Although Meghan and Kate never got to meet their mother-in-law, they frequently keep her memory alive with gorgeous reminders of her iconic style
Photo: Emmanuel Osodi/Anadolu via Getty; Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty
Princess Diana, who died in 1997 at the age of 36, left a powerful legacy of charitable work and caring, and inspired her sons Prince William and Prince Harry to carry on her mission, as well as to forge their own paths in the fields of mental health and veterans’ aid.
Though William and Harry’s wives (Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, respectively) never had a chance to meet their late mother-in-law, they have each spoken warmly about her role in their family, and honor her through wearing pieces of her jewelry. In addition to the sapphire engagement ring worn by Kate and Diana (both of whom held the Princess of Wales title) and the diamonds in Meghan’s engagement ring that used to belong to Diana, the two women have been seen in other sentimental pieces of the late Princess’ jewelry.
Read on to see Meghan and Kate’s many special moments wearing jewelry that belonged to the late Princess Diana.
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Diana and Kate’s Engagement Ring
Princess Diana and Kate Middleton wearing the sapphire engagement ring by Garrard. Chris Jackson/Getty Images; Tim Graham/Getty Images
When Kate Middleton and Prince William stepped out to announce their engagement, the bride-to-be was wearing a very familiar piece of jewelry on her left ring finger: Princess Diana’s engagement ring!
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Diana and Kate’s Engagement Ring
Chris Jackson/Getty
The sapphire and diamond ring was the perfect tribute to William’s mother, who died in 1997.
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Meghan’s Engagement Ring
Meghan Markle’s engagement ring also has ties to her mother-in-law. It is made up of three diamonds, with one large stone in the center flanked by two smaller stones on the sides. The two side stones are from his late mother, Princess Diana’s personal collection, while the center stone is from Botswana, a country that is close to Harry’s heart.
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Meghan’s Engagement Ring
Dominic Lipinski/PA Images/INSTARimages
It is made up of three diamonds, with one large stone in the center flanked by two smaller stones on the sides. The two side stones are from his late mother, Princess Diana’s personal collection, while the center stone is from Botswana, a country that is close to Harry’s heart.
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Lover’s Knot Tiara
John Stillwell – WPA Pool/Getty; Anwar Hussein/Getty
Diana and her first daughter-in-law share a similar taste in style. On several occasions, Kate has worn the Lover’s Knot tiara. Sometimes referred to as the Cambridge Lover’s Knot, it is one of the best-known tiaras in the British royal family’s collection, mostly thanks to it being a favorite of Princess Diana.
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Collingwood Pearl and Diamond Earrings
Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images; Tim Graham/Getty Images
Given to Diana as a wedding present from Collingwood jewelers, the gorgeous pearl earrings are now part of Kate’s collection.
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Pearl Bracelet
Chris Jackson – Pool/Getty; Tim Graham/Getty
Both Diana and Kate are pearl girls! The pearl bracelet designed by Nigel Milne that Diana wore with her “Elvis” outfit has been seen on her daughter-in-law. Kate wore the piece during her July 2017 trip to Berlin.
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Sapphire and Diamond Earrings
Samir Hussein/WireImage; Tim Graham/Getty Images)
This set of earrings, which perfectly pair with the women’s engagement ring, were modernized by Kate. Although they featured a double sapphire drop when worn by Diana, Kate opted to use just one of the blue jewels.
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Aquamarine Ring
Steve Parsons – WPA Pool/Getty Images; Tim Graham/Getty Images
Meghan wore Princess Diana’s aquamarine ring on her right hand, which was visible while she waved at photographers as she and Harry drove to their evening wedding reception.
Diana famously wore the emerald-cut aquamarine stunner to an auction of her own clothes at Christie’s in 1997. The jewel is part of a set; the other piece is a large aquamarine stone at the center of five strands of pearls. She wore both to a gala dinner in Australia in 1996 (pictured here).
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Butterfly Earrings
Phil Noble – Pool/Getty; Georges De Keerle/Getty
Shortly after announcing that they were expecting their first child, Meghan and Harry were photographed out in Sydney, Australia as part of their first royal tour.
For the outing, Meghan opted for a fitted white sleeveless dress by Australian designer Karen Gee. She paired the timeless look with a pair of butterfly earrings previously worn by Princess Diana. Meghan’s late mother-in-law wore them during a trip to Canada on May 3, 1986 — a year after she gave birth to Harry.
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Aquamarine Ring
Samir Hussein/WireImage
Meghan sported the piece again during their royal tour stop in Tonga. The stunning ring was a gift from Diana’s good friend Lucia Flecha de Lima to wear in place of her engagement ring after her divorce from Prince Charles in 1996.
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Gold Bracelet
Samir Hussein/WireImage; Georges De Keerle/Getty
During the royal tour, Meghan was also spotted in her mother-in-law’s gold bracelet, which Diana wore while visiting the Lord Gage Centre for Old People, a Guinness Trust Home, in Newham, East London in 1990.
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Sapphire and Diamond Set
Getty Images (2)
Kate Middleton has previously been spotted in the earrings fashioned from her late mother-in-law’s famous sapphire-and-diamond suite (a wedding gift to Diana from the Saudi royal family), but in September 2020, she debuted a delicate sapphire-and-diamond pendant on a thin gold chain while receiving the President of Ukraine and his wife at Buckingham Palace.
It’s believed that it was fashioned from the earrings in the set, which was made by Asprey and included a bracelet and a watch, plus the enormous Burmese sapphire-and-diamond necklace seen here with the earrings, which Diana wore to an event in Melbourne, Australia in 1988.
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Diamond Tennis Bracelet
Harpo Productions; getty
The delicate tennis bracelet belonging to her mother-in-law that Meghan wore during her interview with Oprah is the same one from which Harry removed stones to make Meghan’s engagement ring.
She chose it for the interview for a sentimental reason. “They wanted to wear the bracelet to have [Harry’s] mother there with them during the interview,” a spokesperson for the couple told TODAY. And she often wears it for major engagements: She previously paired it with a blue gown in Fiji and again in Tonga during their royal tour.
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Princess of Wales Feather Brooch
Anwar Hussein/WireImage; Samir Hussein/WireImage
Originally made for Princess Alexandra of Denmark in 1863 as a gift upon marrying the then-Prince of Wales, King Edward VII, the brooch has been passed down to the woman who has held the title ever since.
Princess Diana first wore the brooch as a pendant in 1981, after receiving it as a wedding gift from Queen Elizabeth II; it most recently was worn as a brooch by now-Queen Camilla when she held the title, and was passed to Kate when she became the Princess of Wales upon the accession of her father-in-law to King Charles. Kate wore it (along with her late mother-in-law’s famous Collingwood pearl earrings) for the first time in November 2022 while welcoming the president of South Africa to London.
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Emerald Choker
Kate Middleton and Princess Diana in the emerald and diamond choker. Karwai Tang/WireImage; Anwar Hussein/Getty
For her visit to Boston in celebration of Prince William’s Earthshot Prize initiative, the newly-minted Princess of Wales chose a rented Solace London dress in green (fitting for a sustainability initiative), with jewels to match.
Royal fans immediately recognized the emerald choker as a favorite of Princess Diana’s, who wore it many times between 1981 and 1996, perhaps most famously as a headband during a 1985 royal tour of Australia. According to royal biographer Kitty Kelley, Diana decided to wear the necklace (which was initially made for Queen Mary and given to Diana by Queen Elizabeth II after her marriage to Charles) across her forehead after it got stuck there during a fitting and she liked the way it looked.
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Aquamarine Ring
AFP via Getty; Mike Coppola/Getty
To receive the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope award at an event in N.Y.C., Meghan selected her late mother-in-law’s striking blue sparkler (seen here with the matching bracelet on Diana) to accent her simple white Louis Vuitton dress.
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Cross Necklace
KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty
During a trip to Nigeria with Prince Harry, Meghan attended a reception at the reception held at the Defense Headquarters in Abuja wearing a delicate diamond cross on a gold chain. PEOPLE learned it formerly belonged to Princess Diana and had been recently given to her by Prince Harry as a gift.
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