When Princess Diana tied the knot with Prince Charles on July 29, 1981, the new royal received a number of gifts from Queen Elizabeth, including a variety of heirloom jewels. One of the most important pieces the monarch gave her was an emerald choker, which was first presented to Queen Mary by the Maharani of Patiala during a 1911 visit to India. After Diana received the necklace from Queen Elizabeth, it didn’t take long for it to become a beloved accessory in her collection. In 1982, the princess donned the heirloom for a charity concert at the Barbican. And three years later, it reappeared during Charles and Diana’s visit to Melbourne, Australia. Yet, on that occasion, the royal decided to wear it not as a choker—but as a headband.

The showstopping look was reportedly an unintentional decision. According to Kitty Kelley, a royal biographer, Diana attempted to slide the piece over her head in a rush to get ready for the event she and Charles were scheduled to attend—a gala dinner dance at the Southern Cross Hotel. However, in doing so, the heirloom got stuck. As a result, Victor Champan, a Canadian diplomat, reportedly suggested that she don it as a headpiece. She ultimately followed his proposal. “Diana took the necklace and put it over her head rather than wait to have it clasped around her neck,” Kelley wrote, according to Marie Claire. “She couldn’t get it over the bridge of her nose. Vic roared. ‘Leave it there, he said, ‘It’s young and fun, like you.'”

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However, it appears that not everyone was pleased with Diana’s decision to wear the necklace as a headband. “It was a piece that the Queen was very fond of, but which she, in turn, decided to pass on to Diana as a wedding gift,” Debora Attanasio, a royal commentator, told Marie Claire Italia. “According to sources close to the Queen, having seen what Diana had done with it, Her Majesty became very irritated.” Yet, even though the monarch wasn’t happy with the choice, Diana retained possession of the treasured piece. She wore the heirloom again on multiple outings, including for her 36th birthday party at the Tate Gallery in London. The choker is valued at approximately $20 million today, equivalent to approximately $5.7 million in 1981, according to The Sun.

While the piece returned to the monarch’s collection after Diana’s death in 1997, it appears to now be in the possession of Kate Middleton. In 2022, at the Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony in Boston, the princess paired the heirloom piece with an off-the-shoulder green dress from Solace London, according to The Court Jeweller. It was the first time that a royal had worn the necklace since Diana’s death in 1997.