Where is Meghan Markle’s engagement ring? Duchess ditches jewels – after having it upgraded

Meghan Markle is known for her love of expensive, highly personalized jewelry – but in recent weeks, one notable piece has been missing from her collection.

The Duchess of Sussex, 41, accepted a feminist award at a gala in New York last night, wearing a $1,850 strapless gold Johanna Ortiz dress with scalloped pattern detailing for the occasion.

But as the mother-of-two posed on the red carpet, it quickly became apparent she wasn’t wearing her £140,000 diamond engagement ring.

It was the second time this month that Meghan was seen without the ring, having previously snapped in Los Angeles without the custom jewel.

While the reason why the ring is missing has not been revealed, the Duchess previously upgraded the engagement ring by adding a band of diamonds to the piece.

Instead of wearing the custom band Prince Harry gave her in 2017, she just wore her wedding ring and an eternity ring

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, Prince Harry talked about creating 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, “The ring is clearly yellow gold, because that is [Meghan’s] favorite and the main stone itself I got from Botswana and the little diamonds on either side are from my mother’s jewelry collection, to make sure she’s on this crazy journey with us.’

Meghan called it “incredible,” explaining, “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 she’s a part of this with us.’

“It is very special to be able to have this [ring], what kind of links where you come from and Botswana, what 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)

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.

Proposal: During their November 2017 engagement photocall, pictured, Meghan discussed her ‘perfect’ ring, which Prince Harry designed himself

But Meghan presented a new thinner band in 2019, more in line with her love of dainty jewelry.

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.’

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.)”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Ms Foundation Women of Vision Awards at New York’s Ziegfeld Ballroom last night

The Sussexes were joined by Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, at the gala at New York’s Ziegfeld Ballroom last night.

Prince Harry attends the event with Meghan and mother-in-law Doria Ragland, following behind the two women

However, in recent weeks, eagle-eyed royal fans have seen Meghan’s engagement ring missing once again.

Last week, 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.

However, she did not wear her glittering diamond ring for the occasion.

And last night, the jewels went missing for a second time when she arrived at the Ms. Foundation for Women’s 50th anniversary event at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom.

At last night’s 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, which had long been a permanent part of Meghan’s hand except at the end of her second pregnancy when it was modified, was missing.

The Duchess attended her first public event with husband Prince Harry since her absence from her father-in-law King Charles III’s coronation in London 11 days ago, which the duke attended alone on May 6.

She borrowed the Queen’s mantra last night by applauding “daily acts of service” as she urged women to “be the visionary of your own life” as she accepted a feminist award at a gala in New York – in a boost for her American relaunch.

The Duchess told the audience: ‘It’s just never too late to start. You can be the visionary of your own life. You can chart a path in which what you repeat in your daily service, in kindness, in advocacy, in grace, and in honesty, become those things that will be recognized by the next wave of women, both young and old, who will also presently choose to join the movement and make our vision for a just world a reality.”

The California-based couple were joined yesterday by Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland.

And the Duchess’s comments on the service were noteworthy, given that her brother-in-law Prince William paid tribute to Charles’ “service” at the coronation concert at Windsor Castle on May 7, a day after the ceremony.

William had said, ‘Even though parties are great, the core of the pomp and circumstance is a simple message. Employ.

‘My father’s first words when he entered Westminster Abbey yesterday were a pledge of service. It was a promise to keep serving.”

And on May 8, at the end of the bank holiday weekend, Charles issued a notice urging that he and Queen Camilla “rededicate our lives to serving the people of the United Kingdom, the wealthy and the commonwealth.”

And Queen Elizabeth II famously said on her 21st birthday in 1947 in a speech broadcast on radio from South Africa, when she was still Princess Elizabeth, “I declare for all of you that all my life, be it long or short will be dedicated to your service and the service of our great Imperial Family to which we all belong.’

Meghan’s words were also remembered when she and Harry made a statement in February 2021 after Buckingham Palace confirmed they would step down as working royals, saying, “We can all live a life of service.” Service is universal.’

The Duchess’s relaunch — dubbed “Meghan 2.0” — has already seen her speaking about mental health to youth in Santa Barbara and dining with Hollywood stars including Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow over the past week.