Queen Elizabeth II and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex both wore pearl and diamond earrings in Cheshire, England. Photo Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
Royalty
The Queen Gave Meghan Earrings
The jewels are in Her Majesty's favorite style
June 15, 2018—Queen Elizabeth may have one of the biggest jewelry collections on the planet, but like every stylish woman she has her go-to classic pieces. Her Majesty almost always wears pearl and diamond studs and a triple-strand pearl necklace for daytime events. She lights up the look with an amazing brooch. The Queen is such a believer in her beautiful basics she has passed on her styling tips in the form of gifts to some of the women in the family.
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex wearing pearl and diamond earrings she received from the Queen. Photo Getty
Kensington Palace officially confirmed that the pearl and diamond studs Meghan Markle, aka the Duchess of Sussex, wore on her first official solo outing with the Queen were a gift from the Queen. Rather annoyingly, no further details about the jewels were given. The powers that be did not reveal if the earrings were new or if they came from Her Majesty’s collection.
Why they don’t tell us is a bit of mystery. We know everything else about Meghan’s outfit. Her dress, belt and bag were all Givenchy. Her shoes came from Sarah Flint. In terms of the earrings, we do know the Queen did not shop at Birks, one of Meghan’s favorite jewelers. I think the odds are the jewels came from the Queen’s collection.
The Queen wearing her pearl and diamond studs, triple strand pearl necklace and 19th century diamond bow brooch that originally belonged to Queen Victoria. Photo Getty
The Queen has multiples, like many stylish women of means, of classic jewels she loves. There are several examples of the pearl and diamond studs in her collection. The ones we know about include the pair she always wears. She gave Kate Middleton pearl and diamond studs from her jewelry box. The provenance of those pieces is unknown. While Kate has not made them her everyday jewels she has worn them on several occasions including the day she gave birth to Prince Louis.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, departs the hospital with her son wearing diamond and pearl earrings from the Queen’s collection. Photo Samir Hussein/WireImage
The Queen also has a pair of pearl and diamond earrings, she inherited from Queen Mary. It’s a pair of earrings we know something about. Mary received the jewels as a wedding present in 1893 from the Ladies of England and Devonshire. Surely, there are other pearl and diamond studs hidden away in the Queen’s jewel box. And that’s where I think Meghan’s earrings came from.
If Meghan and Harry’s royal wedding taught us anything, it’s that the Queen has jewels we don’t know about or have fallen off the radar. I mean no one, but no one guessed the tiara Meghan wore on her wedding day. The jewel didn’t appear in any books and wasn’t on anyone’s list of possible options. Clearly, the royal family likes to keep a few secrets and prove they can surprise us. I do have to admit there is a certain amount of fun in guesswork, especially when one gets it right.
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