Meghan Markle Paid Tribute to Her Friend's Late Son and His Twin With a Touching New Heart Necklace

Meghan Markle honored someone close to her heart in the video announcing her reimagined new brand, As Ever, on Monday, Feb. 17.

The Duchess of Sussex surprised fans by announcing she'd changed gears with her new business—originally named American Riviera Orchard—by going with the updated name of As Ever. In an Instagram Reel detailing why she pivoted to the name, the duchess wore a crisp white linen button-down with jeans, but what many might not have noticed was her gleaming red heart necklace.

The design, coined the Heart of Gold pendant, is a $3,200 style from California-based jeweler The Gold Album, and was chosen in collaboration with one of Meghan's close friends, Kelly McKee Zajfen. In 2022, Zajfen's 9-year-old son George died suddenly, and his twin sister, Lily, receives treatment for a heart condition at Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), which receives 15 percent of sales from the necklace.

The bespoke red enamel design is surrounded by a diamond border and can be engraved with gold letters or numbers. It's unclear if Meghan's has a personalization, but Zajfen's reads G and L, for her two children. Gwyneth Paltrow has also worn the charity-focused design in an Instagram post, calling it "special."

The duchess and Prince Harry have supported Zajfen in the past, with the couple joining Zajfen and her family for a charity tennis tournament to honor George on Harry's 40th birthday in September 2024 and Meghan later attending the 2024 CHLA Gala with her friend. The duchess has also posed with Zajfen for social media posts to promote shirts for her friend's organization, Alliance of Moms.

The necklace also tied into As Ever, a brand the duchess wrote was something "I created and have poured my heart into."

She explained that the phrase "as ever" meant "'as it's always been'" and that her "new chapter is an extension of what has always been" important to her, things like "food, gardening, entertaining, thoughtful living, and finding joy in the everyday."

While the Duchess of Sussex's Instagram announcement didn't state when As Ever will be available to shop, her new cooking and lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, will drop on Netflix March 4.