A RARE GEM
Princess Diana engagement ring and jewellery: What happened to her collection?
Plus, how Meghan 'blinged up' one of Diana's iconic pieces gifted to her by Harry
PRINCESS Diana was a royal fashion icon who often wore spectacular jewellery.
Following her tragic death in a car crash in Paris in 1997, some of these pieces were set aside for her daughters-in-law — but what happened to the rest?
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Who inherited Princess Diana's jewellery?
After her death, Diana's sons Prince William and Prince Harry were left three-quarters of her £21 million estate — with the other quarter going to her 17 godchildren.
In a special "letter of wishes", Diana explained that she was leaving her jewellery to her sons' future wives.
The letter reads: "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."
But some of her gems were on loan from the royal collection, while others were not included in her estate.
What happened to the key pieces in Princess Diana's jewellery collection?
The Spencer Tiara
One of Diana's most memorable pieces was the tiara she wore on her wedding day in 1981.
The Spencer tiara had been in the princess' family for almost a century and belongs to the Earl, who is currently Diana's brother Charles.
It is still heavily associated with Diana and has not been worn since her death.
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Asprey ring
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It is thought Prince Harry gifted Diana’s Asprey ring – featuring a large aquamarine gem – to his wife Meghan Markle .
She was spotted wearing it on their wedding day, when she re-emerged after changing into her evening outfit.
Originally Diana's, the late princess was pictured wearing it during a trip to Sydney in 1996.
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And she was also spotted wearing it at a private viewing of the Christie’s auction of her dresses in 1997.
The ring comes with a matching bracelet, featuring a larger emerald-cut aquamarine nestled between six rows of pearls.
The late Princess wore the entire set on her trip to Australia, so we may see Meghan wearing the bracelet at some point in the future too.
Sapphire Brooch
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Diana's sapphire brooch was a wedding gift from the Queen Mother.
She originally wore it as a brooch, but soon opted to put her own spin on it, fashioning it into a many stringed pearl necklace.
Diana continued to wear the necklace after her divorce and it was passed onto her sons following her tragic death.
Harry has since used the gem to make a custom engagement ring for his beau Meghan, which includes a stone from Botswana — where she and Harry holidayed in 2016.
And we’ve even seen Meghan blinging up the ring to tweak the design over the years.
Less than two years after Harry proposed, the ring underwent a dramatic transformation.
The stunning sparkler originally had a thick gold band which beautifully offset the row of three diamonds.
However, Meghan appeared to have reset her ring with a much thinner, diamond-studded micro-pavé gold band.
Engagement Ring
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Diana's most iconic jewel was her 12-carat sapphire engagement ring.
The sapphire is surrounded by 14 solitaire diamonds, and set in 18-carat white gold.
According to , it is based on a brooch that Prince Albert asked the jeweller Garrard to create for his future wife Queen Victoria in 1840.
At some point this brooch belonged to the late Queen — and it inspired then Prince Charles when choosing an engagement ring for Diana in 1981.
In a nod to his beloved mum, William used the same ring to propose to Kate in 2010.
Swan Lake Set
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The diamond and pearl necklace was part of a set which was not yet completed, meaning Diana never got to see the finished product.
The necklace produced by Garrard — the Crown Jeweller at the time — contains 178 diamonds and five pearls.
After Diana's death the set was sold at auction. It was relisted for and eye-watering 9.6million.
Saudi Suite
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Diana was gifted the jewellery collection known as The Saudi Suite as a wedding present from Crown Prince Fahd.
It included a watch, earrings, a bracelet, ring and diamond necklace.
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William gifted the earrings to Kate shortly after their engagement. She gave the jewellery her own spin, wearing them in a drop style.
Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara
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Also known as the Queen Mary Lover's Knot Tiara, the late Queen loaned this piece to Diana as a wedding gift.
Despite opting not to wear it on her wedding day, Diana was a big fan of this tiara, which went back into the Queen's collection after her death.
Princess Kate first wore the tiara in 2016.
Emerald Choker
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This choker was also part of Queen Mary's collection of the famed Cambridge emeralds.
Diana was a big fan of the piece, wearing it both as a necklace and headband.
Like the Lover's Knot Tiara, it was part of the Queen's personal collection and was returned to Elizabeth II after Diana's death.
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