Kate Middleton offers message of support to Ukraine with Commonwealth Day jewellery choice

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife in 2020

Kate Middleton offers display of support to Ukraine on Commonwealth Day (Getty Images)

Kate Middleton has shared a subtle message of support for Ukraine through her choice of jewellery.

On Monday, the Duchess of Cambridge attended the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey. For the occasion, the royal wore a royal blue Catherine Walker coat dress with oversize buttons and a velvet collar, which she paired with a matching fascinator.

The duchess accessorised the look with sapphire and diamond earrings and a necklace, which People reports she previously wore while meeting Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena at Buckingham Palace in 2020.

According to the outlet, the matching earrings and necklace are believed to have come from late Princess Diana’s collection of jewels.

The duchess’s understated display of solidarity with Ukraine on Commonwealth Day comes after she and her husband Prince William expressed their support for the country amid Russia’s invasion last month.

“In October 2020 we had the privilege to meet President Zelensky and the First Lady to learn of their hope and optimism for Ukraine’s future,” the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wrote in a tweet from their official Twitter account on 26 February. “Today we stand with the President and all of Ukraine’s people as they bravely fight for that future. W & C.”

In a tweet shared in response, the Ukrainian president thanked the royal couple for their support. “Olena and I are grateful to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge @RoyalFamily that, at this crucial time, when Ukraine is courageously opposing Russia’s invasion, they stand by our country and support our brave citizens,” he wrote, adding: “Good will triumph.”

Kate Middleton wears jewellery she wore when meeting Ukrainian president on Commonwealth Day (Getty Images)

Kate Middleton rewears jewellery she wore to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2020 (Getty Images)

Kate’s meaningful jewellery choice comes after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also expressed their support for the “people of Ukraine” in a statement of their own.

“Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and all of us at Archewell stand with the people of Ukraine against this breach of international and humanitarian law and encourage the global community and its leaders to do the same,” the couple said in a statement shared to their Archewell website last month.

While the Queen was not in attendance, the Duchess of Cambridge attended the Commonwealth Day Service Monday alongside a number of other members of the royal family, including Prince William, Prince Charles, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.