Rumours that Prince Harry will soon propose to his girlfriend Meghan Markle gathered pace after the couple were photographed attended the wedding of Harry’s long-time friend, Tom ‘Skippy’ Inskip.
Now, one source has claimed that Harry plans to add a personal, deeply meaningful touch to his proposal by designing a ring for Meghan which will use precious stones from his late mother Diana’s emerald and diamond tiara.
Speaking to the Daily Star, an insider revealed that Harry has sought permission from his father, Prince Charles, to use stones from this special piece of jewellery. Originally a choker owned by Queen Mary in the early 1900s, it was given to Diana as a wedding present by Queen Elizabeth II. The Princess of Wales famously wore it as a headband when she accompanied Charles on a trip to Australia in 1985.
‘Diana’s jewellery collection was left in trust for the boys and Meghan apparently loves emeralds,’ the source said. ‘For Harry, like Wills before him, using his mother’s gems means the two loves of his life will be forever linked.’
‘After Diana died, the boys both chose a keepsake from Kensington Palace when they moved to Charles’ rooms in St James’ Palace. Prince William picked his mum’s Cartier watch, and Harry picked her sapphire and diamond engagement ring.,’ they added.
‘But they had an agreement that whoever got engaged first would have Diana’s ring – and of course that was William and Kate. Harry wants the same sentiment when he proposes to Meghan, so he is working with the jewellers to design something incredible.’
William proposed to Kate with Diana’s 18 carat sapphire and diamond engagement ring on a trip to Kenya, and later revealed that he carried the valuable heirloom around in his rucksack for three weeks before getting down on one knee. ‘Obviously, [my mother]’s not going to be around to share in any of the fun and excitement of it all, so this is my way of keeping her sort of close to it all,’ he said.
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