Meghan Markle bought her daughter Princess Lilibet this stunning gift years before she even met Prince Harry and it’s message is seriously sweet
The precious gift cost her £5,000
When Meghan Markle 'splurged' and bought herself a £5,000 watch years before meeting her future husband Prince Harry, she already had plans to gift the stunning jewellery to her daughter Princess Lilibet.
The royal family have a huge collection of heirloom jewellery that has been passed down by royal women, from Prince William using his late mother's engagement ring to propose to Kate Middleton ahead of their 2011 wedding, to Queen Consort Camilla wearing Queen Mary's Crown for King Charles' coronation earlier this year.
Princess Charlotte is set to inherit many of Kate Middleton's magnificent jewels and, while she is largely removed from the Royal Family and the many protocols it enforced, though her brother Prince Archie is not, Princess Lilibet is in line to inherit a host of sentimental gifts from her mum Meghan Markle and late grandmother Princess Diana.
But Meghan had a certain piece of jewellery in mind for Lilibet to one day get her hands on years before she even met her future husband Prince Harry, when her future life as a royal was never even a possibility in her mind.
When Meghan learned that the popular TV show Suits, in which she played Rachel Zane, had been renewed for it's third season, she 'splurged' on a special gift for herself to mark her success. The present? A luxurious £5,000 Cartier Tank Francaise watch.
"I've always coveted the Cartier French Tank watch," OK! Magazine reports she said of the self-gifted present in 2015. "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."
She personalised the watch with a sweet and powerful message to remind herself of all the hard work she had put in to get herself into this successful career. The engraving on the back of the timepiece read, 'To M.M. From M.M'
GoodtoKnow Newsletter
Parenting advice, hot topics, best buys and family finance tips delivered straight to your inbox.
The future royal then added, "I plan to give it to my daughter one day. That's what makes pieces special, the connection you have to them."
Meghan couldn't have known it then, but she would soon become the proud owner of an even more precious Cartier French Tank watch. That's because, upon her marriage to Prince Harry in 2018, Meghan inherited Princess Diana's own Cartier Tank Francaise watch which was gifted to the late royal on her 21st birthday by her father.
Meghan owns many of Princess Diana's other jewellery pieces and has been spotted in some of them throughout her life as a royal. The most notable include the late royal's Emerald cut aquamarine ring that's surrounded by diamonds and set in 24-carat yellow gold, Diana's Cartier tennis bracelet, which is worth around £17,000, and also a pair of her butterfly earrings.
Kate Middleton has also been seen in many of her mother-in-law's jewellery items, often sporting them for big royal events where they take centre stage. Last year, she was seen wearing the Lover's Knot Tiara which was a favourite piece of Diana's. While the piece is beautiful and clearly a favourite among royal women, fashion coach and celebrity stylist Miranda Holder revealed on TikTok, "Apparently because it was so heavy, [Diana] used to get terrible headaches from wearing it."
Kate also wore a pair of Diana's dazzling sapphire and diamond drop earrings for the Jubilee Celebrations in 2022 which are just one of the sentimental pieces in the Princess' jewellery collection that has an estimated worth of £1.7 million!
Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is royal news and entertainment writer for Goodto.com. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.
-
How to play with Barbie dolls: 6 ways to use the iconic doll as a positive role model at home
If you have a little one who loves to play with Barbie, there are lots of positive ways in which you can encourage them to play in a way that helps their development and self-esteem. We’ll show you how.
By Joanne Lewsley Published
-
Think you're raising a mini-me? It's actually unlikely your child will inherit your personality and could have a temperament closer to a 'random stranger', according to new study
If you often hear the phrase 'like mother like daughter,' or 'like father like son,' research suggests you're actually only slightly more likely to share familial traits than with strangers.
By Lucy Wigley Published
-
Does Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's new family-friendly Netflix show mean we'll see more of Archie and Lilibet? We share everything we know
Royal fans are hoping to catch a glimpse of the youngsters
By Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse Published
-
Meghan Markle’s understandable parenting anxiety that means Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet likely won’t visit the UK next month
The Sussex family are meant to be visiting the UK next month, but 'anxiety' over their children's safety means the plans may yet change
By Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse Published
-
Prince William and Kate Middleton are ‘enthusiastic’ about reconciling with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle - and it’s all for the sake of their children
The Prince and Princess of Wales are reportedly keen to end the royal feud and connect with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet
By Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse Published
-
Meghan Markle opens up about ‘cruel’ and ‘hateful’ online bullying she experienced throughout her pregnancies - and reveals the one thing that got her through it
Meghan reflected on the struggles she experienced during her pregnancies in an emotional speech at the SXSW festival over the weekend
By Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse Published
-
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet set to benefit massively from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s latest venture - and it proves the couple want the very best future for their children
The royal youngsters aren't the only children whose lives could be changed by the project
By Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse Published
-
Prince Harry reveals telling insight into his current relationship with father King Charles - and shares ‘top secret’ update on Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in surprise TV interview
Harry has spoken publicly about his father for the first time since his cancer diagnosis
By Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse Published
-
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are not the only royal children to be given new surnames - Prince George, Charlotte and Louis have already had three!
It's not all that unusual for royal kids to be known by various names throughout their lives
By Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse Published
-
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle change Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet's surname in ‘surprise’ move that proves they will always be royals
The royal couple have rebranded their website and made some poignant changes to their children's names
By Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse Published