From Princess Diana to Meghan Markle: six times the Queen’s jewellery looked amazing on other royals

The monarch is ever generous when it comes to loaning her incredible jewellery to her family.

six times the Queen’s jewellery looked amazing on other royals

The monarch is ever generous when it comes to loaning her incredible jewellery to her family.

From her signature strings of pearls, to her incredible diamond collection (worn only after 6pm, naturally), we can't think of anyone whose jewellery box we'd rather take a delve into than that of Her Majesty the Queen.

But while we'll unfortunately have to settle for some decent royal-approved replicas (that is, if we're lucky), when it comes to loaning out her favourite pieces to younger members of her brood, the Queen is unfalteringly generous – meaning we get to see some of HRH's most iconic jewellery moments recreated by the next generation.

Between her insane tiara collection, her love of a fine brooch and the stunning sentimental pieces she mostly wears for special occasions, everyone from Meghan, Duchess of Sussex to Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge has been a benefactor of the royal jewellery collection. (Cue some of the best fashion moments of all time.)

So good does the Queen's jewellery look on younger royals, in fact, that we thought we'd go ahead and round up some of the best royal recycled jewellery moments. Warning, extreme jealousy is likely to follow.

Six times the Queen's jewellery looked amazing on other royals

Her Dubai looped sapphire diamond earrings, worn by the Duchess of Cambridge

the queen's jewellery: kate middleton sapphire earrings

Kate Middleton took a leaf from Her Majesty's style book when she borrowed a pair of the monarch's sapphire diamond earrings for a drive-in screening of Disney's Cruella at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Scotland back in May. Baring close resemblance to Kate's engagement ring, Her Majesty has previously been spotted wearing the statement studs with a coordinating necklace. Birds of a feather, and all that.

The King Khalid diamond necklace, worn by Princess Diana

the queen's jewellery: princess diana king khalid necklace

Given to the Queen when she visited Saudi Arabia in the seventies, this Harry Winston-designed diamond necklace was a favourite of Princess Diana's throughout the 1980s, and is seen here worn by the princess at a 1982 film premiere while she was pregnant with Prince William. Yep, turns out Princess Diana's iconic style is more like the Queen's than we'd thought.

Queen Mary's diamond fringe tiara, worn by Princess Beatrice 

the queen's jewellery: princess beatrice wedding tiara

It wasn't just a wedding dress that Princess Beatrice borrowed from her grandmother, she also wore one of the Queen's most treasured tiaras for her big day in July last year. (The same tiara worn by her grandmother for her own 1947 wedding to Prince Philip. Sweet or what?)

Queen's Mary's diamond bandeau tiara, worn by Meghan Markle

the queen's jewellery: meghan markle wedding tiara

Another royal who borrowed from the Queen's jewellery vault for their big day was Meghan Markle, who wore a diamond bandeau that was passed down to the Queen by Queen Mary in 1953. A signature piece of Princess Margaret's, the Queen's famously glamorous younger sister wore the bandeau for a number of events throughout her lifetime.

Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara, worn by Princess Eugenie 

princess eugenie wedding tiara

When Princess Eugenie wed Jack Brooksbank back in 2018, she opted for a diamond and emerald headpiece left to the Queen Mother by Dame Margaret Greville when she died in 1942. Passed onto the monarch when the Queen mother died in 2002, the tiara's central emerald is 93.7 carats in size. (Just your standard wedding hair accessory, then.)

The maple leaf brooch, worn by the Duchess of Cambridge

kate middleton maple leaf brooch

The Duchess of Cambridge is one of the royal women most frequently spotted with a piece of borrowed jewellery from the Queen's extensive collection. Like Eugenie, Beatrice and Meghan, her wedding tiara was, of course, also a loan from the monarch, but in the years since she's been spotted in some of the royal jewellery box's most recognisable pieces – including this diamond maple leaf brooch. Worn by everyone from Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, to Her Majesty herself over the years, this one will no doubt be a fixture for many future royals to come when visiting Canada.

Kate McCusker

Kate McCusker is a freelance writer at Marie Claire UK, having joined the team in 2019. She studied fashion journalism at Central Saint Martins, and her byline has also appeared in Dezeen, British Vogue, The Times and woman&home. In no particular order, her big loves are: design, good fiction, bad reality shows and the risible interiors of celebrity houses.