Meghan's mysteriously missing engagement ring: Duchess ditches band

Meghan’s mysteriously missing engagement ring: Duchess ditches glittering trio of diamonds from Harry on recent appearances – and she hasn’t been seen wearing it in MONTHS

Meghan Markle, 42, has stepped out without her diamond engagement ring
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Meghan Markle is known for her love of jewellery – whether it be an expensive Cartier bangle or personalised necklace.

But since at least May, there has been one notable piece missing from the Duchess of Sussex’s enviable collection.

The mother-of-two, 42, has stepped out several times without her glittering £140,000 diamond engagement ring – which the former actress previously upgraded by adding a band of diamonds to the jewel.

Most recently, Meghan was spotted ditching the ring while enjoying a lunch with her friends, in which she posed for a selfie with pals Kadi Lee, a hairdresser to the stars, who shared the snap online, and author Cleo Wade in the garden of a restaurant.

While the reason the ring is missing hasn’t been revealed, she was also without the band when attending an appointment in her hometown of Montecito with a bodyguard by her side. She wore a $4 anti-stress patch and a $1,625 wool coat despite the balmy California weather.

Prince Harry proposed to Meghan in November 2017, with a glittering ring comprising of a solid yellow gold band set with three diamonds.

At the time of their engagement, the Duke spoke about creating Meghan’s engagement ring with the help of jewellers Cleave and Company.

The custom design featured one diamond originally from Botswana and two smaller stones from Princess Diana’s collection.

At the time, he said: ‘The ring is obviously yellow gold because that’s [Meghan’s] favourite and the main stone itself I sourced from Botswana and the little diamonds either side are from my mother’s jewellery collection, to make sure that she’s with us on this crazy journey together.’

Meghan called it ‘incredible’, explaining: ‘Everything about Harry’s thoughtfulness and the inclusion of [Princess Diana’s stones] and obviously not being able to meet his mom, it’s so important to me to know that she’s a part of this with us.’

‘It’s incredibly special to be able to have this [ring], which sort of links where you come form and Botswana, which is important to us. It’s perfect.’

However the Duchess chose not to wear her engagement ring for a number of public engagements back in 2019 while pregnant with her son Archie.

When she appeared at Trooping the Colour that year, it emerged the Duchess had altered the custom made engagement ring that Prince Harry designed for her.

Prince Harry proposed to Meghan in November 2017 with a glittering ring comprising of a solid yellow gold band set with three diamonds (left). This was then changed to include a micro-pave band in 2019 (right)

At the time of their engagement (pictured), the Duke spoke about creating Meghan’s engagement ring with the help of jewellers Cleave and Company

At Trooping the Colour and at her Windsor Castle photo call with Prince Harry and newborn son Archie, the Duchess wore her three engagement diamonds set on a thin micro-pavé band.

Jewellery expert Arabel Lebrusan confirmed the ring had changed, and suggested it had been tweaked to make the original diamonds look bigger.

Arabel, owner the ethical jewellery brand Arabel Lebrusan, called the thinner band a popular trend, revealing: ‘Many celebrities do this, as the central stone looks bigger in comparison getting the wow factor.’

The jewellery expert pointed out the difference in the band, saying: ‘She now has little diamonds set down the sides of her engagement ring and the band also seems thinner than before.’

She also revealed that the glittering band only emphasised the Meghan’s diamonds, and added: ‘The diamond setting on the band looks like micro-set, this means there is very little metal in between the stones maximising the sparkle of the tiny diamonds.’

Arabel continued that she thought the new style suited the Duchess’ style ‘perfectly’, saying: ‘It does suit her style perfectly, and it fits her dainty fingers as well.’

Leora Moreno, owner of jewellery brand Leo With Love, said at the time the changes could have been changed to match Meghan’s eternity ring.

She explained: ‘It looks like the eternity ring has a channel pavé setting. The engagement ring looks to have an even smaller pavé setting, but perfectly matches the eternity band.’

The mother-of-two, 42, has stepped out several times without her glittering £140,000 diamond engagement ring – which the former actress previously upgraded by added a band of diamonds to the jewel

The jeweller went on to explain the change may have been complex, saying that it required ‘fine skill and craftsmanship to change the band to something more delicate like a pavé setting.’

She added that that the modern style would suit Meghan for ‘years to come’ and was ‘the perfect combination of eye-catching and dainty’.

In 2022’s Finding Freedom, Omid Scobie claimed it was the Duke who altered Meghan’s ring.

In the biography, jeweller-to-the-stars Lorraine Schwartz said: “‘He’s the loveliest person ever. So romantic, so thoughtful.'”

The authors continued: ‘(So much so that Harry also thought to have Lorraine resize and reset Meghan’s engagement ring with a new diamond band.)’

However in recent months, Meghan’s engagement ring has once again been missing.

In May, the Duchess was spotted hiking without her husband Prince Harry near their $14million Montecito mansion – hours after missing King Charles’ coronation.

Meghan was joined on the fresh-air outing by her friends, Markus Anderson and Heather Dorak, in California on Sunday after celebrating her son Archie’s birthday on Saturday.

The Duchess of Sussex, 41, did not wear her £140,000 engagement ring in May (pictured)

Instead of wearing the custom-made band which was given to her by Prince Harry in 2017, she was simply wearing her wedding band and an eternity ring

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Ms Foundation Women of Vision Awards at Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York

However she was not wearing her glittering diamond ring for the occasion.

Later that month, the jewels were missing for a second time as she arrived at the Ms Foundation for Women’s 50th anniversary event at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan.

During the event, Meghan was simply wearing her wedding band, which is in yellow gold to match Prince Harry’s, and an eternity ring, which she began wearing after her son Archie was born. It’s unknown why the ring was missing.

More recently, Meghan ditched the ring this summer while enjoying a lunch with friends.

She enjoyed a girls’ meal out with friends in California as her birthday celebrations continued.

The Duchess posed for a selfie with her friends Kadi Lee, a hairdresser to the stars, and author Cleo Wade in the garden of a restaurant.

In a snap posted on Kadi Lee’s Instagram account Highbrow Hippie, the Duchess beamed while putting her arms around the two friends at the table.

She opted for an understated yet chic look, appearing effortlessly elegant in a black cami top and sporting the Ariel Gordon Imperial Disc Pendant Necklace, which costs around $1,840 and can be engraved with names.

Kadi, who is thought to have been Meghan’s hair colourist since she moved back to California and settled in Montecito with Prince Harry, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, also counts other A listers in her client list – including Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts and Sex and the City’s Kristin Davis.

Sharing the snap of the three pals on Instagram, Kadi said: ‘Belated [birthday] celebrations [with] these lovely muses. Missing Serge Normant.’

Serge Normant is another in-demand hairdresser based in New York City, and styled the Duchess’s hair on her wedding day to Prince Harry in 2018.

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