Here’s the subtle sartorial way Diana used to pay tribute to the Queen at official dinners

And Meghan Markle will probably do the same

princess diana
(Image credit: Rex)

And Meghan Markle will probably do the same

It's custom for female members of the Royal family to pay tribute to their family in subtle ways. Meghan Markle wore this Princess Diana ring on her wedding day, while Kate Middleton's maternity dress was a nice tribute to her late mother-in-law, and her earrings were borrowed from the Queen.

And while Princess Diana was still married to Prince Charles, she was no exception. She wore two watches to show her love for her then fiancé, and charm bracelet with her sons' initials on.

Diana also showed her support for the Queen in a subtle way at many official engagements, by wearing what is known as The Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II.

princess diana

Photo: Rex

From afar, it looks like a lavish brooch, but look closely and on the front you'll notice a portrait of Her Majesty, wearing the George IV State Diadem and the Order of the Garter Riband and Star.

It was given to her by the Queen, and is a tradition that dates back to to George IV, only given to female members of the royal family.

princess diana

Photo: Rex

The brooch was worn by Diana, Princess of Wales at the time, to show she was fully part of the Royal family. Diana wore hers a few times in the 80s, like on her Royal tour of Australia.

The brooch is a personal gift from The Queen, and the only way to know if someone has received it is to see her wear it in public, hence why it's often worn at official dinners and events.

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, who was first spotted wearing it in 2007.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.