Long admired for her refined taste in jewellery, the Duchess of Sussex has prompted fresh chatter among royal watchers after appearing to debut what many believe is a new ring.
Meghan Markle, 44, who is based in Montecito, California, first showed off the piece in an Instagram post on May 11, leading some fans to suggest it may have been an early anniversary gift from Prince Harry, ahead of the couple’s May 19 milestone.
Others have pointed out that the jewel appears to echo the Princess of Wales’ famous engagement ring — the 12-carat oval sapphire that once belonged to her mother-in-law, Princess Diana.
Meghan was seen wearing the ring once more in her most recent As Ever post, shared yesterday, as she gathered fresh fruit and vegetables from the garden.
Commenting on X, one user wrote: ‘Meghan Markle’s latest As Ever video shows her wearing a new ring that resembles Princess Diana and Princess Catherine’s engagement ring!’
The speculation comes against the backdrop of long-running claims that, after Princess Diana’s death, Harry allegedly chose Diana’s Garrard sapphire engagement ring, while William selected her Cartier Tank Française watch.
Harry dismisses ring reports
It has also been claimed that in 2010 the brothers exchanged the keepsakes, allowing William to propose to Catherine, now the Princess of Wales, with the sapphire ring. Harry is later said to have given the designer watch to Meghan.
But in Spare, his high-profile 2023 memoir, the Duke of Sussex dismissed those accounts as ‘absolutely rubbish’.
Instead, Harry claimed William was already in possession of their mother’s ring when he proposed to Kate, so he was never asked to give it up.
It comes after claims Meghan’s latest promo for her lifestyle brand, in which she showed the ring, ‘missed the mark’ after fans were left confused about what she was trying to sell.
After marking Father’s Day with a new picture of her husband, the Duke of Sussex, and their children, on June 21, the Duchess of Sussex shared a glitzy advert for As Ever that showed her carrying a basket of fruit and vegetables and sipping tea.
The clip showed Meghan, dressed in a blue-striped shirt and white trousers, walking barefoot through her garden while carrying a straw basket brimming with apples, artichokes, peaches, and tomatoes.
Meghan’s As Ever promo sparks criticism
The footage was set to the sound of birdsong as Meghan smiled at the camera, sipped on a cup of tea, and struck a series of poses, with the clip captioned: ‘A basket full of summer.’
However, the promo left X users baffled as it seemingly focused more on the Duchess and less on the brand’s products.
‘I think that’s the weakest part of the campaign as the product feels secondary to the personality,’ one X user wrote. ‘If people are talking more about the poses and camera angles than the tea or jam, the marketing MISSED the mark.’
Another felt Meghan ‘has no clue who her target market is’ while a third wrote: ‘I just don’t get the fruit/veg basket bit anyway. She’s not a greengrocer.’
Earlier in the week, Meghan shared a snap of a ‘Father’s Day’ breakfast on As Ever’s feed, including a piece of toast with one of her berry spreads, a glass of orange juice and an orange.
She also posted a sweet photo of Prince Harry hugging their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, on her personal Instagram account, ahead of the Sussexes’ visit to the UK next month.
The caption read: ‘They’re so lucky to have you. We all are. Happy Father’s Day to our one and only.’
Harry reportedly set to visit UK with family
In the snap, Harry, 41, is pictured kneeling and smiling in the image as he embraces their two children.
Lilibet is wearing white shorts and a top with a giraffe GoldBug backpack, with Archie kitted out in an England Fifa World Cup print T-shirt from Zara.
The photo was posted just hours after the royals wished Prince William a happy 44th birthday and Father’s Day.
It comes as Harry is reportedly set to take Meghan and his children on a rare visit to Britain next month.
The Duke of Sussex is expected to take his family to the UK for the first time in four years to attend the one-year countdown party for the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham.
The children have not seen their grandfather, King Charles III, in person since their last trip in June 2022 for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Meghan has not made a prolonged visit to the UK since the late Queen’s funeral that September, apart from occasional stopovers in London for foreign tours.
Harry is said to be satisfied with security arrangements for the visit in mid-July and is now planning for Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, to make the trip from California.
The prince has seen his father just twice in two years, and is still thought to be waiting for a decision on what security provision he and his family are entitled to in Britain.
