Kate Middleton Needed a Place to Change, and a Fan Had a Gift Waiting: The Sweet Story Revealed
Kate Middleton Roasts Marshmallows Around a Fire During Visit with Young Scouts in London
Kate, who was made Joint President of the Scouts, took part in socially distanced activities to highlight the rewarding nature of volunteering
Kate Middleton's new necklace and earring set was given to her in the most unexpected way!
Thérèse Tully, a physiotherapist in Galway, Ireland, met Kate when she and Prince William visited the Salthill Knocknacarra Gaelic Athletic Association club (SKGAA) as part of their tour of Ireland in March. Needing somewhere to change in between engagements, the couple used her treatment room on site — and it was there that she left a note to the couple and a special gift for Kate.
Waiting for Kate in the room was a pair of earrings and a personalized necklace that featured her children's initials.
“It’s so amazing to see her wearing them, she seems to be getting so much wear out of the pieces - I’m just delighted,” Thérèse Tully tells PEOPLE exclusively.
“I wanted to give her something handcrafted from Galway, so I called Aisling, a local jeweler and commissioned her to make something bespoke, something fit for a princess. I didn’t give her much notice but she did an amazing job," she adds.
Daniel Leal-Olivas - WPA Pool/Getty
PA Images Prince William and Kate Middleton on tour in Ireland, March 2020
Aisling O’Brien, who runs local jewelry business, All The Falling Stars. got to work, and in just 48 hours she had made a bespoke gold necklace with three gold discs etched with the first initial of Kate’s three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and a pair of matching gold hoop earrings, all in 14-karat gold, which Tully left in the room with a framed note and her business card.
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Therese Tully The display of gifts left by Thérèse Tully for Kate Middleton on March 5, 2020
“There is a royal connection with one of my ancestors, so I explained that to them and wrote that I would love for them to accept the gifts,” recalls Tully, who was raised in Galway and has run her local business Advance Physiotherapy at the club for over two years.
After the couple left the room, Tully couldn’t wait to go inside and see if her gift had been accepted.
“I came back into the room and the boxes were gone and I was so excited! I phoned Aisling straight away and we just screamed down the phone, we were so happy," she shares.
A post shared by All The Falling Stars (@allthefallingstars) on Sep 28, 2020 at 3:22am PDT
While Kate thanked her in person at the event, which saw the couple take part in Gaelic football training drills and hurling, she also sent a more official note in the mail.
FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Kate Middleton plays Gaelic Football during visit to Salthill Knocknacarra GAA Club in Galway, Ireland on March 5, 2002
“I received a letter from her personal assistant at Kensington Palace, saying that she was so grateful, that she loved the pieces, and that they were sure she would get loads of wear out of them — I’ve kept it and framed it!”
Therese Tully The letter sent to Thérèse Tully
As for the jeweler, O’Brien has been inundated with calls worldwide for both pieces, which are now completely sold out and only available on pre-order with a delivery time of approximately six weeks.
“I think it has been a little overwhelming but I’m so happy for her - I love Aisling’s jewelry, it’s so easy to wear, simple and understated, just like Kate’s style," she says.
Retailing for $57, the Gold Disc Circle Earrings certainly have the royal seal of approval. On Tuesday, Kate wore them to visit a Scout group in Northolt, West London, where she toasted marshmallows with the young children and made cards for a local care home. She previously wore the hoop design to unpack donations for Baby Basics UK in Sheffield in August.
Martyn Miller/The Scouts Kate Middleton visiting the 12th Northolt Scout Group in West London on Sept, 29, 2020
The Personalised Gold Three Layered Disc Necklace, which retails for $128, has also been worn on numerous occasions, including to an event last Tuesday in London’s Battersea Park where she met with parents and key organizations to chat about local support during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Jack Hill - WPA Pool/Getty Kate Middleton at Battersea Park, London on Sept 22, 2020
“I just thought it would be a nice thing to do and I’ve always loved her style and her whole ethos,” says Tully, who has fond memories of meeting Kate. “We got talking and she shook my hand, she was so lovely — what you see in the magazines, is exactly what she is like in real life — really polite and so sweet.”
