Meghan Markle has continued to keep Princess Diana’s memory close through some of her most treasured jewelry, but according to one royal biographer, Prince William reportedly had concerns about his sister-in-law wearing pieces connected to his late mother.
The subject has resurfaced after the Duchess of Sussex, 45, stepped out with Prince Harry for the David Foster Foundation’s 40th Anniversary Celebration in Canada earlier this month.
For the glamorous date night, Meghan wore a black one-shoulder gown and accessorized with a pair of diamond and sapphire butterfly earrings that once belonged to Diana.
The late Princess of Wales was photographed wearing the distinctive earrings during a royal visit to Canada in 1986. After Diana’s death in 1997, the jewelry was reportedly passed down to her younger son, Harry, who later gave the earrings to his wife.
© REX Features/Shutterstock /The Grosby GroupMeghan has worn them on several occasions, including during the Sussexes’ royal tour of Australia in 2018, at the Invictus Games in The Hague in 2022 and during the couple’s visit to Colombia in 2024.
Prince William’s reported concern:
Long before Meghan began regularly incorporating Diana’s jewelry into her wardrobe, Prince William reportedly expressed reservations about her wearing pieces from his mother’s collection in connection with her royal wedding.
© Mega/The Grosby GroupRoyal biographer Robert Jobson made the claim in his 2024 book, Catherine, the Princess of Wales: A Biography of the Future Queen, which was serialized by the Daily Mail.
“I have been told that, still concerned about the [romantic] match, he’d sought assurances from the Queen that Harry’s bride would not be wearing any of Princess Diana’s jewellery, even though his own wife was allowed to wear it,” Jobson wrote.
© WPA PoolThe claim has never been publicly confirmed by William or the Palace, making Jobson’s attribution important. It also refers specifically to the period surrounding Harry and Meghan’s May 2018 wedding and should not be interpreted as evidence of William’s current feelings about Meghan wearing Diana’s jewelry.
Jobson claimed that tensions between the brothers had already worsened by the time William was confirmed as Harry’s best man. Still, he described the Windsor wedding as a “spectacular success,” despite alleging that privately, members of the family were “at daggers drawn.”
Diana was part of Meghan’s story from the beginning:
Despite William’s reported concern, Diana’s jewelry had already played a meaningful role in Harry and Meghan’s relationship before they walked down the aisle.
© Julian ParkerWhen the couple announced their engagement in November 2017, Harry revealed that he had personally designed Meghan’s engagement ring. Its large center diamond came from Botswana, while the two smaller diamonds flanking it came from Diana’s personal jewelry collection.
Harry explained during the couple’s engagement interview that he chose his mother’s diamonds “to make sure that she’s with us on this crazy journey together.”
© Justin Goff PhotosMeghan also spoke about the sentimental connection at the time, saying that because she never had the opportunity to meet Diana, having the stones in her engagement ring made it feel as though Harry’s mother was “a part of this with us.”
For the couple’s wedding ceremony at St. George’s Chapel on May 19, 2018, Meghan paired her Givenchy gown with Queen Mary’s Diamond Bandeau Tiara rather than a piece belonging to Diana.
© Max Mumby/IndigoHowever, Diana’s jewelry made a memorable appearance just hours later. After changing into her white Stella McCartney halterneck gown for the evening reception at Frogmore House, Meghan wore Diana’s striking aquamarine cocktail ring on her right hand. The late princess had famously worn the piece herself in the 1990s.
Meghan’s collection of Diana’s jewelry:
The aquamarine ring and butterfly earrings aren’t the only pieces associated with Diana that Meghan has worn over the years.
© BEN STANSALLThe Duchess has also been photographed wearing Diana’s diamond tennis bracelet, including at the 2021 Salute to Freedom Gala in New York. The bracelet is among a number of pieces from Diana’s personal collection that have continued to appear on her daughters-in-law decades after her death.
Diana made her wishes for her personal jewelry clear before her death. In a letter of wishes accompanying her will, she asked for her jewelry to be allocated to her sons so that their future wives could “have it or use it.” Her collection has consequently remained closely connected to both William and Harry’s families.
© Princess Diana ArchiveWilliam famously gave his mother’s sapphire-and-diamond engagement ring to Catherine, now the Princess of Wales, when he proposed in 2010. Harry, meanwhile, has incorporated pieces from his mother’s collection into his life with Meghan, beginning with the diamonds in her engagement ring and continuing with pieces like the aquamarine ring and butterfly earrings.
Eight years after the Sussexes’ royal wedding, Meghan’s latest appearance in Diana’s butterfly earrings shows that the late princess’s jewelry remains a meaningful part of her wardrobe, regardless of the concerns William was reported to have had before she officially joined the royal family.
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