How Meghan Markle inherited Princess Diana’s £650k jewellery collection – including £50k earrings & Cartier bangle
MEGHAN Markle sadly never got to meet her mother-in-law Princess Diana, but she is keeping her legacy alive by wearing her £650,000 jewellery collection.
Before her tragic car crash in 1997, the late Princess Diana stated that she wanted her breathtaking necklaces, rings and earrings to go to her sons’ future wives.
She wrote in a letter: "I would like you to allocate all my jewellery to the share to be held by my sons, so that their wives may, in due course, have it or use it.
“I leave the exact division of the jewellery to your discretion."
Since marrying Prince Harry, the former Suits actress has been seen rocking a number of the pieces that belonged to Diana.
Most famously is her engagement ring, with the main diamond being sourced from Botswana, but the two smaller stones being from Princess Diana's collection.
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Harry told BBC of the custom ring: "The ring is obviously yellow gold because that’s Meghan’s favourite and the main stone itself I sourced from Botswana and the little diamonds either side are from my mother’s jewellery collection, to make sure that she’s with us on this crazy journey together."
Princess Kate’s sapphire engagement ring also has a poignant tie to Diana, as it was her ring with the then-Prince Charles.
Here are some of Diana’s pieces we’ve seen on Meghan, from her signature Cartier watch to the stunning Aquamarine ring she wore on her wedding day…
£17k Cartier bracelet
Meghan also channelled Diana during her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 and at the Salute To Freedom Gala with Prince Harry.
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For both occasions, the Duchess wore Diana’s sparkling £17,700 Cartier tennis bracelet.
Alexandra Michell, gemologist at of Channel 4’s , said that Diana’s tennis bracelet could be worth in the six figures if it was sold today.
She said: "This is a diamond tennis bracelet in platinum or white gold by Cartier. Classic style that can be worn day or night.
“Each stone could be as large as 0.80cts, which would make the total carat weight of the bracelet over 20cts.
“Probably high colour and clarity especially as Cartier are known to use high quality stones.
“I would estimate a piece like this fetch upwards of £125,000 at auction considering it belonged to Princess Diana.”
Cartier watch
One of Meghan’s most-worn pieces from Diana’s signature pieces is her Cartier watch.
We saw the Duchess of Sussex wearing it to promote an episode of TIME100 Talks that she hosted with Prince Harry in 2020.
James Constantinou, founder of Prestige Pawnbrokers, said: “Diana’s Cartier small Tank Francaise in 18ct yellow gold, on matching bracelet, is a classic and timeless watch, as well as a functional piece of jewellery.
“Diana also owned a rounder Tank Louis, but stopped wearing it in the early 80s.”
The watch was a gift from Princess Diana’s father for her 21st birthday, and is thought to have been bought for £17,800 at the time
But James revealed its value has skyrocketed, as she said: “The connection to a well known admired public figure usually brings a premium in terms of values.
“There is currently much interest around Diana and this coupled with the downturn in usual commodities will bring savvy investors to the auction rooms, this will inevitably drive the price north.
“I would estimate the watch to fetch in excess of £500,000.”
Diana’s gold cuff bangle
We spotted the Duchess of Sussex, 42, wearing Princess Diana's gold cuff bangle during her royal tour of Australia with Prince Harry in 2018.
It’s said to be worth a large sum - although could fetch even more at auction given its royal ties.
Luxury jewellery expert Maxwell Stone said: "Featuring two large cabochon sapphires that appear to be 5ct each, it's likely to be worth around £25,000.
"Traditionally, it is believed that sapphires have calming properties, promote peace and pristine rest, helping to slow down the mind."
Aquamarine ring
Meghan dazzled on her wedding day in 2018 wearing Diana’s giant Aquamarine ring to the reception, after she changed out of her Givenchy gown into a Stella McCartney number.
Alexandra explained this dazzling piece had significant meaning for the late Princess of Wales.
She said it was a “replacement engagement ring” following Princess Diana's divorce from the then-Prince Charles.
She told Fabulous: “This stunning aquamarine ring first appeared on Princess Diana’s finger in the late nineties, when she commissioned Asprey’s to create it using a stone that had been gifted to her by her good friend, Lucia Flecha de Lima.
“Flanked by trapeze cut diamonds, a mixture of a yellow gold band, and a white gold mount, the emerald cut aquamarine is estimated at 30cts, and as with most high-quality aquamarines, it is clean and has strong and even colouration.”
She explained the late Princess chose the stone to match her “aquamarine and pearl five strand bracelet”, which was a gift from the royal family.
Alexandra continued: “Should this piece be presented at auction today, and with such an unconventional story behind it, I would think this piece would fetch over £100,000.”
Butterfly stud earrings
A gorgeous set from Diana’s collection that Meghan loves is her butterfly studded earrings.
We saw the royal mum-of-two wearing it to her clothing launch in 2019 and in the same bracelet-and-earrings combo in Sydney while on her first royal tour Australia and New Zealand.
Although the earrings are not large, they do have a big price tag.
James estimated they would fetch around £50,000.
He said: “The sweet butterfly yellow gold stud earrings, pave set with diamonds and sapphires belonged to a set which also included a necklace.
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“Unfortunately, we don’t know where these were acquired from, but they made their first appearance in the mid-1980s, when Diana was touring Canada.
“Due to the royal connection these would likely sell in the region of £50,000, should they go to auction.”
How much money did the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get from Princess Diana?
PRINCE Harry claimed he was financially cut off by the Royal Family when he stepped back from royal duty in 2020.
The told Oprah Winfrey he and wife Meghan Markle relied on the money he inherited from his mother, Princess Diana.
Harry told Oprah: "I’ve got what my mum left me and without that we wouldn’t have been able to do this.
"It’s like she saw it coming and she’s been with us through this whole process.";
Although he did not reveal the sum during the chat, it is understood Harry was left about £6.5million ($9million) when his mother died 23 years ago.
This increased to around £10million ($13.9million) on his 30th birthday after the original amount was invested and gathered interest.
The money came from Diana's divorce from the then-Prince Charles, as well as shares, jewellery, cash and other personal items.
This won't have been the only money Meghan and Harry had to live off though as the pair secured lucrative deals with Spotify and Netflix, and Harry received a multimillion-dollar inheritance from his great-grandmother the Queen Mother.
Meghan also earned approximately $5million (£3.6million) for her stint on the American legal drama Suits, and other side projects.
Diana, Princess of Wales, also left £6.5million ($9million) to her other son .
This also increased significantly after being invested and earning interest.
It is understood both brothers started receiving dividends when they turned 25, but inherited the full amount when they reached age 30.