Meghan Markle Wears Princess Diana’s Dazzling Aquamarine Ring to Accept Humanitarian Award
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Meghan Markle is sparkling like Princess Diana.
The Duchess of Sussex, 41, slipped on her late mother-in-law’s aquamarine cocktail ring for the Ripple of Hope Award Gala in New York City on Tuesday evening, where she and Prince Harry received the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award. The statement piece added a pop of color to Meghan’s white off-the-shoulder dress and black accessories, a look she completed with diamond bar earrings and her hair worn in a slicked-back bun.
Meghan famously debuted Princess Diana’s aquamarine ring on her wedding day in 2018, giving a wave to photographers as Harry drove to their evening wedding reception in a vintage Jaguar convertible. She reached for the piece again during a royal tour of Tonga later that year, sporting it for a private audience with King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau’u.
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According to the Daily Express, Princess Diana wore the 13-carat emerald cut aquamarine as a “replacement” for her iconic sapphire and diamond engagement ring after her divorce from then-Prince Charles was finalized in 1996. The piece is valued at $90,000, and Diana previously paired it with a matching aquamarine and pearl bracelet.
Meghan has a few pieces that belonged to the late Princess of Wales in her jewelry box, and Prince Harry, 38, even designed her three-diamond engagement ring with two gems from his mother’s personal collection. The Duchess of Sussex has also been photographed in Diana’s butterfly earrings, gold bracelet and diamond tennis bracelet.
During Prince William and Kate Middleton’s three-day visit to Boston last week, the Princess of Wales honored Princess Diana through jewelry at the Earthshot Prize Awards. Princess Kate, 40, popped in an electric green gown that she sustainably rented for the prize ceremony and delighted royal watchers when she wore Diana’s emerald and diamond choker.
The statement piece likely hadn’t left the royal vault since Princess Diana last wore it in 1997, the year she died. The late royal glittered in the emerald necklace many times between 1981 and 1997, most memorably wearing it as a headband while touring Australia in 1985.
It was by accident that Diana came to wear it as a headpiece. Instead of clasping it around her neck, she tried to fit it over her head, but the choker became stuck, according to royal biographer Kitty Kelley. She liked the way it looked across her forehead so much that she decided to wear it that way for the evening.
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The emerald choker was originally given to Queen Mary by the Ladies of India in 1911. It was then given to Princess Diana by Queen Elizabeth after her wedding to Charles. Both Prince William and Prince Harry inherited several pieces of their late mother’s jewelry, which they have given to their wives.
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