Did Meghan Markle Wear Princess Diana's Cartier Watch?

In her new portraits with Prince Harry, a familiar accessory seems to grace the Duchess's wrist.

By Chloe Foussianes

Oct 17, 2020

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle released a rare portrait ahead of their special episode of Time100 Talks—and in addition to being generally adorable, it may have featured a special nod to Prince Harry's mother.

The Duchess of Sussex appeared to be wearing Princess Diana's gold Cartier Tank Française watch, an elegant timepiece that the late Princess of Wales was seen sporting at multiple events, including a 1997 visit to London's Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu Temple and an engagement at the British Lung Foundation that same year.

Meghan is known to be a fan of the Tank watch, and even bought herself a two-tone version back in her pre-royal days. As the then-actress told Hello back in 2015, "I’ve always coveted the Cartier French Tank watch. When I found out Suits had been picked up for our third season—which, at the time, felt like such a milestone—I totally splurged and bought the two-tone version. I had it engraved on the back, 'To M.M. From M.M.' and I plan to give it to my daughter one day. That’s what makes pieces special, the connection you have to them."

A close-up of Diana wearing the watch in 1997.

Tim GrahamGetty Images

It's hard to tell in the new black-and-white portrait if the watch is tw0-tone or not, but in another recent appearance, during Fortune's Most Powerful Women virtual summit, the Duchess was seen in full color wearing what appeared to be a fully gold watch—leading royal watchers to speculate that it may have been Diana's.

It certainly wouldn't be the first time Meghan has worn her late mother-in-law's jewelry. In the past, the Duchess has been spotted sporting Diana's butterfly earrings, gold bracelet, aquamarine cocktail ring, and more.