Princess Diana’s rings and jewellery, where are they now? With plenty of pictures and fascinating details, we give you Diana’s 12 most personal, famous and meaningful jewellery items – and reveal who owns them now.
1. The Initial D Necklace
When she was a teenager, Lady Diana Spencer often wore an initial necklace with the letter D, as seen in the photo that was taken during her time working at a Pimlico nursery. Later, when she was married to Prince Charles, she often wore the same pendant, but on a more robust collarette necklace.
Where is it now? A private buyer bought the pendant at an auction for approximately £7,000. Their identity is a mystery to this day.
Where is it now? In her will, Princess Diana left her engagement ring to her youngest son, Prince Harry. But his older brother, Prince William, was the first of the two to get engaged. So Harry generously gave the ring to his brother. That’s why Prince William’s wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (née Kate Middleton), now wears it as her engagement ring.
The Saudi blue sapphire jewellery suite was a wedding present to Princess Diana from the Saudi Arabian royal family. It was designed to complement Diana’s blue sapphire engagement ring, and she wore it often throughout her marriage.
Where is it now? It is believed, but not confirmed, that William gave his mother’s sapphire suite to his wife, Kate Middleton, and she had it redesigned into a daintier sapphire collection to suit her style. She was seen wearing what is believed to be the re-designed set at a state meeting with Prince William and the President and First Lady of Ukraine, as seen below.
These earrings were given to Diana as a wedding gift by the Spencer family jewellers, Collingwood. They have a classic design and Diana wore them on numerous occasions, including with the Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara which you can see in the first photograph below.
The Princess was last pictured wearing the earrings in 1994, on the same night when Prince Charles confessed to his affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles.
Where are they now? In August 2017, the Duchess of Cambridge wore the Collingwood pearl earrings at the Spanish state banquet, combining them with the Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara, just as Diana had done before. Kate also wore them just a few weeks later during a visit to Belgium, which leads us to believe that William must have given them to her.
The Duchess of Cambridge wore Princess Diana’s Collingwood Pearl Earrings, that she wore to Prince Harry’s Christening in 1984, at the Christening of Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor! https://t.co/LmlATnlgPmpic.twitter.com/bUr96EEwNe
This famous ring features a rectangular, emerald-cut aquamarine gemstone. Diana often wore it with an aquamarine and pearl bracelet-and-necklace set. However, the ring does not actually belong to that set. It was in fact given to Diana by her best friend, Lucia Flecha de Lima. Diana made headlines when she used the ring to replace her blue sapphire engagement ring after she divorced Prince Charles in 1996.
Where is it now? After Diana’s death in 1997, the ring was passed on to Prince Harry. He famously gave it to his wife, Meghan Markle, and she wore it at their wedding reception in 2018.
A Kensington Palace spokesperson confirmed to @BuzzFeedNews that Meghan is wearing an aquamarine ring that belonged to the late Princess Diana: pic.twitter.com/mmwgKrXKcj
Princess Diana only had two emerald jewellery items in her collection. One was an Art Deco style emerald bracelet, which Prince Charles gave to her as a wedding present. The other was a pair a diamond and emerald drop earrings, also given to Princess Diana by her husband, on her 22nd birthday. Note that the teardrop-shaped emeralds are surrounded by faux diamonds!
The third emerald item she often wore with them, an emerald collar, wasn’t actually Diana’s, but belonged to The Queen.
Where are they now? The bracelet and earrings’ whereabouts are unknown but presumably have been passed to Harry and William. We may see Meghan or Kate wearing them one day. As for the pendant, because it belongs to The Queen, it was given to the Duchess of Cornwall’s (née Camilla Parker-Bowles) collection. Camilla re-designed it into a brooch and wore it to Charles’ 50th birthday reception at Buckingham Palace.
The Spencer tiara is from the 18th Century. The family has had it redesigned many times since it was first passed to Lady Sarah Spencer by Viscountess Montagu in 1875. When Diana married Charles, The Queen offered to lend her the Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara. But Diana chose to wear her family tiara instead.
Where is it now? The tiara is a Spencer family heirloom. Each of Diana’s sisters has worn it on their respective wedding days. Most recently, Diana’s niece, Celia McCorquodale, wore it for her wedding.
Princess Diana famously wore a set consisting of a butterfly gold necklace and earrings during a 1986 visit to Canada. The earrings are shaped like butterflies and the necklace has a golden ribbon butterfly in the centre.
Where are they now? The set was given to Prince Harry who gave it to his wife, Meghan Markle. Shortly after the couple announced that they were expecting a baby, Meghan was photographed wearing the earrings, the gesture considered by many a homage to her late mother-in-law.
Pearl button earrings were an absolute staple in the Princess’ jewellery collection. She wore various timeless variations of classic pearl button earrings during her time as a Royal.
Where are they now? In a special letter that Diana had written in the eventuality that she would pass away, she expressed a wish to leave all her jewellery to her two sons’ future wives. The letter apparently reads: “I would like you to allocate all my jewellery to the share to be held by my sons, so that their wives may, in due course, have it or use it.” She had added that “I leave the exact division of the jewellery to your discretion.” It is therefore believed that her pearl jewellery, too, now belongs to the two princes.
Princess Diana in her pearl earrings with rim of diamonds! She wore them many times, I guess they was one of her favorites 😘 #princessdianapic.twitter.com/Irsn7KzYqX
Diana, Britain’s “Queen of the Hearts”, was fond of heart-shaped earrings. She was seen wearing them in many different styles on innumerable occasions. Her most famous heart earrings were ones that had interchangeable crystal and pearl hearts, allowing her to adapt their style to her outfits.
Where are they now? The whereabouts of Diana’s heart earrings is unknown, but it is assumed that William and Harry have them in their possession along with her other jewellery.
This was one of the very first gifts that Prince Charles gave to Diana. Later, after her engagement, she often wore it together with her blue sapphire engagement ring.
Where is it now? The ring has not been seen again since Diana passed away. We believe that William and Harry must have it, together with the rest of her jewellery collection.
Collingwood, the Spencer family jewellers, lent this fabulous diamond set to Diana for her official engagement photographs. It consists of large diamond chandelier earrings and a matching necklace.
Interestingly, Collingwood had originally wanted to give this set to Diana as a wedding gift, but the Palace turned it down deeming it to be inappropriately expensive. It is for this reason that Collingwood instead gave Diana the famous diamond and pearl drop earrings seen at number 4, above.
Where are they now? As the set was never actually owned by Diana, neither the Royal family nor the Spencers have it in their possession now. It’s probable that Collingwood sold the set to someone else.
Image credit John Mathew Smith 2010 licensed under Creative Commons
Princess Diana’s rings and jewellery, where are they now? With plenty of pictures and fascinating details, we give you Diana’s 12 most personal, famous and meaningful jewellery items – and reveal who owns them now.
1. The Initial D Necklace
When she was a teenager, Lady Diana Spencer often wore an initial necklace with the letter D, as seen in the photo that was taken during her time working at a Pimlico nursery. Later, when she was married to Prince Charles, she often wore the same pendant, but on a more robust collarette necklace.
Where is it now? A private buyer bought the pendant at an auction for approximately £7,000. Their identity is a mystery to this day.
2. The Blue Sapphire Engagement Ring
This famous engagement ring boasts a huge, oval cut blue sapphire, surrounded by 14 diamond solitaires. It is set in 18K white gold. We have an extensive article with all the details about this ring here if you want to read more.
Where is it now? In her will, Princess Diana left her engagement ring to her youngest son, Prince Harry. But his older brother, Prince William, was the first of the two to get engaged. So Harry generously gave the ring to his brother. That’s why Prince William’s wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (née Kate Middleton), now wears it as her engagement ring.
3. The Saudi Sapphire Suite
The Saudi blue sapphire jewellery suite was a wedding present to Princess Diana from the Saudi Arabian royal family. It was designed to complement Diana’s blue sapphire engagement ring, and she wore it often throughout her marriage.
Where is it now? It is believed, but not confirmed, that William gave his mother’s sapphire suite to his wife, Kate Middleton, and she had it redesigned into a daintier sapphire collection to suit her style. She was seen wearing what is believed to be the re-designed set at a state meeting with Prince William and the President and First Lady of Ukraine, as seen below.
4. The Collingwood Pearl Earrings
These earrings were given to Diana as a wedding gift by the Spencer family jewellers, Collingwood. They have a classic design and Diana wore them on numerous occasions, including with the Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara which you can see in the first photograph below.
The Princess was last pictured wearing the earrings in 1994, on the same night when Prince Charles confessed to his affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles.
Where are they now? In August 2017, the Duchess of Cambridge wore the Collingwood pearl earrings at the Spanish state banquet, combining them with the Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara, just as Diana had done before. Kate also wore them just a few weeks later during a visit to Belgium, which leads us to believe that William must have given them to her.
5. The Aquamarine Ring
This famous ring features a rectangular, emerald-cut aquamarine gemstone. Diana often wore it with an aquamarine and pearl bracelet-and-necklace set. However, the ring does not actually belong to that set. It was in fact given to Diana by her best friend, Lucia Flecha de Lima. Diana made headlines when she used the ring to replace her blue sapphire engagement ring after she divorced Prince Charles in 1996.
Where is it now? After Diana’s death in 1997, the ring was passed on to Prince Harry. He famously gave it to his wife, Meghan Markle, and she wore it at their wedding reception in 2018.
6. The Emerald Set
Princess Diana only had two emerald jewellery items in her collection. One was an Art Deco style emerald bracelet, which Prince Charles gave to her as a wedding present. The other was a pair a diamond and emerald drop earrings, also given to Princess Diana by her husband, on her 22nd birthday. Note that the teardrop-shaped emeralds are surrounded by faux diamonds!
The third emerald item she often wore with them, an emerald collar, wasn’t actually Diana’s, but belonged to The Queen.
Where are they now? The bracelet and earrings’ whereabouts are unknown but presumably have been passed to Harry and William. We may see Meghan or Kate wearing them one day. As for the pendant, because it belongs to The Queen, it was given to the Duchess of Cornwall’s (née Camilla Parker-Bowles) collection. Camilla re-designed it into a brooch and wore it to Charles’ 50th birthday reception at Buckingham Palace.
7. The Spencer Tiara, Diana’s Wedding Tiara
The Spencer tiara is from the 18th Century. The family has had it redesigned many times since it was first passed to Lady Sarah Spencer by Viscountess Montagu in 1875. When Diana married Charles, The Queen offered to lend her the Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara. But Diana chose to wear her family tiara instead.
Where is it now? The tiara is a Spencer family heirloom. Each of Diana’s sisters has worn it on their respective wedding days. Most recently, Diana’s niece, Celia McCorquodale, wore it for her wedding.
8. The Butterfly Earrings and Necklace
Princess Diana famously wore a set consisting of a butterfly gold necklace and earrings during a 1986 visit to Canada. The earrings are shaped like butterflies and the necklace has a golden ribbon butterfly in the centre.
Where are they now? The set was given to Prince Harry who gave it to his wife, Meghan Markle. Shortly after the couple announced that they were expecting a baby, Meghan was photographed wearing the earrings, the gesture considered by many a homage to her late mother-in-law.
This necklace has now been sold out.
But you can find an alternative ribbon design here.
9. The Pearl Button Earrings
Pearl button earrings were an absolute staple in the Princess’ jewellery collection. She wore various timeless variations of classic pearl button earrings during her time as a Royal.
Where are they now? In a special letter that Diana had written in the eventuality that she would pass away, she expressed a wish to leave all her jewellery to her two sons’ future wives. The letter apparently reads: “I would like you to allocate all my jewellery to the share to be held by my sons, so that their wives may, in due course, have it or use it.” She had added that “I leave the exact division of the jewellery to your discretion.” It is therefore believed that her pearl jewellery, too, now belongs to the two princes.
10. The Heart Earrings
Diana, Britain’s “Queen of the Hearts”, was fond of heart-shaped earrings. She was seen wearing them in many different styles on innumerable occasions. Her most famous heart earrings were ones that had interchangeable crystal and pearl hearts, allowing her to adapt their style to her outfits.
Where are they now? The whereabouts of Diana’s heart earrings is unknown, but it is assumed that William and Harry have them in their possession along with her other jewellery.
11. The Diamond Eternity Ring
This was one of the very first gifts that Prince Charles gave to Diana. Later, after her engagement, she often wore it together with her blue sapphire engagement ring.
Where is it now? The ring has not been seen again since Diana passed away. We believe that William and Harry must have it, together with the rest of her jewellery collection.
12. The Collingwood Diamond Set
Collingwood, the Spencer family jewellers, lent this fabulous diamond set to Diana for her official engagement photographs. It consists of large diamond chandelier earrings and a matching necklace.
Interestingly, Collingwood had originally wanted to give this set to Diana as a wedding gift, but the Palace turned it down deeming it to be inappropriately expensive. It is for this reason that Collingwood instead gave Diana the famous diamond and pearl drop earrings seen at number 4, above.
Where are they now? As the set was never actually owned by Diana, neither the Royal family nor the Spencers have it in their possession now. It’s probable that Collingwood sold the set to someone else.
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