Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

15 times Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton paid homage to Princess Diana, from their engagement rings and tiaras, and fashion looks, to naming their daughters Lilibet and Princess Charlotte after her

15 times Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton paid homage to Princess Diana. Photos: AP, AFP

Princess Diana was just 36 when she died in Paris 25 years ago on August 31, 1997 … but her legacy remains strong today. Not only is she beloved by the public, but the current generation of British royals continue to honour her memory, too.

Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle occasionally wear jewellery that belonged to Princess Diana. But that’s not the only way they’ve paid homage to their late mother-in-law …

Kate Middleton’s engagement ring belonged to Princess Diana

Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, made their 10 year mark as a couple in 2021. Photo: @dukeandduchessofcambridge/Instagram

The ring is a 12-carat sapphire surrounded by 14 diamonds.

Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer embrace for an informal portrait in 1981. Photo: Reuters
Diana picked the sapphire ring from a Garrard’s catalogue when she got engaged to Prince Charles. The ring cost US$38,000 when Diana picked it out, according to British media. Today, it’s priceless.

Meghan Markle’s engagement ring contains two diamonds from Diana’s collection

Meghan Markle’s engagement ring contains two diamonds from Princess Diana’s collection and one from Botswana, where she and Prince Harry holidayed together. Photo: @fiorese_jewelry/Instagram

One other diamond is from Botswana, where she and Prince Harry once holidayed together.

Markle’s engagement ring is a “jewel of inestimable value”, Sophie Lomax, head of design at 77 Diamonds, said.

Who is Saudi Arabia’s Princess Al Joharah, feminist icon and restaurateur?

Harry may have used diamonds from Diana’s sapphire and diamond brooch. Princess Diana had access to a large collection of diamonds.

Markle carried a bouquet of flowers that included forget-me-nots on her wedding day

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle kiss on the steps of St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle after their wedding in May 2018, in Windsor, England. Photo: PA Wire/Abaca Press/TNS

Forget-me-nots are said to symbolise loyalty, affection and undying love. They were also Diana’s favourite flower.

Princess Diana leaves the Mortimer Market Centre, a London clinic for HIV/Aids patients, in 1996. Photo: Reuters

“Prince Harry hand-picked several flowers yesterday from their private garden at Kensington Palace to add to the bespoke bridal bouquet,” read a statement from Kensington Palace.

“The spring blooms include forget-me-nots, which were Diana, Princess of Wales’ favourite flower. The couple specifically chose them to be included in Ms. Markle’s bouquet to honour the memory of the late princess on this special day.”

Markle posted a tribute photo on Mother’s Day in 2019

 

Markle posted a photo cradling baby Archie’s feet that paid tribute to mothers “lost but forever remembered” on Mother’s Day in 2019. The duchess was likely referring to her husband’s late mother in the photo, which also featured small purple flowers in the background.

Middleton incorporated forget-me-nots in the Chelsea Flower Show

Kate Middleton’s RHS Back to Nature garden in 2019. Photo: Kensington Palace

A week after Markle’s Mother’s Day post, Middleton incorporated forget-me-nots while designing her garden for the Chelsea Flower Show in London.

Eagle-eyed royal fans noticed the flowers in the background of a snapshot that featured the duchess smiling on the garden’s rope swing.

Diana’s aquamarine ring was Markle’s “something blue” for her wedding reception

The newly married Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, leaving Windsor Castle after their wedding to attend an evening reception at Frogmore House, hosted by the Prince of Wales, in Windsor, Britain, in May 2018. Photo: Reuters

Markle also wore a white Stella McCartney gown to the reception.

Diana wore the aquamarine ring in 1997 to an auction of her own clothes.

Did she lie? Inside the Meghan Markle and Nelson Mandela fiasco

The ring has a matching aquamarine bracelet that Princess Diana wore in 1996, according to People.

Middleton wore drop earrings made from Diana’s studs

Diana, Princess of Wales walks through the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, in 1996, with Liz Tilberis. Photo: Reuters

Middleton turned a pair of Diana’s sapphire and diamond studs into drop earrings. They’re one of many heirloom pieces that she wears regularly.

The sapphires in these earrings are believed to have come from the strap of one of Diana’s watches. The watch was given to Diana as a wedding present from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, according to British media.

Middleton wore a pair of Diana’s diamond and pearl earrings to the 2019 BAFTAs

Twitter user @hrhkatemeghan spotted Diana’s diamond and South Sea pearl dangle earrings worn by Middleton at the 2019 BAFTAs. It was the first time that Middleton had worn these earrings.

Princess Diana posing for photographers in Washington, in 1997. Photo: AFP

Diana wore the earrings to a gala at Bridgewater House in 1995. She wore them numerous times for other appearances too, according to Town & Country.

Middleton also wore Diana’s Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara to a reception

Kate Middleton wearing Princess Diana’s tiara. Photo: @Elizabe71165893/Twitter
Middleton wore the tiara to a diplomatic reception at Buckingham Palace in 2016. Tiaras are reserved for married members of the royal family.
The Princess of Wales, Diana, pictured at a British Embassy dinner in Washington, at the start of a visit to the US. Photo: COI Photo

The tiara was given to Diana as a wedding present from Queen Elizabeth. The crown consists of 19 arches and contains 38 drop-shaped pearls suspended from pretzel-like twists known as lover’s knot bows, according to People.

Who is Lady Amelia Windsor, Britain’s ‘most beautiful royal’?

Markle wore two of Diana’s favourite designers for Commonwealth Day

Markle wore a coat designed by Amanda Wakely and a hat by Stephen Jones to a Commonwealth Day service. People on Twitter got emotional about her outfit.

Both Wakely and Jones were favourite designers of Diana. Diana worked with them to create some of her most iconic looks.

When Prince George was born, Middleton wore a blue polka dot Jenny Packham dress

Britain’s Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge pose with George, the Prince of Cambridge outside St Mary’s Hospital in London where the duchess gave birth in July 2013. Photo: AP Photo

Jenny Packham is one of Middleton’s favourite brands.

Britain’s Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, and wife Princess Diana take home their newborn son Prince William, as they leave St Mary’s Hospital in London, in 1982. Photo: AP Photo

Her outfit resembled the green polka dot dress that Diana wore when leaving the hospital with William.

Princess Charlotte’s full name is Charlotte Elizabeth Diana

Princess Charlotte of Cambridge. Photo: @kensingtonroyal/Instagram

William and Middleton gave her the name as a tribute to Princess Diana. They reportedly make sure all of their children know that there are two grandmothers.

15 richest British royal family members’ net worths, ranked

Middleton wore a pair of pearl and diamond drop earrings to Archie’s christening

The official christening photograph with Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their son, Archie and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Doria Ragland, Lady Jane Fellowes, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge in the Green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle, in Windsor, Britain, in July 2019. Photo: EPA-EFE

The duchess also wore a pink Stella McCartney dress.

Diana wore the same pair of earrings for Harry’s christening in 1984.

Harry and Markle named their daughter Lilibet Diana

Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan shared their first photo of baby Lilibet Diana, seen here with the couple and older brother Archie. Photo: Alexi Lubormirski

Lilibet Diana was born on June 4, 2021. The baby’s name pays tribute to both Diana and the queen.

“Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty the queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet,” Markle and Harry said in a statement on the website for their organisation, Archewell. “Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honour her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales.”

Meghan Markle’s ultra-luxury lifestyle, from private jets to Cartier bling

At the 2022 Royal Ascot in June, Middleton wore a polka dot dress by Alessandra Rich

She accessorised with a paired with a Sally-Ann Provan fascinator, and a pair of Diana’s South-Sea pearl earrings, according to People magazine.

Middleton’s outfit bore a strong resemblance to the polka dot dress Diana wore to the Epsom Derby, another horse race, in 1986.

Diana’s dress was designed by Victor Edelstein, and her hat by Frederick Fox, People magazine also reported.

This article originally appeared on Insider
Want more stories like this? Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.
  • Kate Middleton once wore Diana’s Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara, given to her by Queen Elizabeth, while Meghan Markle’s engagement ring from Prince Harry contains two of Diana’s diamonds
  • Recently, the Duchess of Cambridge channelled the late People’s Princess with her polka dot dress at the Royal Ascot 2022; she wore a similar pattern after giving birth to Prince George