Meghan Markle paid a touching tribute to her children by sporting a personalised necklace during her and Prince Harry’s visit to Colombia. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who stepped back from their Royal duties in 2020, embarked on a whirlwind tour of the South American country, arriving in the capital, Bogota, on Thursday morning for a breakfast meeting with Vice President Francia Marquez and her husband, Rafael Yerney Pinillo.
Over the past four days, the couple has taken Colombia by storm, participating in events promoting mental health for young people and tackling cyberbullying. This marks their second official tour of the year, following their visit to Nigeria in May.
Meghan and Harry, 39, are parents to son Prince Archie, 5, born in May 2019, and daughter Princess Lilibet, 3, born in June 2021. Meghan keeps them close at all times when they cannot physically be together by wearing a pendant engraved with their names.
The custom-made 14ct yellow gold pendant, designed by Ariel Gordon, reportedly cost the Duchess £1,350. The brand is popular among celebrities such as Beyonce, Kate Winslet, Gigi Hadid and Jessica Alba.
The brand behind Meghan’s tribute necklace confirmed in a statement: “Our Imperial Disc Pendant is an elegant version of our best-selling Signet Medallion Necklace that Ariel designed when she wanted a necklace that could bear the names of her two children. Evoking a 1970s castaway vibe,” reports The Mirror.
Eagle-eyed fans noticed that the Duke of Sussex opted to wear the very necklace he alleges was broken by his brother, Prince William, during a heated dispute.
In his book ‘Spare’, Harry claimed that in 2019, the now Prince of Wales had him pinned to the floor and broke his necklace during a “physical fight”. He recounted calling his therapist after the altercation, revealing that his shirt was “ripped” and his necklace “broken” following the row which felt “different” from their previous disagreements.
Harry alleged that the brawl ensued after William labelled Meghan as ‘difficult’, ‘rude’ and ‘abrasive’, insisting he was merely trying to ‘help’ Harry during a meeting. It is reported that William apologised to Harry following the supposed scuffle.
In January 2023, Harry made an appearance on The Late Show in the US where host Stephen Colbert questioned him about the infamous necklace. The 58 year old host asked: “There is a lot of talk about the physical fight that the two of you had, where he pushed you down in the kitchen and broke the dog bowl, when you fell on it. It says it broke your necklace. What necklace was it that he broke?”
Harry proudly showcased a necklace during an interview, lifting it to reveal three pendants and explaining: “This one. Which is now fixed.” As host Stephen probed for details, the Duke of Sussex highlighted a touching tribute to his children, with two pendants featuring cardiograms of Archie and Lilibet’s heartbeats, a thoughtful gift from his wife Meghan Markle.
He elaborated on the sentimental jewellery, saying: “It’s got my kids’ heartbeats, which my wife gave me.” Harry then pointed to the third pendant, adding: “And then a friend of mine in Botswana made this for me, which has got tiger’s eye in the middle.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, have been seen wearing these meaningful necklaces on various occasions throughout the years.
