Meghan Markle chose jewelry with sentimental value when she accompanied Prince Harry to her first engagement at The Hague.
The Duchess of Sussex showcased a mixture of new buys and old favourites as she stepped out for the Invictus Games event, including the £17,800 ($23,000) Cartier watch once owned by Princess Diana.
Meghan also sported the £12,000 ($15,000) Cartier diamond earrings she wore on her wedding day and to Archie’s christening, as well as her dazzling £271,000 ($350,000) diamond engagement ring custom made by Prince Harry and her Welsh gold wedding band.
Demonstrating her love for quirky pieces, Meghan wore a £400 ($374) necklace by British designer Sophie Lis which celebrates ‘enduring love’.
The Duchess also wore an ultra trendy thin £234 ($238) gold chain twisted around her left hand from New York-based brand Catbird, as well as two subtle gold bands on her right hand which have yet to be identified.
Let’s take a peek inside Meghan’s jewel box…
Do you feel sentimental? 1. Meghan also sported the £12,000 ($15,000) Cartier diamond earrings she wore on her wedding day and to Archie’s christening; 2. A £400 ($374) necklace celebrating enduring love
Both old and new: Custom made Welsh gold wedding band; 4. £271,000 ($350,000) diamond engagement ring designed by Prince Harry; 5. Catbird’s £234 ($238) ‘Kitten Mitten’ hand chain; 6. Princess Diana’s £17,800 ($23,000) Cartier Tank Française watch
1. THE £12,000 CARTIER EARRINGS SHE WORE FOR HER WEDDING AND ARCHIE’S CHRISTENING
Dazzling in diamonds: Meghan opted for her £12,000 ($15,000) earrings steeped in meaning for the outing
Treasured: Meghan recycled the same pair of £12,000 ($15,000) Cartier earrings worn when she married Prince Harry in May 2018 (pictured). The earrings were also worn by Meghan to Archie’s 2019 christening.
For the occasion, Meghan recycled the same pair of £12,000 ($15,000) Cartier earrings previously worn as she married Prince Harry at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in May 2018, when she walked down the aisle in a stunning custom-made £200,000 ($265,000) Givenchy gown.
For her secret 2019 christening of Archie, the Duchess wore exactly the same set.
Rochelle White, the stylist for Meghan, spoke to Femail about the similarities in Meghan’s wedding and christening looks. She explained how they ‘linked these two important events together’.
She shared that Meghan’s earrings served as a tribute on her wedding day.
2. GOLD DISC PENANT
Meghan’s necklace is the £400 ($374) ‘Love pendant’ by designer Sophie Lis, which she first wore on a visit to the National Theatre in 2020
Designer Sophie Lis created the ‘Love pendant’. It is a French translation of a French poem that reads: ‘Everyday I love you more, less than yesterday.
Meghan’s necklace is the £400 ($374) ‘Love pendant’ by designer Sophie Lis, which she first wore on a visit to the National Theatre in 2020.
The name of the piece refers to a French poem about enduring and growing love.
The medallion carries the engraving ‘Qu’hier’ after a diamond encrusted plus sign, and ‘Que Demain’ followed by a ruby minus sign.
Sophie shared online that the message was taken from The Eternal Song, a poem.
This is the reference. an ode from the 19th century French poet Rosemonde Gérard which translates to: ‘Every day I love you more, more than yesterday less than tomorrow.’
Ten per cent of the sales of each necklace, which comes with a pricetag of £400 ($374), go to the animal welfare charity Wild at Heart Foundation.
3. HER WELSH GOLD WEDDING BAND
Royal tradition: The Duchess of Sussex’s gold wedding band, worn with her diamond engagement ring, was custom made from Welsh gold gifted by the Queen
The wedding band in gold that the Duchess of Sussex wore with her engagement ring was handmade from Welsh gold.
Traditional wedding rings for royal brides are made of gold nuggets, Clogau St David’s mine in Bontddu (North Wales)
The piece was made by Cleave and Company, the official Royal jewellers based at Buckingham Palace.
Cleave has around 40 clients, including the Palace offices and governments of over 40 countries. Their work is in precious stones and gold.
The Order of the Garter, the St. Michael’s and St. George’s Cross were created by them.
AND 4. THE £271,000 ENGAGEMENT RING
In November 2017, Prince Harry proposed to Meghan with a sparkling ring consisting of a solid gold band and three diamonds.
Next to her wedding ring, Meghan sported her £271,000 ($350,000) engagement ring, which was designed by Prince Harry using one stone from Botswana, where the pair had been on holiday, and two smaller stones from Diana’s collection.
Harry proposed to Meghan with the glittering yellow-gold ring. Images from 2019 revealed that the design was altered to include a thin band and several pave diamonds around it.
Soon after the engagement Prince Harry opened up about his design process for the ring. He explained that each component was chosen to fit the tastes of the future bride.
“The ring is clearly yellow gold, because it’s obvious that this is what the ring looks like.” [Meghan’s]My favourite, the main stone, and all the other stones, I got from Botswana. The little diamonds on either side, which are both from my mother’s collection of jewellery, were taken from her jewelry to ensure that we would be together during this wild journey.
Meghan described it as “incredible” and explained: “Everything about Harry’s thoughtfulness, the inclusion of…” [Princess Diana’s stones]Although I can’t meet him mum right now, it’s important to me that she knows we are all in this together.
“It’s an incredible privilege to be able have this.” [ring]We are interested in the type of links you have between Botswana and your home country. It’s perfect.’
5. GOLD “Kitten Mitten” HAND CHAIN
The Duchess chose to wear a Catbird gold handchain on her left side. It is one of the brands that she has previously shopped at.
Meghan’s dainty gold hand chain is actually called the ‘Kitten Mitten’ by the brand, which sells the design for £234 ($238)
The Duchess of Sussex chose a chic gold handchain from Catbird, a New York-based brand – which she believes is a fresh addition to Meghan’s jewelry collection. This hand chain was also a popular choice for the mother-of-2.
Meghan’s dainty gold hand chain is actually called the ‘Kitten Mitten’ by the brand, which sells the design for £234 ($238).
Catbird’s catbird ‘Kitten Mitten’ design has been described by the brand to be ‘easy-breezy, cool, and super foxy’ and also to ‘gracefully accentuate the wrist’.
On its Instagram, the brand shared an image of Meghan and wrote: ‘A little bird said us MM wore a Kitten Mitten this morning.
A loop is placed around the Duchess-of-Sudan’s ring finger to wrap the chain, which suggests it may have been connected to Prince Harry.
The second loop forms around Princess Diana’s wrist and is next to her Cartier watch.
6. DIANA’S CARTIER WATCH
The priceless possession: The Duchess Of Sussex was wearing Princess Diana’s Cartier watch at The Hague
Meghan also wore a Cartier Tank Française watch, as pictured, gifted by Harry that once belonged to Princess Diana. The watch was worth $23,000 (£17,800) but this one has a special history
Diana was the original owner of Meghan’s timepiece, which she is seen sporting on her left wrist during an engagement to The British Lung Foundation 1997
The Cartier watch, a present from Harry, was worth £17,800 ($23,000) at the time but is now likely worth a lot more given its history.
Diana wore the elegant watch on a variety of occasions including at London’s Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu Temple in 1997 and at an engagement at British Lung Foundation in that year.
Meghan, who is a big fan of the Tank watch, bought her second-tone Tank in 2015 after ‘Suits’ was renewed for its third season.
Hello Magazine told her that she had always wanted a Cartier French Tank watch. When I found out Suits had been picked up for our third season—which, at the time, felt like such a milestone—I totally splurged and bought the two-tone version
I had it inscribed on the back: “To M.M. M.M. And I intend to give it my daughter one-day. It’s the special thing about pieces, the relationship you feel with them.