On Saturday night, Kate Middleton made her first public appearance since announcing she had finished preventative treatment for cancer – and this year’s Festival of Remembrance was a particularly emotional event with several nods to Princess Diana. As Kate joined King Charles and other senior royals at Royal Albert Hall on Nov. 9, she and Prince William were reportedly spotted tearing up as the Festival of Remembrance brought back a special memory from the couple’s wedding with ties to the late princess.
During the concert portion of the event, which honored the British and Commonwealth Armed Forces, Kate and William got visibly emotional as the orchestra began playing “Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer” – a hymn that was originally played at Princess Diana’s funeral and has become a symbolic way for her sons to remember their mother.
Kate and William honored Di’s legacy by playing the moving song at their 2011 nuptials, and after the performance, it was called out as one of the “favourites of the couple” on the music program, per The DailyMail. Meanwhile, Prince Harry was spotted getting choked up when he and Meghan Markle also played “Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer” at their own 2018 wedding.
The emotional music choice wasn’t the only nostalgic element from this year’s Festival of Remembrance, as Kate also chose to pay homage to Princess Diana by wearing the late royal’s pearl earrings for her Royal Albert Hall outing. Along with a tailored black coat dress and her bright red poppy brooch–a tribute to fallen–soldiers, Kate wore her signature blowout with one side tucked behind her ear to show off Diana’s Collingwood pearl drop earrings.
One day later, Kate made another glowing appearance at Remembrance Sunday, appearing to subtly reference her late mother-in-law by wearing one of Princess Diana’s favorite brands. The princess’s black Catherine Walker & Co. coat dress featured ‘80s padded shoulders and a black velvet pussy bow. Meanwhile, her Bahrain pearl drop earrings–once worn by Queen Elizabeth–paid homage to the late monarch.
