Then & Now Pics Show The Different Ways King Charles' Wives Styled Royal Jewels

Many royal watchers will forever pit King Charles' wives against each other. First wife Princess Diana will forever remain "the people's princess" whose time was cut short when she perished in Paris in 1997; Queen Camilla will forever be the other woman that has had to work hard to redeem herself in the public eye. Though she's made strides, there are moments that haven't helped, like Camilla Parker Bowles' inappropriate outfit at Diana's wedding that still has people talking or how she wore one of Princess Diana's necklaces as a brooch. Looking at then-and-now pics, we can see how Camilla took the diamond and emerald necklace from its original design, as seen on Diana in Vienna in 1986, and wore it to the Cheltenham races in 2012 as a brooch.

Anwar Hussein & Anwar Hussein/Getty

The piece reportedly originally belonged to Queen Alexandra in the 1860s. Reports have claimed that the Queen Mother, Charles' grandmother, gifted the piece to Diana in the early '80s. That appears unlikely, as it continues to be part of the royal collection, whereas Diana's personal jewelry was bequeathed to her sons. It's been reported that Camilla commissioned it to be made into a brooch, but there's no public evidence suggesting she was the one to request the transformation. There are also reports that it has always been a brooch, and that Diana styled it as a pendant. We concede, however, that it was questionable for Camilla to re-wear a piece that Diana had worn to prominent events during her reign as princess.

Then-and-now pics show that this brooch has seen the light of day out of the royal vault on more than a few occasions. Princess Diana wore it in Toronto in 1991, again as a pendant. Queen Camilla has worn it as a brooch several times, as has Catherine, Princess of Wales, who first wore it for the Horse Guards Parade in London in 2022. 

Just as Kate Middleton has worn outfits that meant more than you ever knew, there's more to this brooch than we originally realized. It features three white ostrich feathers, the symbol of the Prince of Wales, which used to be Charles' title pre-king coronation, and has since been passed on to Prince William. So, it's fitting that William's wife would wear the piece that pays tribute to the position.

Who might we spot wearing the piece next? Well, brooches are getting a modern makeover, and we're raiding grandma's jewelry box, so perhaps Princess Charlotte will do the same. Will she style it the way Princess Diana did? Or will she wear it as a brooch? Royal watchers will have to wait and see.