Meghan's ever-changing engagement ring - Diana's diamonds, upgrade and no-show

21 August 2023 , 16:11

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Meghan's ever-changing engagement ring - Diana's diamonds, upgrade and no-show

Meghan Markle is known for her love of jewellery, but one very important piece from her collection has not been seen in months - her engagement ring.

In recent photos, the duchess has been without the diamond ring, which husband Prince Harry presented her with when he popped the question at Kensington Palace back in 2017. The absence of the ring has left fans baffled, especially as it comes at a time when cruel rumours have circulated about her marriage.

But it seems there is a good reason why Meghan hasn't been wearing the ring, which already has a fascinating story behind it - and has even undergone a major redesign...

Treasured jewellery

The first glimpse we got of Meghan's engagement ring came in 2017 when she and Harry announced their engagement to the world and they appeared for a photocall at Kensington Palace. When Harry proposed, he designed a gorgeous ring made with two diamonds from his mum Princess Diana's collection and one from Botswana, on a plain gold band.

The ring Prince Harry proposed to Meghan Markle with in 2017 (Getty Images)

In an interview to mark the happy occasion, Harry revealed: "The ring is - is obviously yellow gold because that’s what - her favourite and the main stone itself I sourced from Botswana and the - the little diamonds either side are from my mother’s jewellery collection to make sure that she’s with us on this - on this crazy journey together."

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When asked what it meant for the ring to have stones once belonging to the late Diana, Meghan replied: "I think everything about Harry’s thoughtfulness is - and the inclusion of that and obviously not being able to meet his mom it’s so important to me to - to know that she’s a part of this with us.

"And I think in being able to meet his aunts and - and also like Julia and just different people who were so important to his mom, I’m able to, in some way, know a part of her through them and of course through him. And it’s - it’s incredibly special. And you know to be able to have this which sort of links where you come from and Botswana which is important to us and it’s - it’s perfect."

Bling upgrade

However, less than two years later, the ring looked very different after a redesign, which Meghan debuted at Trooping the Colour in 2019. By then, Meghan was wearing the ring on a thinner micropave band - along with another stunning ring.

A close-up of Meghan's original engagement ring design (Samir Hussein/WireImage)

Meghan shows off her beautiful new ring at the Trooping the Colour in 2019

And in a book about the couple, it was explained why the ring was changed - and the meaning behind the eternity band. In their biography Finding Freedom, royal reporters Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand write: "On May 19, 2019, Harry also surprised his wife of one year with the gift of a ring that he had created with jeweller-to-the-stars Lorraine Schwartz, a favourite of Meghan's.

"The conflict-free diamond eternity band paid homage to the family of three with Meghan's, the newly born Prince Archie's and Harry's birthstones (peridot, emerald, and sapphire, respectively) on the underside of the ring." The jeweller told the authors: "Harry wanted to make it special. He's the loveliest person ever. So romantic, so thoughtful." The book continues: "Harry also thought to have Lorraine resize and reset Meghan's engagement ring with a new diamond band."

Meghan with friends last week without the ring (highbrowhippie/Instagram)

Meghan Markle collected a Women of Vision award in New York City in May and did not wear the ring (Getty Images Ms. Foundation for)

Disappearing act

Last week, in a new snap shared online, Meghan was seen without her £156k engagement ring while posing with pals during a birthday celebration. As she posed with friends Kadi Lee and Cleo Wade, Meghan's ring finger on her left hand only had her wedding and eternity rings on it.

In fact, when Harry and Meghan appeared at the Women of Vision Awards in New York back in May, the duchess was without the ring. This obviously led to questions from fans wanting to know why Meghan has not been wearing it. However, speaking to Page Six, a source claimed the ring is "being fixed", hence the fact that it was missing from her ring finger.

Jennifer Newton