Tabloid newspapers are being whipped into a frenzy by rumours that the Queen has banned Meghan Markle from wearing jewellery bequeathed by Princess Diana.
The late Princess of Wales left her large private collection of gems to her sons, saying in a “letter of wishes” signed on the same day as her will that she wanted the jewellery to be shared with their future wives.
Prince Harry proposed to his then-girlfriend with an engagement ring that includes two diamonds which belonged to his mother, and his US-born bride wore Diana’s aquamarine ring on their wedding day last May.
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The Duchess of Sussex has since paid tribute to the late princess on multiple occasions, wearing Diana’s diamond bracelet, gold cuff, and butterfly earrings at various occasions.
But according to The Sun’s Dan Wootton, citing a “senior royal insider”, the Queen has now informed Prince William that jewellery items from the Royal Collection worn by his mother must only be worn by his wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, as the future Princess of Wales.
“Even if Meghan is the most popular woman in the world, she is of a lower rank than Kate,” said the insider. “[The Queen] is showing that maintaining the correct order and precedence within the family is important.”
Her Majesty “is said to like Meghan personally but is keen to show that William and Kate are the more senior royals”, Metro reports, adding that “the decision may be revisited at a later date when Meghan is more established”.
Loans from the Royal Collection are believed to be made at the discretion of the Queen. The anonymous source claims the decision to restrict Markle’s access to the gems was motivated by concerns about her recent behaviour.
“Aspects of Meghan’s behaviour, including before the Royal Wedding, caused resentment with forces within Buckingham Palace,” the source said.
“To be perfectly honest, the Queen herself was not impressed with some of Meghan’s demands, especially as a new member of the family.”
Last month, The Mail on Sunday claimed that Prince Charles had intervened to stop the Duchess of Sussex from wearing a jewelled tiara from the Royal Collection to her first overseas state dinner, in Fiji.
Markle was allegedly advised by her father-in-law that such an “extravagant” headpiece might convey the wrong impression in the former British colonies.
“Meghan did not understand all of this because she was new to the role and so Prince Charles told her that it would not be appropriate,” a source told the newspaper, adding: “It was very kindly done.”
