Has the Queen banned Meghan Markle from wearing Diana’s jewellery?
The Sun reports that Her Majesty does not approve of how the Duchess of Sussex has behaved since becoming a royal
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.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Sport on TV guide: Christmas 2022 and New Year listings
Speed Read Enjoy a feast of sporting action with football, darts, rugby union, racing, NFL and NBA
By Mike Starling Published
-
Jeremy Clarkson's 'deplorable' article about Meghan Markle sparks over 17,500 complaints
Speed Read
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
Harry & Meghan: a serious attempt to set the record straight?
Talking Point Critics are divided over the motive behind the latest revelations from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
By The Week Staff Published
-
The biggest revelations from Netflix's Harry & Meghan documentary
Speed Read The second part of Netflix's 'Harry & Meghan' series has dropped. Here's everything you need to know.
By Brendan Morrow Last updated
-
Liz Garbus: the director behind Netflix’s Harry & Meghan documentary
Why Everyone’s Talking About Oscar-nominated filmmaker is known for documenting the lives of troubled public figures
By The Week Staff Published
-
Harry and Meghan Netflix doc trailers accused of misleading use of stock footage
Speed Read
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
Archetypes podcast: do we need more insights into Meghan Markle’s life?
Talking Point Critics say opening episode is ‘gossipy’ and ‘almost entirely preposterous’
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Harry and Meghan ‘won’t reunite’ with William and Kate on UK trip
Speed Read Reports suggest rift between the Sussexes and the Cambridges has not been healed
By The Week Staff Published