, declaring: ‘It couldn’t be further from the truth’. 

The author also refused to apologise for the racism scandal that has erupted, claiming: ‘I’m as frustrated as everyone else. The book I wrote, the book I edited, the book I signed off on, did not have names in it’.

But questions about whether he put the names in remain because one of the Dutch translators told MailOnline yesterday: ‘The names of the royals were there in black and white. I did not add them’. 

Speaking to Victoria Derbyshire on BBC Two’s Newsnight, Mr Scobie was asked to say ‘hand on heart’ that the farrago over the Dutch translation was not a PR stunt. He raised his hands, shaking his head, and replied: ‘On my life, on my family’s life.’ Ms Derbyshire said: ‘You don’t have to go that far, it’s fine’.  

The Prince and Princess of Wales put on a business-as-usual attitude as they attended the Royal Variety Performance 2023 amid a deepening race row reignited by Omid Scobie

William and Kate applaud during the Royal Variety Performance last night

Scobie then said: ‘No it’s serious because I feel hurt by some of the things I’ve seen that have suggested a conspiracy theory, that this is some kind of publicity stunt, and “I’m in cahoots with my pal [Meghan]” and nonsense like that because it feeds into something that couldn’t be further from the truth’.

Victoria then said: ‘In some version you must have written the names in and the wrong version has potentially gone to the people in charge of the rights around the world, I suppose’. Mr Scobie didn’t respond.

It came as media organisations around the world, including ITV, The Guardian and The Times, named the two royals accused of asking about Archie’s skin colour as King Charles and his daughter-in-law Kate.

During Good Morning Britain’s opening credits today, Ben Shephard said: ‘The Princess of Wales made no comment at the Royal Variety performance in London last night and it was business as usual for the King at the climate conference in Dubai after they were named in the Dutch version of a new book as the royals who questioned what colour skin Prince Archie would have.’ 

The Dutch edition of Mr Scobie’s book named the two royals Meghan allegedly accused of having ‘concerns’ over ‘how dark’ Prince Archie would be, which was followed up by Piers Morgan last night identifying them on live television.

Sources close to the Duchess of Sussex, who allegedly named the pair in a letter to Charles, have insisted to the Telegraph that she had ‘never intended them to be publicly identified’ and that it ‘was not leaked to Mr Scobie by anyone in her camp’.

Members of the Royal Family have got down to business as usual, with King Charles in Dubai for Cop28 and Prince William and Kate dazzling at the Royal Variety Performance in London last night.

Palace sources told The Mirror that the ‘entire Royal Family is united in outrage’ after members of the family were ‘unfairly named in this way’.

They added: ‘There is absolute and unequivocal denial that anything said by the two persons named publicly was said, or even could be considered to be said, in a racist manner.’

The row was described as ‘an outrageous smear’ that began with the Oprah interview but has now ‘blown up into another stratosphere’.

The inclusion of the names led to 5,000 copies of the book – called ‘Final Battle’ in Holland – being withdrawn from sale on the bookshelves and pulped.

Bookstores were ordered to remove the paperback from their shelves and return to the publisher. The book will go back on sale next week.