Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has been wearing Princess Diana’s gold Cartier Tank watch in public and on screen, while Catherine, the Princess of Wales, continues to use Diana’s 12-carat Ceylon sapphire and diamond Garrard engagement ring as a centrepiece of her official jewellery. The two pieces, handed down by Diana’s sons after the late princess’s death in 1997, have resurfaced repeatedly and been adapted by the duchesses to suit different wardrobes and duties.
Just minutes into the opening episode of season two of the Netflix series With Love, Meghan appears preparing an onion tart wearing the Cartier watch, a timepiece Diana adopted after her 1996 divorce. The watch has become a regular part of Meghan’s accessories, often layered in a bracelet stack. Catherine has framed Diana’s engagement ring with wedding and anniversary bands she has received from Prince William, keeping the ring at the centre of her formal jewellery repertoire.
Diana’s jewellery was divided between her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, after her death on Aug. 31, 1997. Most items were placed in storage; a number of pieces were retained by the brothers as personal mementos and later given to their future spouses. William selected the sapphire engagement ring — bought by Queen Elizabeth II from Garrard for Prince Charles to present to Diana — and later presented it to Catherine when they were engaged. Harry has said in his memoir Spare that he was "happy to let it go" when asked about the engagement ring, and that he chose instead to pass on other items from Diana’s collection, including the Cartier watch.
Those allocations have shaped how the duchesses deploy Diana’s legacy in public life. Catherine has repeatedly worn jewels associated with Diana’s official role, including the Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara at major state occasions in 2015 and the double-drop sapphire earrings from a suite that was part of Diana’s diplomatic wardrobe. At the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee-related Trooping the Colour in 2022, the sapphire earrings made a notable reappearance. In other formal settings, Catherine has also revived pieces such as the Prince of Wales diamond and emerald brooch, wearing it on official visits.
Meghan’s public use of Diana’s jewels tends to reflect items Diana favoured during her period of separation from the royal household. After her divorce from Charles, Diana adopted a pared-down, more personal style and chose new accessories, including the Cartier Tank and a diamond tennis bracelet that Meghan has been seen wearing. An emerald-cut aquamarine that Diana received after the divorce — transformed into a large cocktail ring and last publicly seen at a Christie's event in June 1997 — later appeared on Meghan after her 2018 wedding to Harry.
The differences in how the two duchesses wear Diana’s jewels mirror the roles they occupy. Catherine, as the senior member of the royal family with a central public-facing role, has so far used Diana’s most overtly monarchical pieces at state and ceremonial events. Meghan, living in California and working in media and philanthropy outside the royal household, has most often been seen with the items that reflect Diana’s post-divorce, privately styled era.
Observers and commentators have noted symbolic readings in the choices: William told broadcaster Tom Bradby around the time of his engagement that he wanted to keep his mother "close to it all," a remark widely cited when Catherine began wearing the engagement ring publicly. Harry has described in his writing and interviews his different relationship to his mother's belongings and legacy, including his account of selecting the watch for himself.
Other pieces from Diana’s collection have circulated between public view and private holdings over the years. The Collingwood pearl and diamond drop earrings, a wedding gift to Diana, have become a mainstay in Catherine’s jewellery box. The emerald art-deco choker, originally made for Queen Mary, was worn by Diana in the 1980s and worn by Catherine in a reinterpreted setting for a 2022 Earthshot Prize gala. The choices to revive and reinterpret these historic jewels have generated attention each time they appear.
As items from Diana’s collection continue to re-emerge, their use by Catherine and Meghan underscores how inherited objects can acquire new meanings in different hands. The division of Diana’s jewellery between her two sons and the subsequent presentation of pieces to their wives has, over decades, tracked the diverging public roles of William and Harry and the women married to them. Whether future appearances of Diana’s jewels will follow the current pattern or shift as roles and circumstances change will be noted by royal-watchers, but for now the two duchesses’ jewellery choices remain one of the more visible ways Diana’s style and legacy are being kept in public view.