(PatriotWise.com) — Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, has prompted speculation after appearing at a gala in New York without her expensive engagement ring. The ring, which cost around $150,000, was missing from her hand as she accepted a Women of Vision Award in the Big Apple. She proudly displayed the diamond-encrusted ring when the couple became engaged in 2017.
Prince Harry said the ring was custom-made with yellow gold, a diamond he sourced from Botswana, and two accompanying diamonds from the jewelry collection of the late Princess Diana, Harry’s mother. The couple fell in love during a trip to Botswana and including Princess Diana’s diamonds ensured “she’s with us on this crazy journey together,” said Prince Harry.
It is not the first time the Duchess got tongues wagging with her choice of jewelry. In 2019, she attended the Queen’s Trooping the Colour in London, where observers noticed she had made dramatic changes to the ring. Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand revealed the reason in Finding Freedom, a Royal biography.
It turned out that Prince Harry had secretly added a layer of diamonds so Meghan’s engagement ring would more closely resemble the eternity ring he gave her for their first wedding anniversary.
Markle’s appearance at the New York Awards ceremony comes amid a time of strife for the couple. Their popularity has dropped significantly on both sides of the Atlantic. They were widely condemned when they sat down with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. The pair implied that the British Royal family was “racist” and they found it difficult to live with the strict rules applied to members of the British Monarchy.
They left the UK in 2020, citing too much press intrusion, and relocated to California. They were criticized again when they contracted with Netflix for a tell-all documentary series. Prince Harry recently published a book exposing intimate family details. His popularity plummeted further, especially in his home country, where millions revere and admire the Monarchy.
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