Meghan Markle has swapped her $62,000 Lorraine Schwartz band for a Shiffon and Co. pinky ring at the Invictus Games.
For today’s event in Germany, The Duchess of Sussex, 42, opted to wear a 1972 tennis pinky ring from Shiffon and Co., which is set to retail for $2,800.
Meghan, who is known for her love of delicate jewellery steeped in symbolic meaning, dazzled in the 18-carat white gold jewel.
The ring may hold a special connection to the Invictus Games as it symbolises women in sports, according to Shiffon and Co.
In sporting the 1972 tennis band, the mother-of-two ditched the mysterious Lorraine Schwartz ring, which has a contentious background.
Meghan Markle ditched her mysterious pinky ring made by celebrity jeweller Lorraine Schwartz, for a 1972 tennis pinky ring from Shiffon and Co today (pictured)
There have long been questions about the origin of the Lorraine Schwartz pinky ring (pictured), which Meghan during her speech at the Invictus Games
There have long been questions about the origin of the Lorraine Schwartz pinky ring, which Meghan opted to wear during her speech at the Invictus Games.
In 2021, Prince Harry and Meghan denied claims that the band was fashioned with diamonds gifted to the couple by a mystery donor in the Middle East – before clarifying that they were referring to a different ring.
They initially said the piece was sourced by a stylist on the shoot directly from the designer and that there was no link to a mystery donor in the Middle East.
But in a spectacular U-turn, they later rolled back the denial, and clarified that they were referring to a different ring.
There was no further mention made of the Lorraine Schwartz ring in question on her right hand, begging the question of whether Meghan has something to hide about the provenance of the diamond, which was first seen on her finger in October 2020.
If the diamonds did indeed come from the Middle East, it’s not clear if Meghan received the gift while she was still a working royal, or after she performed her final official duties in early March 2020.
She did not visit the region officially, but there’s always the possibility she made a private trip.
Buckingham Palace only publishes a list of gifts received by royals while on duty in the UK or overseas, and there is no public record of Meghan being given any diamonds.
The Shiffon and Co. ring may be a special nod to the Invictus Games, as it was developed in honour of the passing of Title IX, the US-based legislation that prohibited gender-based discrimination in schools and paved the way for women in sports
Gifts sent to the royals outside of official engagements are recorded but not made public.
The palace previously directed inquiries about the diamonds back to the Sussexes’ representatives in the US.
However, earlier today, Meghan opted to swap out the mysterious ring in exchange for a Shiffon and Co. 1972 pinky ring.
The 18k yellow gold jewel, which has a retail price of $2,800, will be available for members of the public to purchase soon.
The luxurious ring may be a special nod to the Invictus Games, as it was developed in honour of the passing of Title IX, the US-based legislation that paved the way for women in sports.
Additionally, 19.72 per cent of the profits from the ring go to the Shiffon and Co’s ‘Women in Sports Investment’ fund, with the proceeds invested into female-founded companies in the sports, health, and fitness verticals.
Harry founded the Invictus Games to aid the rehabilitation of service members and veterans by giving them the challenge of competing in sports events similar to the Paralympics. He enjoys the support of NATO chiefs and their families (pictured)
The royal couple hold hands as they pose for pictures. Meghan wore loose fitting wide leg caramel coloured trousers and a silky brown shirt. Harry wore a blue suit but no tie
The couple laugh next to General Luigi Miglietta of NATO Joint Force Command and families from Italy and Netherlands
Meghan opted for another muted outfit today as she sported a brown silky shirt and trousers to join Prince Harry at the Invictus Games.
The mother-of-two, 42, opted for a monochrome ensemble with two-tones of brown, while wearing £1200 wide-leg silk trousers from Gabriel Hearst, which she previously sported to the One Young World roundtable in 2022.
While she has opted for inexpensive high street looks in her last few appearance, the Duchess went high end today – and paired the look with £165 oversized Miu Miu sunglasses and a £365 Dani Blouse from French designer L’agence.
Showing off her natural beauty, the royal let her hair long and loose and sported a natural make-up look while boosting her height with £590 heels from Manolo Blahnik.
Adding even more glamour to the look, the royal wore Princess Diana ‘s £17,800 Cartier watch and but swapped out her $62,000 Lorraine Schwartz pinky ring made with ‘diamonds gifted from the Middle East’ for a $2,800 1972 tennis pinky ring from Shiffon and Co.
Meghan Markle opted for another muted outfit today as she sported a brown silky shirt and trousers to join Prince Harry at the Invictus Games
While she has opted for inexpensive high street looks in her last few appearance, the Duchess went high end today – and paired the look with £165 oversized Miu Miu sunglasses
Meghan wowed in the all brown ensemble as she headed out
The mother-of-two, 42, opted for a monochrome ensemble with two-tones of brown, while wearing $1,490 wide-leg silk trousers from Gabriel Hearst, which she previously sported to the One Young World roundtable in 2022
She paired the look with £165 oversized Miu Miu sunglasses and a £365 Dani Blouse from French designer L’agence
She added her £5,000 Cartier love bracelet to the look as she walked hand-in-hand with Prince Harry.
Meghan has opted for an array on monochrome outfits for the first day on the Invictus Games in Germany today.
The Duchess of Sussex , 42, boarded a plane from Los Angeles to Europe in an all black ensemble, before quickly getting ready in her Dusseldorf hotel room and heading to the games in a black shirt dress from Banana Republic, which she paired with black shoes and a black belt.
She then appeared on Wednesday in a black and white number – with white shorts, a black tank top and a white cardigan from J Crew.
Then the royal opted for go all black again, in black jeans, heels and a tank top – which she paired with a white blazer.
Despite often wearing colour while a working royal, Meghan claimed she ‘toned down’ her wardrobe while she living in the UK to avoid clashing with more senior members of the Royal Family .
The Duchess of Sussex made the claims in the third episode of her Netflix series.
She explained: ‘Most of the time I was in the UK, I rarely wore colour.
Adding even more glamour to the look, the royal wore Princess Diana ‘s £17,800 Cartier watch and but swapped out her $62,000 Lorraine Schwartz pinky ring made with ‘diamonds gifted from the Middle East’ for a $2,800 1972 tennis pinky ring from Shiffon and Co
She added her £5,000 Cartier love bracelet to the look as she walked hand-in-hand with Prince Harry
‘To my understanding, you can’t ever wear the same colour as Her Majesty if there’s a group event but then you also shouldn’t be wearing the same colour as one of the other more senior members of the family.’
To respect this rumoured royal protocol, Meghan says she started dressing almost exclusively in shades of camel, beige and white.
She continued: ‘I wore a lot of muted tones but it was also so I could just blend in. I’m not trying to stand out here.
‘There was no version of me [that was] joining this family and trying not to do everything I could to fit in. I don’t want to embarrass the family.’
So it appears that Meghan is shunning the spotlight in muted tones again.
On her way to the games, she opted for a decidedly casual look in a 773 Ulla Johnson sailor-style Polina wide-legged trousers with a matching navy V-neck jumper.
Flats were the order of the day, and the mother-of-two, who travelled with aides to the California airport donned a favoured pair of $770 Valentino ‘Roman Stud’ mules in ivory calfskin.
Meghan Markle appeared to make a subtle nod to the Queen as she flew to Germany today as she opted to carry one of the late monarch’s favourite scarves in her bag
Meghan opted for a black outfit with a white blazer to meet athletes
It was the accessories that stole the sartorial show in this particular ensemble however, with Meghan, 42, carrying a $2,650 Goyard ‘St. Louis PM’ tote bag, in which a designer scarf, believed to be a $1,200 Rayures d’Ete Shawl from Hermes, was draped.
For her first appearance, Meghan then looked radiant in a black shirt dress from Banana Republic, costing £112.
She paired her dress with black pumps and wore her thick brunette locks down and brushed behind one shoulder to reveal her £595 Kimaï hoop earrings.
She continued she can mix high street and high end in $98 J Crew linen shorts and a black tank top which she paired with a £177 J Crew blazer, Givenchy belt and £910 Chanel shoes,
The Duchess of Sussex , 42, boarded a plane from Los Angeles to Europe in an all black ensemble, before quickly getting ready in her Dusseldorf hotel room and heading to the games in a black shirt dress from Banana Republic, which she paired with black shoes and a black belt (pictured)
She then appeared on Wednesday in a black and white number – with white shorts, a black tank top and a white cardigan from J Crew
Meghan Markle appeared to make a subtle nod to the Queen as she flew to Germany today as she opted to carry one of the late monarch’s favourite scarves in her bag
She was later snapped during the Swimming Finals with a pair of £620 cream Hermès Get sneakers, made from canvas and calfskin, and emblazoned with an ‘H’ motif.
And she added some bling to the outfit with a pair of £2,000 Luna Skye earrings, shaped like leaves, and boasting baguette diamonds.
Harry’s time in Afghanistan inspired him to launch the sporting event but the Prince and Princess of Wales were central to its initial success.
The couple’s now-defunct foundation formed with the Duke of Sussex hoovered up sponsors and spent huge sums of cash to get Invictus up and running.
Nine years ago Harry, his father and brother stood united as they attended the opening ceremony and multiple events at the first ever Invictus Games in London – but the new King and his heir have had zero involvement since Harry met Meghan and they all fell out.
Officials have said that despite Harry’s passion for Invictus, which is growing in size, there have been plenty of seats at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf. Some believe that the involvement of Charles, William and Kate would change that.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex held hands, cosied up to one another and were seen affectionately leaning towards each other as they attended the wheelchair basketball finale at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany
Meghan, 42, was seen shyly looking towards her husband, 38, who appeared to sweetly whisper in her ear during one candid moment, while another showed Harry wrapping his arm around his wife as they watched the nail-biting action on court
Prince Harry and Meghan Duchess of Sussex watch the basketball at the Invictus Games yesterday – cheering on the Americans
Meghan Markle and the Duke of Sussex at the games on Wednesday as the Royal Family stay quiet on Invictus. Harry couldn’t look at one point
Harry points something out to his laughing wife
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, hands out medals to the winning USA wheelchair basketball team
The Duchess hugged one of the stars of the tournament
The Duchess of Sussex was very vocal as she watched one of the events yesterday
Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, at the medal presentation of the wheelchair basketball
The Prince and Princess of Wales have both been at the rugby World Cup in France in the past week while King Charles and Queen Camilla and other senior royals have been at the Highland Games.
One Team GB insider told The Telegraph: ‘The athletes find it bizarre but don’t want to get caught up in the royal crossfire.’
This year’s games in Germany are the biggest ever involving 22 nations and 500-plus athletes. Harry has been there from start to finish, joining in with clapping and dancing in the crowd, and joking about going out on the beers at the end of the day.
Many have enjoyed seeing the Harry of old, high fiving children and singing Sweet Caroline in the days before his wife Meghan arrived.
But there has been no word from his family in the UK.
Double amputee Ben McBean, who was on the same return flight from Afghanistan as Harry in 2008 and credited with inspiring the Duke to launch Invictus, said he understood both sides of the ‘rift’ between the brothers but added that they should have put their differences aside.
He told The Telegraph: ‘Saying that, they should have just given the lads a shout out. It’s like when we went to Afghanistan, no one supported the war, but they supported the troops. It’s the same thing’.
Palace sources reportedly say that members of the Royal family never involve themselves in each others’ professional endeavours, and they would not expect the Duke to voice support for the finalists of William’s Earthshot Prize, for example.
One critic of Harry said: ‘Harry has never supported any of latest William‘s projects, not Earthshot when he is president of African Parks and advocate for climate change, no word about Homewards either but they insist William must supportInvictus. I’m so tired of this nonsense’.
Harry and Meghan share a private moment
Meghan smiles to the crowds at an event last night
Harry and Meghan are now the only two royals involved. William and Kate had supported it in the past
Meghan attends the medal ceremony and hands over a medal to the winning team
The Duke of Sussex and Meghan Duchess of Sussex are seen at the wheelchair basketball final between the United States and France
Prince Harry speaks enthusiastically to a Team GB supporter
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex meets Glory Essien at the “Friends @ Home Event” at the Station Airport during day three of the Invictus Games
Earlier this month King Charles attended the Highland Games – an event which was a firm favourite of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II – with the Duchess of Cornwall.
They were joined by Anne, Princess Royal, and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence at the games which have been a part of Scotland’s culture for hundreds of years.
Critics argue the royal family’s ‘ill-will’ towards Harry should not be held against the disabled veterans who are competing.
The Prince and Princess of Wales were integral in the early stages of the Invictus Games.
The Royal Foundation, which was shared by Prince Harry at the time – invested significant amounts of money in the event.
Meanwhile Harry’s brother Prince William continued with his charity work yesterday in London, visiting a building site to discuss the mental health of construction workers.
His sister-in-law Kate has also been carrying out royal visits this week, going to HMP High Down in Surrey on Tuesday to learn more about the work of an addiction charity.
King Charles III visited Tomintoul in the Cairngorms where he was welcomed by primary school children and community stalwarts.
An anonymous UK media strategist said: ‘It’s ironic Buckingham Palace has had more to say about the Highland Games than the Invictus Games, despite the honorary military roles they hold.
‘In doing so, the palace ends up looking mean-spirited and petty. The ill will against Harry should not be held against the Invictus competitors.’
The Invictus Games is one of the big projects that Prince Harry has continued since his departure from the royal family.
He was given a hero’s welcome in Germany by those attending the latest iteration of the competition he founded for wounded and disabled military veterans.
Harry arrived at the event trailed by dozens of excited schoolchildren who had been given time off from studies to attend.
He has said he plans to attend as many events as he can during the week-long competition.
On Tuesday, Meghan Markle joined the Duke at the games held at the Merkur Spiel-Arena, where the pair were seen smiling and rejoicing as they watched numerous sporting events. The Duchess was seen sporting a stars and stripes badge as she cheered her home country on during the wheelchair basketball game between USA and France yesterday.
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
247
