Jewelry Expert Says Princess Diana's Pieces Passed Down to Meghan Markle Are Now Living Two "Distinct Lives"
Our take
The enduring power of Princess Diana’s legacy continues to ripple through the British Royal Family, and nowhere is this more evident than in the jewelry she left behind. A recent piece highlighting the diverging trajectories of Diana’s pieces now worn by Kate and Meghan Markle offers a fascinating lens through which to examine the evolving narratives of both women and the monarchy itself. Nilesh Rakholia’s observation that these pieces are now living "distinct lives" speaks to a broader shift in how royal iconography is perceived and consumed. It’s a subtle but significant departure from the traditional understanding of inherited heirlooms as solely representing a single, unbroken lineage. As Lady Eliza Spencer recently shared [Prince Harry’s Cousin Shares Thoughts on His “Exciting” Return and What Meghan Markle Might Be Able to Give Her Advice About ], family connections, even those fractured, remain powerful touchstones. The way these jewels are interpreted, worn, and ultimately associated is a complex interplay of history, personal style, and public perception.
The symbolic weight of Diana’s jewelry has always been immense, representing her grace, her humanitarian work, and her enduring appeal. However, the fact that Meghan Markle, in particular, has embraced these pieces – the aquamarine ring, the butterfly earrings – and imbued them with her own distinct style, is arguably a quiet act of reclamation. It’s a visual acknowledgement of Diana’s influence, but also a statement of Meghan’s own identity and agency. This isn’t simply about inheriting beautiful objects; it's about navigating a complex cultural landscape where tradition and modernity collide. It echoes sentiments expressed by Katie Nicholl, who pointed out years ago that there was a warning about Harry and Meghan “reinventing the wheel” [One Royal Warned of Harry and Meghan "Reinventing the Wheel" Years Ahead of Their U.K. Move and "Predicted All of This," Says Author ]. The jewelry, in this context, becomes a silent participant in that ongoing reinvention. The subtle shifts in how these pieces are styled and presented reveal a conscious effort to reinterpret Diana’s legacy for a contemporary audience.
What makes Rakholia’s observation so compelling is the inherent tension it creates. These aren’t merely accessories; they are vessels of memory, emotion, and historical significance. Each time Meghan wears one of Diana's pieces, she’s engaging in a conversation—a visual dialogue—with the past. It’s a conversation that’s inevitably filtered through her own experiences and perspective, shaping the meaning of the piece for a new generation. The shift from singular association to multiple interpretations reflects a broader societal trend towards a more nuanced understanding of historical figures and their impact. The monarchy, too, is grappling with this shift, attempting to balance tradition with the demands of a rapidly changing world, a balance that requires adapting to new interpretations of established symbols. As an insider recently noted [Insider Says There’s a Chance For a William and Harry Reunion, But Until Then, There's One Move King Charles Is "Unlikely" to Make ], even small gestures can hold significant weight.
Ultimately, the “distinct lives” of Diana’s jewelry speak to the evolving nature of royal symbolism and the enduring power of personal style. The question now becomes: how will these pieces continue to be interpreted and utilized as both women navigate their respective roles within and outside the Royal Family? Will Meghan continue to leverage Diana’s legacy to forge her own path, or will the weight of history ultimately temper her approach? And perhaps more importantly, will the public continue to embrace this evolving narrative, or will a longing for the singular, uncomplicated image of Princess Diana prevail? The answer likely lies not just in the jewelry itself, but in the stories we choose to tell about it.
Princess Diana never met her sons’ wives, but her legacy lives on in some of the extraordinary pieces of jewelry that were passed down to Princess Kate and Meghan Markle. While the Princess of Wales received the most iconic piece from Diana’s collection, her sapphire and diamond engagement ring, the Duchess of Sussex also was given a number of the late royal’s jewels.
One of the diamonds in her three-stone engagement ring comes from Diana’s collection, and Meghan also regularly wears the princess’s Cartier tank watch, but the Duchess of Sussex has worn several of her late mother-in-law’s other earrings, bracelets and rings. Now that Prince Harry and Meghan have moved back to the U.K., Princess Diana’s jewelry will once again return to Britain.
“The notion of seeing Meghan on U.K. soil wearing Diana’s jewelry again would be significant because these pieces are now living quite distinct lives,” jewelry expert and Abelini founder Nilesh Rakholia tells Marie Claire.
“We remember them on Diana, but Meghan has been wearing some of them for years too,” he adds. “They are no longer simply pieces associated with one woman.”
Asprey Cocktail Ring
The most memorable jewelry moment from Harry and Meghan’s wedding came when the couple left Windsor Castle to head to their reception, with Meghan wearing Princess Diana’s enormous aquamarine cocktail ring on her right hand.
“The aquamarine is probably the piece I’d be most excited to see back in Britain because it now belongs to two very recognizable jewelry moments,” Rakholia says.
“For Diana, it became associated with a period when she was stepping into a new chapter of her life and making choices on her own terms,” he shares of the Asprey ring. “Then, years later, Meghan wore it on her wedding evening with that very clean Stella McCartney dress.”
As the Duchess of Sussex starts her own new chapter in the U.K. after six years in California, the ring feels like a fitting piece to bring out once again.
Cartier Watch
When Meghan was starring in Suits, she treated herself to the special two-tone Cartier Tank Française watch she’d always wanted, but little did she know that she’d one day inherit the same timepiece owned by Princess Diana.
The former Suits star told Hello! in 2015 that she had her watch engraved “to M.M. from M.M.,” sharing that she planned to pass it down to her future daughter. “That's what makes pieces special, the connection you have to them,” Meghan said.
Fast-forward to 2020, and the Duchess of Sussex was pictured wearing Diana's all-gold version of the Cartier Tank Française for the first time, and she’s worn it almost constantly for the past six years.
“For me, this is one of the most fitting pieces Meghan could have inherited,” says Rakholia. “She already had a relationship with Cartier before she ever met Harry.”
He adds, “This is what makes Diana’s watch feel like a particularly natural heirloom for Meghan. She wasn’t introduced to the design through the Royal Family. She had already independently chosen the same watch for herself because it suited her own taste.”
Butterfly Earrings
Princess Diana owned a pair of diamond butterfly earrings featuring blue gemstones, famously wearing them during a 1986 tour of Canada. Decades later, the Duchess of Sussex debuted the sparkling studs during her first major royal tour with Prince Harry in October 2018.
She's gone on to wear the earrings on several other occasions over the years, and Rakholia notes that although the studs "feel distinctly of their period," the Duchess of Sussex "has worn them in a way that stops them feeling like costume jewelry from the 1980s.”
The timing of Meghan’s first public wear has since given the butterfly earrings another association. "Diana wore them as a young princess. Decades later, Meghan wore them at the beginning of a tour when the world had just learned she was expecting Diana’s grandson," Rakholia says. "That connection didn’t exist when Diana owned them; Meghan created it simply by wearing them."
"That is exactly how heirloom jewelry accumulates meaning," he adds. "The physical object hasn’t changed, but the stories attached to it have."
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