Princess Catherine's funeral outfit was secret nod to poignant day out with Queen

Princess Catherine's black Alexander McQueen coat dress she wore to Queen Elizabeth's funeral had an emotional meaning, as the Princess had worn a version of the outfit before during a day with the Queen.

• Princess Catherine wore a white version of the stunning coat dress during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
• She also wore a necklace belonging to the late Queen Elizabeth for the state funeral on Monday.
• This follows royal news that Prince George and Princess Charlotte were praised for their 'understanding of royal duties' at the funeral.

Princess Catherine chose to wear a black Alexander McQueen coat dress to Queen Elizabeth's state funeral on Monday, paying tribute to the late monarch's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Catherine had actually worn the same dress before - sporting a white version of the dress during the Trooping the Colour event in June, where she stood on the royal balcony at Buckingham Palace next to the Queen.

The Princess of Wales paired her black Alexander McQueen dress with a four-row Japanese pearl choker necklace that had also belonged to Her Majesty, the Queen.

Queen Elizabeth is understood to have first loaned the necklace to Kate back in 2017. Catherine wore the special piece of jewellery for the Queen and Prince Philip’s diamond wedding anniversary, as well as for the funeral of Prince Philip in April 2021.

The necklace has great sentimental meaning, as it was also worn by former Princess of Wales, Princess Diana, during a 1982 state visit from Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. This also gave a nod to Kate having recently taken on her late mother-in-law's former title.

Lady Louise Windsor also wore a sentimental piece of jewellery for Queen Elizabeth's funeral. The young royal is known for her passion for equine interests and her necklace, a horse silhouette, nodded to the Queen's love of horses.

After Buckingham Palace made the solemn announcement that Queen Elizabeth II had died at Balmoral Castle, one particularly emotional scene was that of the vigil, held by the Queen's grandchildren, where they stood around her coffin in silence for 15 minutes. And it was during this vigil that Lady Louise's necklace was first spotted.

For many, this subtle gesture was also evocative of Lady Louise's poignant message to Prince Philip, a brooch depicting carriage riding - worn at his funeral.