Happy Birthday to Lady Sarah McCorquodale, who turns 70 today! The elder daughter of the 8th Earl Spencer who was a former girlfriend of King Charles III before he married her younger sister, Princess Diana, Lady Sarah has worn several family heirlooms, highlighted by this magnificent five-row Pearl Choker!
Spencer Tiara | Pearl Choker | Frances Shand Kydd’s Diamond Earrings
It is a tradition in the Spencer Family for their daughters to receive Pearl Choker, and while Princess Diana received a three-strand Pearl Choker, as the eldest, Lady Sarah received this five-strand pearl choker with a large pearl and diamond clasp and a detachable pearl drop pendant.
Lady Sarah McCorquodale most notably wore the five-row Pearl Choker for the Wedding of her sister, Lady Diana Spencer, to the Prince of Wales at St Paul’s Cathedral in London in 1981.
After the Wedding, Lady Sarah took off her choker and gave it to her sister, the new Princess of Wales, as she departed Buckingham Palace and traveled to Broadlands to begin her honeymoon.
Lady Sarah McCorquodale continued to wear her five-row Pearl Choker for numerous family occasions over the years, like Viscount Althrop’s 21st Birthday Party at Spencer House in 1985 and the Wedding of her only brother, Viscount Althrop, in 1989, as well as a Memorial Service for the 8th Earl Spencer in 1992.
In 2011, Lady Sarah wore the five-row Pearl Choker for the Wedding of her nephew, Prince William, to Catherine Middleton, at Westminster Abbey.
Lady Sarah also wore the Pearl Choker with her mother’s Diamond Earrings at the Wedding of her daughter, Emily McCorquodale, in 2013, as well as for the wedding of James Meade and Lady Laura Marsham that same year.
Lady Sarah wore the five-row Pearl Choker for the Wedding of her nephew, Prince Harry, to Meghan Markle in Windsor Castle in 2018.
More recently, Lady Sarah wore her Pearl Choker for the Wedding of her daughter, Celia McCorquodale, to George Woodhouse at St Andrew and St Mary’s Church in Stoke Rochford in 2018. There is no doubt we will continue to see this special heirloom worn for years to come!
Spencer Tiara | Pearl Choker | Frances Shand Kydd’s Diamond Earrings
