Princess Diana's 10 Most Iconic Pieces of Jewelry, Including Her Most Priceless Items
Cartier Watch
Diana was often photographed on Royal duty and in her downtime, wearing her beloved Cartier tank watches. The style icon owned two variations of the time-honored classic: a Tank Louis Cartier with a black alligator strap as well as an elegant gold Tank Française. According to Vogue, when Diana passed, her sons were allowed to pick a personal item from her Kensington Palace belongings, and William chose the Tank Française. Royal experts believe that William eventually passed it on to Prince Harry, whose wife Meghan Markle now often wears it
Patek Philippe Watch
Throughout the 1980s, Diana was rarely seen without her gold Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 3618 watch, which Charles had gifted to her for her 20th birthday ahead of their wedding. In one memorable moment in July 1983, a polka dot-clad Diana was photographed in not one but two watches. While supporting Charles during a polo match, she opted to wear his watch as well in order to bring him luck.
Sapphire Brooch Choker
In inimitably Diana fashion, she breathed new life into a substantial diamond and sapphire brooch that the Queen Mother gifted to her for her wedding. Diana had the gobstopper-sized piece reimagined into a necklace with seven strands of archival pearls—and it soon became one of her favorites. It was a statement necklace that Diana wore often, but most memorably of all, it was what she chose to accessorize her ‘revenge dress’ with in 1994. Its last known outing was when Diana wore it to the Met Gala in New York in December 1996.
D Initial Necklace
While Diana’s access to jaw-dropping jewels reached new heights once she joined the Royal family, one of her most-worn pieces pre-dates her status as a Princess. A simple gold ‘D’ initial charm on a thin choker was omnipresent with many of her outfits, particularly in her years as a young mom. While the whereabouts of the necklace at present are unknown, Town & Country reports that a silver ‘D’ necklace that Diana wore as a teenager sold for $8,000 at an auction in 2017.
The Crown Prince Of Saudi Arabia’s Sapphire Suite
Diana’s penchant for sapphires was well-documented. During her Royal tenure, the Prince of Saudi Arabia gifted Diana a spectacular suite including a sapphire and diamond necklace, bracelet, and earrings to complement her engagement ring. Diana wore the pieces prolifically during her life, and even notably had the necklace refashioned into a headdress.
Diamond and South Sea Pearl Earrings
One of Diana’s most treasured pairs of earrings during the 1990s has become a favorite of her daughter-in-law, Catherine, too. Sadly, these elegant earrings with their large detachable pearls were what Diana was pictured wearing while attending a performance of Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall in London; her last official engagement before she passed away. In recent years, the Princess of Wales has taken to wearing the elegant earrings everywhere from Ascot to the BAFTAs.
Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara
Initially commissioned by Queen Mary in 1914, Queen Elizabeth II presented this spectacular pearl and diamond tiara to Diana before her wedding in 1981 (although she would ultimately choose to wear the Spencer family tiara on her big day.) The substantial diadem would become one of Diana’s most adored pieces, but after her divorce from Charles, it was returned to the Windsor vaults in Buckingham Palace. Alas, since 2015, the Princess of Wales has worn the tiara at least nine times—much to the public’s delight.
