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Kate Middleton wears Princess Diana's favourite tiara

Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, has worn the late Princess Diana's favourite tiara, the rather bedazzling Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara.

The statement piece was worn with a lolly-pink lace Marchesa dress, and a seriously blinged-out necklace that plunged into the dress' low neckline, to a state dinner at Buckingham Palace to welcome King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain.

The tiara was commissioned by Queen Mary in the early 1900s (the piece is sometimes called Queen Mary's Lover's Knot Tiara) and was given to Diana by Queen Elizabeth as a wedding gift in 1981, the London Telegraph reports.

Created by Garrard, a trusted jeweller to the royal family, the tiara features pearls dangling from diamond encrusted arches.

As Harper's Bazaar points out, it's not the first time that the Duchess has worn the special piece. She most recently wore it to a banquet at Buckingham Palace banquet in December 2016 (with a red Jenny Packham gown).

The Duchess owns several of Princess Diana's most treasured pieces, including her 12-carat sapphire engagement ring (also created by Garrard).

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According to Marie Claire, Prince Charles had allowed his sons William and Harry to pick something from Diana's collections as a memento and it was actually Harry who chose the ring.

He gave it to William when he proposed to Kate.

William later said that the ring was a way of ensuring that his mother didn't miss out on being involved in their wedding - and their marriage.

"It was my way of making sure my mother didn't miss out on today, and the excitement, and the fact we are going to spend the rest of our lives together," he said in an interview after the announcement of their engagement.

Kate also owns a pair of sapphire and diamond earrings that were once worn often - and loved dearly - by Diana. 

Keen frock watchers have noted that Kate Middleton often appears to emulate Diana's (much celebrated style), including most recently her polka-dot day dress worn to Wimbledon that recalled a quite spectacularly '80s ensemble that Diana wore to Ascot.