Meghan Markle has sparked speculation that she has redesigned elements of her engagement ring for the fourth time after the Duchess of Sussex’s sparkler appeared to show slight alterations in trailers for her new Netflix series.
When Prince Harry proposed to Meghan in 2017, he designed the ring to feature a cushion-cut diamond, estimated to be between 2.5 and 3 carats, that he had sourced from Botswana – where the couple took their first holiday together.
Surrounding the main stone are two smaller, round diamonds from Princess Diana’s personal jewellery collection.
This was another special and sentimental touch, with Meghan revealing that it was ‘important’ for her to know that Harry’s late mother was ‘a part of this with us’.
Harry explained that the ring was yellow gold because that was Meghan’s favourite and including diamonds from Princess Diana’s collection was ‘to make sure that she’s with us on this crazy journey together’.
The original ring, which is estimated to be worth around £120,000, had a plain gold band crafted by Cleave & Company, the late Queen Elizabeth’s regular jeweller.
However, within less than two years, the engagement ring underwent a significant transformation.
Its new design, which Meghan showcased for the first time at Trooping the Colour in 2019, featured a band that was considerably thinner than the original.
Following appearances without the ring in 2023, viewers caught glimpses of the updated design in the trailer for Meghan’s new Netflix show. The centre stone appears to have been upgraded from the original rounder cushion cut to a square emerald cut diamond
The launch of Netflix’s With Love Meghan has been pushed back to March 4 due to Los Angeles fires
The world first caught a glimpse of the ring at Kensington Palace when the couple had their official engagement photocall.
The smitten Prince Harry, standing with his then fiance, designed Meghan’s engagement ring himself back in 2017
In 2022’s Finding Freedom, Omid Scobie claimed it was the Duke of Sussex who had made the first alterations to Meghan’s ring. Harry commissioned jeweller Lorraine Schwartz to resize and reset the ring with a new diamond band.
The refreshed design featured a thin, micro-pavé band instead and was paired with a conflict-free diamond eternity band which symbolised their expanding family.
Incorporating their birthstones on the underside, peridot for Meghan, emerald for Archie, and sapphire for Harry, the eternity band was also created by designer to the stars Lorraine Schwartz.
In 2022 there was further speculation that Meghan altered the ring for a second time when she attended the Invictus Games in The Hague, and it appeared that she had added additional diamonds to the setting surrounding the central diamond.
Wearing her updated ring which was now set higher with a band of diamonds set around the base of the main stones, Meghan swapped her eternity band for a dainty gold hand bracelet by Catbird.
Fast forward to 2023, and the ring was notably absent for a number of appearances at the Invictus Games, reportedly due to repairs for a loose stone.
It is believed that this was because Meghan changed the ring for a third time, giving a fourth and perhaps final iteration of her engagement ring.
In promotional videos and photographs for her new Netflix series, Meghan appears to have opted for slightly different central stone.
In 2019, the year after the couple tied the knot in Windsor, Harry commissioned celebrity jeweller Lorraine Schwartz to update Meghan’s ring. The redesign, which coincided with Harry gifting Meghan an eternity ring, swapped the plain gold band to a thinner micro-pavé style adorned with tiny diamonds
When attending the Invictus Games in The Hague in 2022, it is believed that additional diamonds were added to the setting surrounding the central diamonds. Lifting the stones a little higher, delicate diamonds were incorporated into the setting beneath the main stones
The Duchess also wore a gold hand chain from Catbird at the Invictus Games. The chain is called the “Kitten Mitten” and is a finger bracelet style and went beautifully with the ring
As she displays her cooking skills, Meghan wears the updated version together with her eternity band and wedding ring made of Welsh gold, a tradition for the royal family who have been using the pure gold for their wedding bands ever since the Queen Mother’s wedding in 1923.
This version appears to show a transformation to the centre stone from its original cushion shape with rounded corners to an emerald cut.
Updating engagement rings is a trend also favoured by Victoria Beckham and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark in a bid to symbolise milestones in the relationship – or simply because they want a little more sparkle.
Jewellery experts explain that men tend to pick a safe design to propose with, allowing some wives the opportunity to later tailor it to their own taste, perhaps enlarging the stone to celebrate a milestone moment.
