Did Meghan Markle Alter the Most Sentimental Part of Her Engagement Ring?

When Prince Harry proposed to Meghan Markle in November of 2017, he did so with two jewels that belonged to his mother, the late Princess Diana. While Prince William popped the question to Kate Middleton with Diana’s famous sapphire engagement ring, Harry opted to design Meghan’s sparkler himself, ensuring that elements of the couple’s history together could be integrated into the accessory. The ring featured a three-carat cushion-cut diamond from Botswana, the spot where the duo vacationed for Meghan’s 36th birthday and where Harry told her of his intentions to propose. It’s arguably the most sentimental part of the entire ring, as it signifies the most important moments in their relationship.

The two diamonds surrounding that special stone were sourced from Diana’s personal collection, something Harry detailed in a 2017 BBC interview. “The little diamonds on either side are from my mother’s jewelry collection to make sure she’s with us on this crazy journey together,” he said at the time. In the same conversation, Meghan echoed the sentiment, calling attention to the story behind each of the jewels. “To be able to have this, which sort of links where you come from and Botswana, which is important to us, it’s perfect,” she said. All three stones were set on a gold band made by Cleave and Company. 

In 2019, Meghan altered the sparkler for the first time, swapping out the original band for a much thinner, yellow gold version set with micro-pavè diamonds. In Finding Freedom, a 2022 book written by Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie, the two royal experts say it was the prince’s own idea to make the change. In the text, Lorraine Schwartz, the jeweler who reportedly made the adjustments, complimented Harry: “He’s the loveliest person ever. So romantic, so thoughtful.” Scobie then added additional context to the relationship between the designer and the prince, writing, “So much so that Harry also thought to have Lorraine resize and reset Meghan’s engagement ring with a new diamond band.” Harry and Meghan also reportedly had Schwartz create an eternity band to pair with her engagement ring, which featured each of their birthstones as well as that of their son, Archie. 

In 2022, Meghan made another alteration to her engagement ring. In an appearance at the Invictus Games in The Hague, watchers noticed that the actress had added more diamonds around the center stone. However, just a year later, Meghan attended the same event without the updated sparkler. At the time, reports said that the ring was being serviced due to a setting coming loose. 

Now, eagle-eyed fans have noticed that she’s changed her engagement ring for a fourth time, and this adjustment may be the most drastic. In a trailer for her upcoming Netflix series With Love, Meghan, the mother of two’s ring appears to feature an emerald-cut diamond rather than the original cushion cut. Social media users quickly commented on the supposed change, calling out the diamond’s new square-like shape. “Is that the fourth evolution of the ring?,” inquired one user on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. That begs the question: Did Meghan trade in her incredibly sentimental center stone from Botswana for something else? Ultimately, it’s hard to say. While it certainly does appear to have sharper corners, the setting itself could have been changed to give the original stone a more squared-off look.

She did not, however, remove her late mother-in-law’s diamonds from the sides of the setting. And even after the potential modifications to her engagement sparkler, Meghan is still spotted donning her wedding ring and eternity band.