Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex received the Ripple of Hope Award at a gala by the Robert F Kennedy Human Rights (RFKHR) organisation on Tuesday night. The Duchess donned a bespoke white Louis Vuitton off-the-shoulder gown for her New York outing, and she accessorised with symbolic jewellery.
Meghan wore a pair of dangling earrings, but it was the blue sparkler on her finger that caught everyone’s attention.
Meghan was wearing an aquamarine ring which famously belonged to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana.
Maxwell Stone of UK retailer Steven Stone commented: “The striking aquamarine emerald-cut cocktail ring features an aquamarine flanked by small solitaire diamonds – the eye-catching aquamarine was given to Princess Diana by her friend, Lucia Flecha de Lima, and created into a ring by Asprey in 1996.
“Aquamarine is one of the most visually beautiful gemstones. With an enchanting pale blue colour, the ring was a perfect addition to Meghan’s Ripple of Hope Gala outfit and carries a great deal of sentiment with it.
READ MORE: Sussexes urged to admit mistakes – expect fans to ‘swallow gospel’
Mr Stone added: “While the ring is no doubt priceless, if it were available to buy, it would be worth around £85,000.”
Princess Diana often wore another blue sparkler, her sapphire engagement ring, when she was married to Prince Charles.
Featuring a 12-carat oval blue stone surrounded by diamonds and set on white gold, Diana picked the ring from the royal jeweller Garrard.
She reportedly liked the blue ring because it matched her eyes and because it reminded her of her mother’s engagement ring.
READ MORE: Brian Cox slams royals for not ‘rectifying’ Meghan and Harry’s trauma
Diana even wore the engagement ring after she and Charles separated in 1992, and for some time after her divorce in 1996.
But in the final years of her life, she tended to wear the aquamarine ring instead, perhaps as a sign of her independence from the Royal Family after she was no longer married to the future King.
The ring was not seen after Diana’s death in 1997 until her daughter-in-law Meghan Markle wore it to her wedding reception in 2018.
Meghan tends to wear the ring for important occasions when she is wearing white outfits, as she did in 2018 with her Stella McCartney wedding reception halter-neck dress.
Meghan also wore the ring while wearing a white dress to an evening engagement on her royal tour of Tonga that same year.
As Diana’s jewellery collection was divided between princes William and Harry, both of their wives often wear her jewellery for important occasions.
Meghan has been pictured wearing Diana’s gold and cabochon sapphire cuff bracelet, along with her butterfly earrings with blue stones.
She has also been pictured wearing Diana’s Cartier watch and her diamond tennis bracelet in recent years.
