LOL:-Bring on the bling: Kate Middleton's borrowed royal jewellery in pictures

#askaroundnow

Pieces loaned or given to the Duchess of Cambridge have been worn by the Queen, Diana and others - look back on their different outings

Splash / Camera Press

Kate was able to wear a dazzling necklace borrowed from the Queen

The Duchess of Cambridge might not be short of a bob or two but it doesn't stop her borrowing items from her Royal relatives' jewellery boxes.
For her first official engagement of the year Kate, 32, was loaned a Cartier necklace from the Queen.
The diamond piece was a wedding present from the Nizam of Hyderabad, who was a king in India, and finished the future queen's outfit at the National Portrait Gallery perfectly.
And it's not the only bit of royal bling Kate has borrowed...

Engagement ring

Getty

Diana's engagement ring is doubly famous

The engagement ring Prince William proposed to Kate with during a trip to Kenya in October 2010 is famously a hand-me-down from his late mum, Princess Diana.
The 18-carat sapphire and diamond stunner was chosen by Diana, who died in 1997, after her engagement to Prince Charles in 1981 and cost £28,000. it was one of a series of pieces presented to Diana by jewellers Garrard.
Speaking of choosing the ring for Kate, William said: “It is very special to me. It was my way to make sure my mother did not miss out on today and the excitement that we are going to spend the rest of our lives together.”

Tiara

Getty

The Halo tiara is youthfully elegant

The tiara Kate wore at her 2011 wedding to William had done the Royal rounds before being chosen to sit atop the most photographed head of the year.
Made by Cartier in 1936, the Halo tiara was an anniversary present from King George VI to the Queen Mother. She was photographed in the diamond headpiece, before giving it to the Queen as an 18th birthday present.
But Her Majesty didn't wear it much, and lent it to her younger sister Princess Margaret instead. She wore it often before her marriage to Anton Armstrong-Jones, but after that it went unseen until Kate did it justice on her wedding day.

Earrings

Getty

Diana's earrings were remodelled for Kate

During Wimbledon 2011 Kate was seen sporting a pair of diamond and sapphire earrings while watching Andy Murray play .

The heavy studs – that match Princess Diana's cluster engagement ring – were among her most treasured jewels and were seen on her at numerous events during the 1980s and 90s. They were remodelled for Kate into drop earrings.
A courtier said: “Now they’re married, William wanted her to have some of his mother’s favourite pieces.”

Shamrock brooch

Getty

Kate's shamrock brooch is regularly loaned to royals

In March 2012 Kate sported a shamrock-shaped brooch as she mingled with members of the Irish Guards Regiment for Armed Forces Day.
The gold Cartier three-leaf piece centred with an emerald belongs to the regiment rather than the royal family, but had also been worn by the Queen Mum who had long been affiliated with the Irish Guards, attending her first St Patrick's Day in 1937 and first presenting the shamrock to the battalion in 1964.
The regiment even carried her coffin after she died in 2002, aged 101.
The shamrock has also been seen on Princess Anne.

Maple leaf brooch

Getty

Kate and the Queen both wore the maple leaf in Canada

The maple leaf brooch Kate wore as she and William toured Canada and the US in 2011 was the perfect choice for Canada Day.
The diamond piece had been loaned to her by the Queen for the tour as it is Canada's national symbol.
It had originally been given as a present to the Queen Mum by King George VI ahead of their tour of Canada in 1939 and it was treasured.
The Queen, as Princess Elizabeth, also wore the diamond-encrusted piece for her first trip to Canada in 1951 and wore it again as recently as 2010 – again for a trip to Canada.

Tiara

Mark Stewart / Getty

Kate and the Queen Mum wear the same tiara very differently

Last December Kate was seen in a a lotus flower tiara at the Queen's annual diplomatic reception – the first time she had worn a tiara since her wedding.
The tiara was a reincarnation of a necklace made by Garrard jewellers and made into a tiara after the Queen Mum, then the Duchess of York, asked for the diamond and peal creation to be made into headwear instead in the 1920s.
Garrard was tasked with changing the piece that was then seen on the Queen Mum, Princess Margaret and later Kate.