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The late Diana, Princess of Wales, had access to the late Queen Elizabeth II’s tiaras, necklaces and earrings. But she also owned jewellery from her own Spencer family, including the gorgeous tiara she wore at her wedding in 1981.
But a more unheard-of piece of jewellery was Diana’s Avon gold button earrings which were gifted to her by her mother, Frances Shand Kydd.
Renae Plant, the director of the Princess Diana Museum, spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk to give some background information on the earrings which will soon go on display at the museum.
She said: “These pair of Avon gold button earrings were gifted by Diana’s mother Frances Shand Kydd.
“Diana gave these earrings along with nine other intimate items of jewellery pieces to a charity to benefit a hospital in Middlesex the day she left for the cruise in the Mediterranean on August 16, 1997.
“They were accompanied by a letter which indicated Diana hoped the significance of the jewellery donated would garner the same amount of interest as her Christie’s Auction and reflect the importance of the charity’s work.
“Sadly she didn’t return to see the auction as she died just 15 days later. These earrings were known as Diana’s ‘caring’ earrings as she wore them to many charity events with her ‘caring wardrobe’ when she was with children.
“They loved how large and shiny they were and Princess Diana often let children play with them.”
The expert provided some insight into how often the late Princess wore these precious jewels.
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Renae added: “From our research, we can say Diana wore these more than 150 times (I have documented 152 times to be exact and that’s just from 1985 to 1995).
“She wore these earrings all over the world and in different factors of her life as a charity worker, a mother, and a fashion icon.”
According to the expert, the fact that Diana had to part with these earrings was incredibly “poignant”.
Renae explained: “Talk about how poignant it is that Diana was parting with some of her most intimate jewellery items gifted from Charles, her mother, father, the Queen and her personal favourites like these seems like she was really in the middle of a great change in her life.
“It’s almost like she knew. It’s an unbelievable part of history preserving Diana’s life and legacy and we are thrilled they have found their home in The Princess Diana Museum.”
According to the expert, whenever Diana wore these “caring” earrings, she always “carefully considered” the outfits that she’d pair the jewels with.
Renae opined: “Diana’s day looks were as carefully considered. She often wore the same happy floral dress for hospital visits (memorable from a 1991 visit to a Sao Paulo shelter for abandoned children, many of whom were suffering from AIDS).
“She accessorised it with chunky costume jewellery for children to play with.”
The high-end British store, Bellville Sassoon, was one of the earliest designers employed by Princess Diana.
Lynn, a designer from Bellville Sassoon also spoke to Express.co.uk about this “happy floral dress”.
She said: “Diana called it her caring dress. You’ll notice she is not wearing gloves. That’s a royal protocol that she ditched because she liked to hold hands with people and make skin-to-skin contact.
“The original sketch came with a hat, but she didn’t wear a hat because she said, ‘You can’t cuddle a child in a hat.’”.
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