Meghan Markle's £70k jewellery collection from gifted to borrowed and bought
Meghan Markle has come under fire in recent weeks over her jewellery choices, leading fans to speculate just how many pieces she has in her priceless collection.
The Duchess of Sussex has been gifted many pieces of jewellery over the years, including her wedding band from the late Queen, and diamonds gifted from Princess Diana’s iconic collection. While Kate Middleton has rocked some pretty lavish jewels over the years, including huge bejewelled tiaras worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, Meghan has been forced to defend her jewellery collection after being criticised for reportedly accepting freebies.
Prince Harry even revealed in his memoir Spare that his wife accepted gifts that were sent to their offices at Kensington Palace, and distributed them amongst staff members. While her jewellery collection has caused controversy over the years, one thing is certain - her daughter Princess Lilibet will have an incredible jewellery box to raid when she’s older.
Here, we look at some of the most expensive - and most controversial - pieces in her collection…
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Diamonds from Diana's collection were used in the engagement ring (AFP via Getty Images)Engagement ring diamonds from Princess Diana
When Prince Harry proposed to Meghan Markle in 2017, he designed a ring that had a special link to his late mother, Princess Diana. The stunning custom-made ring featured a conflict-free diamond from Botswana, surrounded by two small round stones from his mother’s jewellery collection.
While Prince William gave Kate Middleton Diana’s actual engagement ring when he popped the question in 2010, Meghan’s ring has sweet connections to both Harry’s mother and the country where they spent the early days of their relationship. “It's so important to me to know that she's a part of this with us. It's incredibly special to be able to have this, which sort of links where (Harry comes) from and Botswana, which is important to us, it's perfect,” the former actress said in an interview at the time.
The tennis bracelet was a sweet gift from father-in-law Charles (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)Bracelet gift from Prince Charles
Meghan debuted the stunning tennis bracelet on her last night as Ms. Markle in May 2018, as she arrived at the Cliveden House Hotel the night before her wedding wearing the delicate piece of jewellery on her wrist. The Bentley & Skinner diamond tennis bracelet - a gift from Charles worth almost £5,000, features ninety-two round brilliant-cut diamonds.
It was rumoured Harry’s father had presented her with the bracelet after Meghan asked Charles to walk her down the aisle following a high-profile fall-out with her father Thomas Markle. She also wore the bracelet days after tying the knot at her first public engagement as a royal, alongside Charles and Camilla, and then was later spotted wearing it during her Australian tour with Harry in 2018.
She once claimed to have purchased the Cartier watch as a gift to herself (New York Times Events/Youtube)Cartier Tank watch
The Duchess of Sussex is a big fan of Cartier watches, and has been spotted wearing the luxury brand’s iconic Tank timepiece - worth almost £20,000 - on several occasions, including her appearance at the Invictus Games in 2022. Princess Diana was seen wearing an identical watch, also a Cartier Tank piece, during public appearances in the mid-1990s, leading to speculation that Meghan had been given the watch by Harry from his late mother’s collection.
However, Meghan has confessed to being a fan of the Cartier Tank watch, and revealed she purchased one to celebrate Suits being renewed for a third season. “I’ve always coveted the Cartier French Tank watch. When I found out Suits had been picked up for our third season - which, at the time, felt like such a milestone - I totally splurged and bought the two-tone version,” she told Hello back in 2015. Meghan also had it engraved with “To M.M. From M.M.”, and she shared her touching plan to “give it to my daughter one day.”
Meghan recently came under fire for wearing these earrings (WireImage)
The £1,990 diamond earrings are from KimaiDiamond earrings from Dragon’s Den brand
The 42-year-old recently came under fire for allegedly accepting £1,990 diamond earrings from female-founded jewellery brand Kimai, who appeared on Dragon’s Den bidding for investment. She was said to have been sent the jewellery in 2019 when she was still a senior working member of the Royal Family, and wore the lab-grown diamond earrings - which retail at £995 each - to a public event later that year.
However, the brand dismissed the claims, and hit back at accusations Meghan was gifted them. In a comment to The Mirror, a spokesperson for Kimai revealed the mother-of-two had in fact purchased the earrings after being contacted by the jewellery brand in an effort to boost their profile. Co-founder Jessica Warch also told that they “sent Meghan Markle the whole collection and her team reached out to purchase the pieces.”
The pinky ring, designed by Lorraine Schwartz, is a mystery (zz/NDZ/STAR MAX/IPx)The £50,000 pinky ring with mysterious origins
Meghan’s jewellery collection came under fire again in October 2020, when it was claimed a £50,000 diamond ring - which she wore on her pinky finger - was made with diamonds donated by a donor in the Middle East. However, they denied the claims, with a spokesperson alleging that the ring in question was sourced by a stylist on a shoot.
They later backtracked on their statement, and stated they were discussing a different ring, causing confusion over the origin of the pricey piece of jewellery. She’s since worn the ring, made by Lorraine Schwartz and worth £50,000, on other occasions, but the couple have never commented on who gave Meghan the ring, or if she purchased it privately.
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