As well as wearing black during the period of mourning, the royals are paying tribute to the late monarch through their choice of jewellery. At today's funeral, Princess Charlotte, who attended with her older brother Prince George, wore a black coat and beribboned hat. And in tribute to her great-grandmother, the princess pinned a silver horseshoe-shaped brooch on her left lapel - an homage to the late monarch's love of horses.

Meghan Markle wore the same pair of earrings that she wore to the procession last Wednesday. The delicate pair of pearl and diamond stud earrings was a gift from the Queen - and she wore it for their first engagement together in 2018.

Catherine, Princess of Wales wore a four-stranded pearl choker that belonged to the Queen, the Japanese Pearl Choker. If it looks familiar, it might be because she also wore it to the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh, along with a matching pair of pearl earrings, the Bahrain Pearl Drop Earrings. The necklace was gifted to the late monarch in the 1970s, from Japan, and has also been worn by Princess Diana.

Last Thursday, Catherine visited the floral tributes outside Sandringham. She kept her jewellery subtle, in keeping with the sombre national mood, and wore a small pair of diamond and pearl earrings that belonged to the Queen.

The Princess of Wales, was also seen wearing a diamond brooch on her left lapel from the backseat of a car that joined the cortège to Westminster Hall. The diamond and pearl leaf brooch belonged to the Queen - who had previously leant it to her granddaughter-in-law for a visit to Ypres. The Queen owned a significant number of brooches and, if she was wearing one, always pinned it to her left lapel, never right. At last Tuesday's visit to Northern Ireland, Camilla, Queen Consort, wore a four leaf clover brooch.

The Queen was also famously diplomatic when it came to choosing the right brooch to deploy at the right moment. Her maple leaf brooch, for example, has been worn by herself, Catherine and Camilla on visits to Canada.

Also at last week's procession, Camilla wore one of her favourite sets of jewellery: a four-stranded pearl collar necklace and matching pearl earrings. She wore the same set last Monday, when she attended the vigil at St Giles' Cathedral.

The Queen, of course, was very fond of pearls - and was often spotted in a three-stranded necklace, along with pearl and diamond earrings, when performing public duties. Camilla's choice of jewellery, therefore, could have been a subtle nod to her late mother-in-law. Catherine also chose pearls after the news broke. When the 'fab four' reunited to meet mourners outside Windsor Castle, she too wore one of her favourite pairs of pearl earrings: tear-shaped pearl drops from Annoushka, which she threaded onto diamond hoops by Kiki McDonough.

According to The Mirror, pearls are now frequently worn during the period of mourning, a tradition that the royal family has upheld since the reign of Queen Victoria. As well as actual mourning jewellery - pieces that were often made out of black enamel and might even include a lock of hair belonging to the loved one who had passed away, according to the Museum of London - Queen Victoria also wore her 'widow's weeds' with pearl earrings and necklaces.

Bauer Media Group consists of: Bauer Consumer Media Ltd, Company number: 01176085, Bauer Radio Ltd, Company Number: 1394141

Registered Office: Media House, Peterborough Business Park, Lynch Wood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA H Bauer Publishing,Company Number: LP003328

Registered Office: Academic House, 24-28 Oval Road, London, NW1 7DT. All registered in England and Wales. VAT no 918 5617 01

H Bauer Publishing are authorised and regulated for credit broking by the FCA (Ref No. 845898)