Princess Diana,who died in 1997 at the age of 36, left a powerful legacy of charitable work and caring, and inspired her sons Prince William and Prince Harry to carry on her mission, as well as to forge their own paths in the fields of mental health and veterans' aid.
Though William and Harry's wives (Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, respectively) never had a chance to meet their late mother-in-law, they haveeach spoken warmlyabouther role in their family, and honor her through wearing pieces of her jewelry. In addition tothe sapphire engagement ring worn by Kate and Diana (both of whom held the Princess of Wales title)andthe diamonds in Meghan's engagement ring that used to belong to Diana, the two women have been seen in other sentimental pieces of the late Princess's jewelry.
Read on to see Meghan and Kate's many special moments wearing diamonds, sapphires, emeralds and more that belonged to the late Princess Diana.
Diana and Kate's Engagement Ring
WhenKate MiddletonandPrince Williamstepped out to announce their engagement, the bride-to-be waswearing a very familiar piece of jewelry on her left ring finger: Princess Diana's engagement ring!
Diana and Kate's Engagement Ring
The sapphire and diamond ring was the perfect tribute to William's mother, who died in 1997.
Meghan's Engagement Ring
Meghan Markle'sengagement ringalso has ties to her mother-in-law: Harry fashioned it using stones handed down to him by his mother.
Meghan's Engagement Ring
It is made up of three diamonds, with one large stone in the center flanked by two smaller stones on the sides. The two side stones are from his late mother, Princess Diana's personal collection, while the center stone is from Botswana, a country that is close to Harry's heart.
Lover's Knot Tiara
Diana and her first daughter-in-law have similar taste in tiaras. Kate most frequently turns to theLover's Knot tiara(sometimes known as the Cambridge Lover's Knot)for her most formal occasions. It is one of the best-known tiaras in the British royal family's collection, mostly thanks to it beinga favorite of Princess Diana.
Collingwood Pearl and Diamond Earrings
Given to Diana as a wedding present from Collingwood jewelers, the gorgeous pearl earrings are now part of Kate's collection.
Pearl Bracelet
Both Diana and Kate are pearl girls! The pearl bracelet designed by Nigel Milne that Diana wore with her "Elvis" outfit has been seen on her daughter-in-law. Kate wore the piece during her July 2017 trip to Berlin.
Sapphire and Diamond Earrings
This set of earrings, which coordinate perfectly with the sapphire-and-diamond engagement ring worn by both women, were a wedding gift to Diana from the Saudi royal family. Though there was speculation thatKate had taken the earrings apart and fashioned them into a set of smaller drops with a matching necklace,when she wore them in 2022 for the first time, that rumor seemed to be debunked.
Aquamarine Ring
Meghan wore Princess Diana's aquamarine ring on her right hand, which was visible while she waved at photographers as she and Harry drove to their evening wedding reception.
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Diana famously wore the emerald-cut aquamarine stunnerto an auction of her own clothes at Christie's in 1997. The jewel is part of a set; the other piece is a large aquamarine stone at the center of five strands of pearls. She wore both to a gala dinner in Australia in 1996 (pictured here).
Butterfly Earrings
Shortly after announcing that they were expecting their first child, Meghan and Harry were photographed out in Sydney, Australia as part of their first royal tour.
For the outing, Meghan opted for a fitted white sleeveless dress by Australian designer Karen Gee. She paired the timeless look with a pair of butterfly earrings previously worn by Princess Diana. Meghan's late mother-in-law wore them during a trip to Canada on May 3, 1986 — a year after she gave birth to Harry.
Aquamarine Ring
Meghan sported the piece again during their royal tour stop in Tonga. The stunning ring was agift from Diana's good friendLucia Flecha de Lima to wear in place of her engagement ring after her divorce fromPrince Charlesin 1996.
Gold Bracelet
During the royal tour, Meghan was also spotted in her mother-in-law'sgold bracelet, which Diana wore while visiting the Lord Gage Centre for Old People, a Guinness Trust Home, in Newham, East London in 1990.
Diamond Tennis Bracelet
The delicate tennis bracelet belonging to her mother-in-law thatMeghan wore during her interview with Oprahis the same onefrom which Harry removed stones to make Meghan's engagement ring.
She chose it for the interview for a sentimental reason. "They wanted to wear the bracelet to have [Harry's] mother there with them during the interview,"a spokesperson for the couple told TODAY. And she often wears it for major engagements: She previouslypaired it with a blue gown in Fijiandagain in Tongaduring their royal tour.
Princess of Wales Feather Brooch
Originally made for Princess Alexandra of Denmark in 1863 as a gift upon marrying the then-Prince of Wales, King Edward VII, the brooch has been passed down to the woman who has held the title ever since.
Princess Diana first wore the brooch as a pendant in 1981, after receiving it as a wedding gift fromQueen ElizabethII; it most recently was worn as a brooch by now-Queen Camilla when she held the title, and was passed toKate when she became the Princess of Wales upon the accession of her father-in-law to King Charles. Kate wore it (along with her late mother-in-law's famous Collingwood pearl earrings) for the first time in November 2022while welcoming the president of South Africa to London.
Emerald Choker
For her visit to Boston in celebration ofPrince William's Earthshot Prize initiative, thenewly-minted Princess of Waleschose a rented Solace London dress in green (fitting for a sustainability initiative), with jewels to match.
Royal fans immediately recognized the emerald choker as a favorite of Princess Diana's,who wore it many times between 1981 and 1996, perhaps most famously as a headband during a 1985 royal tour of Australia. According to royal biographer Kitty Kelley, Diana decided to wear the necklace (which was initially made for Queen Mary and given to Diana byQueen ElizabethII after her marriage to Charles) across her forehead after it got stuck there during a fitting and she liked the way it looked.
Aquamarine Ring
To receivethe Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope award at an event in N.Y.C., Meghan selected her late mother-in-law's striking blue sparkler (seen here with the matching bracelet on Diana) to accent her simple white Louis Vuitton dress.
Cross Necklace
During a 2024 trip to Nigeria with Prince Harry, Meghan attended a reception at the reception held at the Defense Headquarters in Abuja wearing a delicate diamond cross on a gold chain.PEOPLE learned it formerly belonged to Princess Diana and had been recently given to her by Prince Harry as a gift.
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