Every time Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle wore Princess Diana's jewellery
When she passed away, a lot of Princess Diana's jewellery was returned to the crown if she had borrowed it during her lifetime (including the Lover's Knot tiara she was so fond of).
However, she did leave a lot of her personal pieces to William and Harry. She is said to have written: ‘I would like you to allocate all my jewellery to the share to be held by my sons, so that their wives may, in due course, have it or use it. I leave the exact division of the jewellery to your discretion.’
Of course, Prince William married Kate Middleton, then Prince Harry wed Meghan Markle, so they give their wives these pieces of jewellery.
Princess Diana's South-Sea pearl earrings
Kate Middleton wore these gorgeous statement earrings to the 2019 BAFTAs, while Diana loved wearing them in the 90s. They feature an intricate diamond know design, and a drop pearl pendant, which can be removed. Here, Kate swapped the pearls for some slightly smaller ones.
Princess Diana's three-strand pearl bracelet
The Duchess wore this bracelet in Germany in 2017, and before her it used to belong to Princess Diana. She was a big fan of pearls, and owned several pearl pieces including necklaces and earrings. She notably wore the triple-strand pearl bracelet to match her 'Elvis' pearl dress.
Princess Diana's/The Queen's pearl choker
Told you Diana loved pearls. This four-string pearl choker seems to match the South-Sea pearl earrings, though it's in fact part of another set, which Diana herself borrowed from Queen Elizabeth II. Called the Japanese Four-Row Pearl Choker, it was commissioned by the Queen from the 'finest cultured pearls presented to her by the Japanese government', according to court jeweller at the time Garrard. She wore them to a state visit to Japan in 1975, while Diana wore them to a state banquet in honour of the Netherlands in 1982.
More recently, Kate wore them to celebrate the Queen and Prince Philip's 70th wedding anniverary.
Kate Middleton's engagement ring
In 2010, Prince William popped the question to Kate Middleton while on a private holiday in Kenya, after seven years of dating. He gave her his late mother Princess Diana's sapphire engagement ring. The heirloom was in itself a big surprise at the time, as Diana had it made alongside Prince Charles, rather than picking a ring that already belonged to the royal family.
Meghan Markle's engagement ring
As we know, Prince Harry originally inherited Princess Diana's engagement ring, but he kindly gave it to his brother when he proposed to Kate Middleton. However, that doesn't mean the Prince didn't nod to his late mother with the engagement ring he have Meghan. He created a gold band (Meghan's favourite), with a large ethically-sourced cushion diamond from Botswana, flanked by two smaller diamonds from Diana's collection.
Princess Diana's aquamarine ring
On her wedding day, Meghan Markle changed for the evening reception, showcasing the most gorgeous aquamarine cocktail ring. The statement piece belonged to Princess Diana, who last wore it in 1997 at the Christie-s pre-auction party before selling off some of her dresses for charity. It is believed to have been commissioned by her in 1996 after her divorce from Prince Charles.
Princess Diana's butterfly earrings
On her official tour of Australia with Prince Harry in 2018, Meghan was papped wearing a cute pair of butterfly earrings, and these belonged to Prince Diana. They were actually part of a set which also included a necklace, which she wore in Canada in 1986, shortly after announcing her pregnancy.
Princess Diana's sapphire earrings
Kate Middleton has often been spotted wearing a pair of dangly sapphire earrings, which also had been part of Princess Diana's collection, though she slightly modified them to suit her. The oval sapphires, surrounded by diamonds, were part of a bigger pair, and Catherine seems to have only kept part of them.
The Lover's Knot tiara
In October 2018, Duchess Kate wore the famous Lover's Knot Tiara to attend a state banquet at Buckingham Palace. It was one of Princess Diana's favourite tiaras, and even though it gave her a headache as it was so heavy, she wore it all the time. She was meant to wear it on her wedding day, but chose to wear her family's own Spencer tiara instead. The tiara was originally passed onto Queen Elizabeth from Queen Mary after her passing in 1953.
Princess Diana's Cartier watch
Princess Diana owned the iconic Cartier French Tank watch in her later years, and it was said to be one of Prince William's favourite items of his mother's, which he inherited when she died. He is said to have given it to Kate on their third wedding anniversary, though she is more often than not photographed wearing another Cartier watch, the Ballon Blue. Coincidentally, Meghan also owns the Tank watch, a present to herself when she found out Suits had been picked up for a third season.
Princess Diana's gold bracelet
To launch her clothing collection with the charity Smart Works in September 2019, Meghan Markle wore a gold bangle that used to belong to Princess Diana (she also wore it in Australia the previous year). The open bangle features two blue tones, and she was pictured wearing it in 1990 and 1994.
