Meghan Markle is known for her love of jewelry – be it an expensive Cartier bracelet or a personalized necklace.
But since at least May, one notable piece has been missing from the Duchess of Sussex’s enviable collection.
The mother-of-two, 42, has gone out several times without her sparkling £140,000 diamond engagement ring – which the former actress had previously upgraded by adding a band of diamonds to the jewel.
Recently, Meghan was spotted dropping the ring while enjoying lunch with her friends, posing for a selfie with friends Kadi Lee, a hairdresser to the stars, who shared the photo online, and author Cleo Wade in the garden of a restaurant.
While the reason for the ring’s missing has not been revealed, she was also without the band when she attended an appointment in her hometown of Montecito with a bodyguard by her side. She wore a $4 anti-stress patch and a $1,625 wool coat despite California’s balmy weather.
Recently, Meghan was spotted dropping the ring while enjoying lunch with her friends, posing for a selfie with friends Kadi Lee, a hairdresser to the stars, who shared the photo online, and author Cleo Wade in the garden of a restaurant
Prince Harry proposed to Meghan in November 2017 with a glittering ring consisting of a solid yellow gold band set with three diamonds.
At the time of their engagement, the Duke talked about making Meghan’s engagement ring with the help of jewelers Cleave and Company.
The custom design featured a diamond originally from Botswana and two smaller stones from Princess Diana’s collection.
At the time, he said: “Obviously the ring is yellow gold because that’s (Meghan’s) favorite and the main stone itself I got from Botswana and the little diamonds on either side are from my mom’s jewelery collection, just to make sure they fit us on this crazy journey together.’
Meghan called it “incredible” and explained: “All about Harry’s thoughtfulness and the inclusion of (Princess Diana’s stones) and of course not being able to meet his mother, it’s so important to me to know that she’s part of this with us belongs to.’
“It’s incredibly special to have this (ring), what kind of links where you come from and Botswana, which is important to us. It’s perfect.’
However, the Duchess chose not to wear her engagement ring for a number of public engagements in 2019 while pregnant with her son Archie.
When she appeared on Trooping the Color that year, it emerged that the Duchess had altered the bespoke engagement ring Prince Harry had designed for her.
Prince Harry proposed to Meghan in November 2017 with a glittering ring consisting of a solid yellow gold band set with three diamonds (left). This was subsequently changed to include a micro-pavement band in 2019 (right)
At the time of their engagement (pictured), the Duke spoke about making Meghan’s engagement ring with the help of jewelers Cleave and Company
During Trooping the Color and during her photo shoot at Windsor Castle with Prince Harry and newborn son Archie, the Duchess wore her three engagement diamonds on a thin micro pavé band.
Jewelery expert Arabel Lebrusan confirmed that the ring had been altered, suggesting that it had been modified to make the original diamonds appear larger.
Arabel, owner of the ethical jewelry brand Arabel Lebrusan, called the thinner band a popular trend, revealing, “A lot of celebrities do this, because the center stone appears bigger compared to the wow factor.”
Pointing out the difference in the band, the jeweler said, “She now has small diamonds on the sides of her engagement ring, and the band also seems thinner than before.”
She also revealed that the shimmering band only highlighted Meghan’s diamonds, adding, “The diamond setting on the band looks like micro-set, it means there is very little metal between the stones, which makes the sparkle of the small diamonds is maximized.’
Arabel continued that she thought the new style was “perfect” for the Duchess’s style, saying, “It suits her style perfectly, and it suits her dainty fingers too.”
Leora Moreno, owner of jewelry brand Leo With Love, said at the time that the changes could have been adapted to Meghan’s eternity ring.
She explained, “It looks like the eternity ring has a channel pavé setting. The engagement ring seems to have an even smaller pavé setting, but fits perfectly with the eternity band.’
While the reason for the ring’s missing has not been revealed, she was also without the band when she attended an appointment in her hometown of Montecito with a bodyguard by her side. She wore a $4 anti-stress patch and a $1,625 wool coat despite California’s sultry weather
The 42-year-old mother of two has gone out several times without her sparkling £140,000 diamond engagement ring – which the former actress had previously upgraded by adding a band of diamonds to the jewel
The jeweler went on to explain that the change may have been complicated, saying it took “fine skill and craftsmanship to change the band into something delicate, like a pavé setting.”
She added that the modern style would suit Meghan “for years to come” and was “the perfect combination of eye-catching and graceful.”
In 2022’s Finding Freedom, Omid Scobie claimed it was the Duke who changed Meghan’s ring.
In the biography, jeweler-of-the-stars Lorraine Schwartz said, “‘He’s the most beautiful person ever. So romantic, so thoughtful.'”
The authors continued: “(So much so that Harry also thought Lorraine would have Meghan’s engagement ring resized and reset with a new diamond band.)”
However, in recent months, Meghan’s engagement ring has disappeared again.
In May, the Duchess was spotted walking without her husband, Prince Harry, near their $14 million mansion in Montecito — hours after she missed King Charles’s coronation.
Meghan was joined by her friends, Markus Anderson and Heather Dorak, in California on Sunday after celebrating her son Archie’s birthday on Saturday.
The Duchess of Sussex, 41, did not wear her £140,000 engagement ring in May (pictured)
Instead of wearing the custom band Prince Harry gave her in 2017, she just wore her wedding ring and an eternity ring
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Ms Foundation Women of Vision Awards at New York’s Ziegfeld Ballroom
However, she did not wear her glittering diamond ring for the occasion.
Later that month, the jewels went missing for a second time when she arrived at the Ms Foundation for Women’s 50th anniversary event at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan.
At the event, Meghan simply wore her wedding band, which is yellow gold to match Prince Harry’s, and an eternity ring, which she started wearing after her son Archie was born. It is unknown why the ring disappeared.
More recently, Meghan dropped the ring this summer while enjoying lunch with friends.
She enjoyed a girls’ meal with friends in California as her birthday celebrations continued.
The Duchess posed for a selfie with her friends Kadi Lee, a hairdresser to the stars, and author Cleo Wade in the garden of a restaurant.
In a moment posted to Kadi Lee’s Instagram account Highbrow Hippie, the Duchess beamed as she wrapped her arms around the two friends at the table.
Opting for an understated yet chic look, she looked effortlessly elegant in a black cami top and wore the Ariel Gordon Imperial Disc Pendant Necklace, which costs around $1,840 and can be engraved with names.
Kadi, who is believed to have been Meghan’s hair colorist since she moved back to California and settled in Montecito with Prince Harry, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, also counts other A-listers in her client list – including Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts and Sex and Kristin Davis from the city.
Kadi shared the photo of the three friends on Instagram and said, “Late (birthday) parties (with) these beautiful muses. I miss Serge Normant.’
Another in-demand hairdresser in New York City, Serge Normant styled the Duchess’s hair on her wedding day to Prince Harry in 2018.