How Meghan Markle Acquired Princess Diana’s Iconic Jewels

Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle are still connected by one thing. The future Queen and the woman who sees herself as the true Queen of California are both lucky enough to use the priceless jewelry collection that belonged to Princess Diana. While in Nigeria with Prince Harry last weekend, Markle, 42, showed off a diamond cross that glinted in the sun at a reception for military families in Abuja. People want to know where the cross came from. Also, Diana, who died at 37 in August 1997, was never seen wearing the jewelry in public. Diana was seen wearing a cross twice: once with her own and once with a borrowed one. The cross she owned was seen when she was hugging HIV-positive children in São Paulo, Brazil, in April 1991. One baby reached up to grab her gold cross necklace. The princess donated the cross and chain for a charity auction in September 1997. It was stored for 20 years after her death and then sold to an Australian collector for an undisclosed amount. In January 2023, it was auctioned in London and sold for $197,453. Who bought it for the highest price? Kim Kardashian. We still need to learn about Diana's jewelry. When she died in 1997, Diana left her money to her sons and asked them to get three-quarters of her possessions. The other quarter went to her 17 godchildren. Her executors changed parts of the will, limiting her godchildren to one memento each and giving William and Harry all of her jewels. This change may have been influenced by a letter of wishes revealed during a court case 2002. Diana's butler, Paul Burrell, was accused of stealing items from her apartment after her death. But the most famous of Diana's jewels—her engagement ring, designed by Garrard and featuring a 12-carat blue oval sapphire surrounded by 14 solitaire diamonds set on a white-gold band of 18 karats—was unveiled on Kate's hand when she and William announced their engagement. Kate called the ring "beautiful" and "very special." She added, "I hope I take care of it." That ring is also a mystery. There were rumors that Harry picked the ring after Diana's death to show his approval of Kate. Burrell, the former butler, said Harry chose the ring. He said it hurt him because it was so big. But in his memoir, "Spare," Harry said the stories were false. He said he didn't realize Willy and Kate were well-matched, didn't appreciate their love, and didn't give Willy the ring. "I didn't give Willy the ring because it wasn't mine to give. He already had it. He asked for it after Mummy died, and I was happy to let it go. Meghan's ring is like Diana's. It has three diamonds and a three-karat center stone flanked by two smaller stones. The two side stones are from Diana's collection, and the center stone is from Botswana, a country close to Harry's heart. Lorraine Schwartz added more diamonds to the band. Both Kate and Meghan often wear Diana's jewelry. Kate has worn the Lover's Knot tiara several times. She has also worn pearl earrings and a pearl bracelet. Markle wore Diana's aquamarine ring to her wedding reception in May 2018. She also wore Diana's delicate tennis bracelet in her interview with Oprah Winfrey. A spokesperson told The Today Show that they wanted to wear the bracelet to have Harry's mother there with them during the interview. Diana's legacy isn't just for William, Harry, and their wives. Darren Julien sold a single Diana evening dress by Jacques Azagury for over $1.1 million.