Every Time Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Have Worn Princess Diana's Jewelry (2024)

Princess Diana, who died in 1997 at the age of 36, left a powerful legacy of charitable work and caring, and inspired her sons Prince William and Prince Harry to carry on her mission, as well as to forge their own paths in the fields of mental health and veterans' aid.

Though William and Harry's wives (Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, respectively) never had a chance to meet their late mother-in-law, they have each spoken warmly about her role in their family, and honor her through wearing pieces of her jewelry. In addition to the sapphire engagement ring worn by Kate and Diana (both of whom held the Princess of Wales title) and the diamonds in Meghan's engagement ring that used to belong to Diana, the two women have been seen in other sentimental pieces of the late Princess' jewelry.

Read on to see Meghan and Kate's many special moments wearing jewelry that belonged to the late Princess Diana.

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Diana and Kate's Engagement Ring

Every Time Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Have Worn Princess Diana's Jewelry (1)

When Kate Middleton and Prince William stepped out to announce their engagement, the bride-to-be was wearing a very familiar piece of jewelry on her left ring finger: Princess Diana's engagement ring!

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Diana and Kate's Engagement Ring

Every Time Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Have Worn Princess Diana's Jewelry (2)

The sapphire and diamond ring was the perfect tribute to William's mother, who died in 1997.

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Meghan's Engagement Ring

Every Time Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Have Worn Princess Diana's Jewelry (3)

Meghan Markle's engagement ring also has ties to her mother-in-law. It is made up of three diamonds, with one large stone in the center flanked by two smaller stones on the sides. The two side stones are from his late mother, Princess Diana's personal collection, while the center stone is from Botswana, a country that is close to Harry's heart.

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Meghan's Engagement Ring

Every Time Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Have Worn Princess Diana's Jewelry (4)

It is made up of three diamonds, with one large stone in the center flanked by two smaller stones on the sides. The two side stones are from his late mother, Princess Diana's personal collection, while the center stone is from Botswana, a country that is close to Harry's heart.

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Lover's Knot Tiara

Every Time Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Have Worn Princess Diana's Jewelry (5)

Diana and her first daughter-in-law share a similar taste in style. On several occasions, Kate has worn the Lover's Knot tiara. Sometimes referred to as the Cambridge Lover's Knot, it is one of the best-known tiaras in the British royal family's collection, mostly thanks to it being a favorite of Princess Diana.

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Collingwood Pearl and Diamond Earrings

Every Time Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Have Worn Princess Diana's Jewelry (6)

Given to Diana as a wedding present from Collingwood jewelers, the gorgeous pearl earrings are now part of Kate's collection.

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Pearl Bracelet

Every Time Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Have Worn Princess Diana's Jewelry (7)

Both Diana and Kate are pearl girls! The pearl bracelet designed by Nigel Milne that Diana wore with her "Elvis" outfit has been seen on her daughter-in-law. Kate wore the piece during her July 2017 trip to Berlin.

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Sapphire and Diamond Earrings

Every Time Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Have Worn Princess Diana's Jewelry (8)

This set of earrings, which perfectly pair with the women's engagement ring, were modernized by Kate. Although they featured a double sapphire drop when worn by Diana, Kate opted to use just one of the blue jewels.

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Aquamarine Ring

Every Time Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Have Worn Princess Diana's Jewelry (9)

Meghan wore Princess Diana's aquamarine ring on her right hand, which was visible while she waved at photographers as she and Harry drove to their evening wedding reception.

Diana famously wore the emerald-cut aquamarine stunner to an auction of her own clothes at Christie's in 1997. The jewel is part of a set; the other piece is a large aquamarine stone at the center of five strands of pearls. She wore both to a gala dinner in Australia in 1996 (pictured here).

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Butterfly Earrings

Every Time Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Have Worn Princess Diana's Jewelry (10)

Shortly after announcing that they were expecting their first child, Meghan and Harry were photographed out in Sydney, Australia as part of their first royal tour.

For the outing, Meghan opted for a fitted white sleeveless dress by Australian designer Karen Gee. She paired the timeless look with a pair of butterfly earrings previously worn by Princess Diana. Meghan's late mother-in-law wore them during a trip to Canada on May 3, 1986 — a year after she gave birth to Harry.

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Aquamarine Ring

Every Time Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Have Worn Princess Diana's Jewelry (11)

Meghan sported the piece again during their royal tour stop in Tonga. The stunning ring was a gift from Diana's good friend Lucia Flecha de Lima to wear in place of her engagement ring after her divorce from Prince Charles in 1996.

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Gold Bracelet

Every Time Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Have Worn Princess Diana's Jewelry (12)

During the royal tour, Meghan was also spotted in her mother-in-law's gold bracelet, which Diana wore while visiting the Lord Gage Centre for Old People, a Guinness Trust Home, in Newham, East London in 1990.

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Sapphire and Diamond Set

Every Time Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Have Worn Princess Diana's Jewelry (13)

Kate Middleton has previously been spotted in the earrings fashioned from her late mother-in-law's famous sapphire-and-diamond suite (a wedding gift to Diana from the Saudi royal family), but in September 2020, she debuted a delicate sapphire-and-diamond pendant on a thin gold chain while receiving the President of Ukraine and his wife at Buckingham Palace.

It's believed that it was fashioned from the earrings in the set, which was made by Asprey and included a bracelet and a watch, plus the enormous Burmese sapphire-and-diamond necklace seen here with the earrings, which Diana wore to an event in Melbourne, Australia in 1988.

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Diamond Tennis Bracelet

Every Time Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Have Worn Princess Diana's Jewelry (14)

The delicate tennis bracelet belonging to her mother-in-law that Meghan wore during her interview with Oprah is the same one from which Harry removed stones to make Meghan's engagement ring.

She chose it for the interview for a sentimental reason. "They wanted to wear the bracelet to have [Harry's] mother there with them during the interview," a spokesperson for the couple told TODAY. And she often wears it for major engagements: She previously paired it with a blue gown in Fiji and again in Tonga during their royal tour.

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Princess of Wales Feather Brooch

Every Time Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Have Worn Princess Diana's Jewelry (15)

Originally made for Princess Alexandra of Denmark in 1863 as a gift upon marrying the then-Prince of Wales, King Edward VII, the brooch has been passed down to the woman who has held the title ever since.

Princess Diana first wore the brooch as a pendant in 1981, after receiving it as a wedding gift from Queen Elizabeth II; it most recently was worn as a brooch by now-Queen Camilla when she held the title, and was passed to Kate when she became the Princess of Wales upon the accession of her father-in-law to King Charles. Kate wore it (along with her late mother-in-law's famous Collingwood pearl earrings) for the first time in November 2022 while welcoming the president of South Africa to London.

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Emerald Choker

Every Time Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Have Worn Princess Diana's Jewelry (16)

For her visit to Boston in celebration of Prince William's Earthshot Prize initiative, the newly-minted Princess of Wales chose a rented Solace London dress in green (fitting for a sustainability initiative), with jewels to match.

Royal fans immediately recognized the emerald choker as a favorite of Princess Diana's, who wore it many times between 1981 and 1996, perhaps most famously as a headband during a 1985 royal tour of Australia. According to royal biographer Kitty Kelley, Diana decided to wear the necklace (which was initially made for Queen Mary and given to Diana by Queen Elizabeth II after her marriage to Charles) across her forehead after it got stuck there during a fitting and she liked the way it looked.

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Aquamarine Ring

Every Time Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Have Worn Princess Diana's Jewelry (17)

To receive the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope award at an event in N.Y.C., Meghan selected her late mother-in-law's striking blue sparkler (seen here with the matching bracelet on Diana) to accent her simple white Louis Vuitton dress.

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Cross Necklace

Every Time Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Have Worn Princess Diana's Jewelry (18)

During a trip to Nigeria with Prince Harry, Meghan attended a reception at the reception held at the Defense Headquarters in Abuja wearing a delicate diamond cross on a gold chain. PEOPLE learned it formerly belonged to Princess Diana and had been recently given to her by Prince Harry as a gift.

Every Time Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton Have Worn Princess Diana's Jewelry (2024)

FAQs

Does Meghan wear any of Diana's jewelry? ›

Meghan doesn't just dust off her late mother-in-law's jewels for special occasions: Two of the diamonds in her tri-stone engagement ring also belonged to Diana, and Harry had them set into the special piece of jewelry for his 2017 proposal so his mother would part of the occasion.

Who has most of Princess Diana's jewelry? ›

The duch*ess of Sussex inherited some of her late mother-in-law's most stunning pieces. Before her tragic death 26 years ago, Princess Diana made it clear that she wanted her stunning collection of jewelry to go to her sons' future wives.

Did Kate get any of Diana's jewelry? ›

Perhaps the most famous piece of jewelry Kate inherited from Princess Diana is this sapphire engagement ring. The ring was created by British jeweler Garrard and chosen for then-Prince Charles's proposal to Diana in 1981.

What happened to all of Princess Diana's jewellery? ›

After the princess' death, most of her personal jewelry was inherited by her two sons Princes William and Harry, with pieces loaned to her during her lifetime being returned to Queen Elizabeth II, where they are most likely to have been inherited by King Charles in 2022.

Does Harry have any of Diana's jewelry? ›

After Diana's tragic death at the age of 36 in a 1997 Paris car crash, her jewelry was inherited by her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. The glittering pieces collected by Diana throughout her married life held enormous sentimental value to both the princess and the princes.

Who wears Princess Diana's ring now? ›

After Diana's death in 1997, the ring was inherited by her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. Harry was the legal owner of the ring, but he gave it to William to use when he proposed to Kate Middleton. Prince William's proposal to Kate Middleton was a moment of enchantment that captivated the world's attention.

What was the ring Dodi gave Diana? ›

Per the 2007 inquest into Diana's death, a ring bearing the inscription “dis-moi oui” (“tell me yes”) was recovered from Fayed's Parisian flat after his death, as well as a receipt, which listed the purchase of a £11,600 (US$14,450) bague de fiançaille (engagement ring) on August 30, 1997, The Guardian reports.

Who owns Diana's sapphire choker? ›

The sapphire cluster was one of Diana's personally-owned pieces of jewelry, so it was almost certainly inherited by her sons after her death in 1997.

What happened to Princess Diana's pearl choker? ›

The Princess first wore the choker during a state visit to the Netherlands in November 1982. The choker contains four rows of Japanese cultured pearls with a central diamond clasp. The piece is now being worn by the Princess of Wales who uses it as a loan from the King.

Did Kate wear Diana's earrings to the coronation? ›

Princess of Wales wore necklace and earrings passed down from Princess Diana and the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Did Dodi buy Diana a Cartier watch? ›

Dodi's gift-giving

This did happen: when Diana returned from holiday on July 21, she found that Dodi had gifted her a £6,500 Cartier watch.

What was Princess Diana's favorite piece of jewelry? ›

The sapphire and pearl choker

It was one of Diana's favourite pieces, and she wore it both during and after her marriage. Its most known appearance may have been in 1994 when she wore it with the bold "revenge dress" on the night Prince Charles publicly admitted to having an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles.

What were Diana's last words? ›

What were Princess Diana's last words? The firefighter on the scene of Princess Diana's accident revealed the last words she spoke before her death in an interview with The Independent. According to the firefighter, Xavier Gourmelon, the Princess of Wales asked: “My God, what has happened?”

Did Dodi propose to Diana? ›

Fayed pops the question to Diana while they're staying at a suite in the Ritz Paris the night before their fatal car accident. But as soon as he proposes, she quickly shuts down the idea.

Who did Diana leave her wedding ring to? ›

She didn't. Prince William hadn't even met Catherine (not Kate) when Diana died. It was left to both William & Harry. Harry actually chose it while William chose another piece of jewellery but Harry told William that whoever married first could have the ring for their future bride.

Who has Diana's Aquamarine ring? ›

Meghan Markle wore the ring again at a dinner in Tonga in October 2018. At this event, she wore a white dress, diamond earrings, and Princess Diana's diamond bracelet. More recently, Meghan wore the ring to the Ripple of Hope Gala in December 2022.

How much is Meghan Markle's Aquamarine ring worth? ›

It is not the first time that the duch*ess has worn the emerald-cut ring, which was commissioned by Diana from British jewelry brand Asprey in the 1990s and is estimated to be worth a staggering $90,000.

What jewelry brand does Meghan Markle wear? ›

Designers behind Kimai, a Meghan Markle-loved jewelry brand have shared how the royal's approval helped their small ethical business. As a highly-talked-about public figure and a former senior royal, Meghan Markle's influence reaches far and wide, particularly, when it comes to her sartorial choices.

Who inherited Princess Diana's ring? ›

Prince Harry Inherited Diana's Ring

While Diana's iconic engagement ring ended up on the duch*ess of Cambridge's finger, it was given to Prince Harry after his mother passed away. But Harry is said to have offered it to Prince William when he was planning to propose to Kate.

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