The story behind Princess Diana's iconic initial necklace
Princess Diana might have had a lavish collection of jewellery worth millions - some of which Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle inherited - but one of her favourite necklaces is a much simpler one.
When you look back at earlier pictures of the royal, she often wore a gold chain with a 'D' charm hanging off of it. In fact, it appears in one of the first pictures of Diana, taken after news of her courtship with Charles broke.
At the time, she was very shy and unaware of how to deal with the media frenzy, and experts claim the necklace was a away for her to assert herself.
Fred Leighton creative director and jewellery expert Rebecca Selva, told Town & Country, 'An initial pendant is a most personalized jewel, one that asks to be noticed and says ‘I am here.' It’s a personal stamp that cannot be ignored.'
She was last spotted wearing it to a polo game in 1985 (main picture), suggesting she was ready to leave that old part of herself behind.
The origin of the gold initial is unknown, though it is likely to have been a gift from her family, and so is probably still in their possession. We do know a silver 'D' pendant belonging to her as a teenager sold at auction in 2017.
Princess Diana was known for personalising her jewellery. When supporting Prince Charles during his polo matches, she wore his watch next to hers, and later on, when she had her children, she would wear a charm bracelet which featured the letters H and W for her sons, Harry and William.
That said, she wasn't the first royal to embrace this trend, nor was she the last. Famous portraits of Anne Boleyn depict her wearing an ornate pearl choker adorned with the letter 'B'. Much later, Meghan Markle was spotted wearing her delicate gold necklace featuring an A on it (for Archie of course), sending sales of alphabet necklaces soaring everywhere.
