Meghan Markle has been accused of trying to "stake a claim" on Princess Diana's legacy after wearing the late royal's earrings to a charity gala. The Duchess of Sussex wore diamond and sapphire butterfly earrings for the event in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, on Friday, August 7.
Jewellery choice sparks debate
Meghan's choice of earrings formed part of a wide-ranging discussion of the latest royal news on the Daily Mail's Palace Confidential podcast. Host Richard Kay and columnist Sarah Vine agreed it could not have been a coincidence, with the former arguing that matching the exact jewellery would have required a significant amount of research.
Kay claimed: "It does feel to me she is trying to stake a claim on Diana's legacy... She does look to me like she's trying to channel the mother-in-law she never met." Viewed by some as a tribute to Diana, Vine described the move as "calculated" and "bizarre" to see the earrings worn at an ordinary red carpet event.
History of Diana's jewellery
The pair worn by Meghan earlier this month are the exact pair Diana wore on a visit to British Columbia in 1986. Meghan has received a number of pieces once worn by Diana, including an aquamarine ring spotted before the Sussexes' wedding reception in 2018. On a royal tour of Australia the same year, Meghan wore Diana's gold and sapphire cuff. The following year, she wore Diana's diamond tennis bracelet for Commonwealth Day. Meghan's wedding ring also includes two stones from a brooch belonging to Diana.
Upcoming anniversary
Next year will be the 30th anniversary of Diana's death in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris. Daily Mail diarist Richard Eden suggested the Duchess wants to emphasise her link to Diana ahead of August 31, 2027. He told Palace Confidential that royal watchers could expect more of the same from Meghan, with events including the Diana Awards. The Sussexes' recent holiday snaps from their trip to Europe appeared to show them on the Althorp House estate in Northamptonshire, where Diana was laid to rest on an island in the middle of a lake.
