An elegant tribute. Meghan Markle showed her appreciation for Queen Elizabeth II at her funeral, donning jewelry the late monarch gifted her.
The former Suits actress, 41, was seen wearing dainty pearl-drop earrings as she and members of the British royal family said their final goodbyes to Her Majesty — who died on September 8 at age 96 — at Westminster Abbey in London on Monday, September 19. The Duchess of Sussex paired the jewels, which she was given by Elizabeth in 2018, with a wide-brimmed hat and a cape dress. Meghan’s fascinator was notably different than that of Princess Kate and Queen Consort Camilla‘s hats as it did not feature a veil. Both Kate and Camilla’s toppers featured a netted cloth — a tradition that is meant to recognize a grieving period.
Meghan’s nod to the queen comes after she also wore the earrings while attending Elizabeth’s Westminster Hall service on Wednesday, September 14. Meghan styled the set with a black dress and a matching fascinator.
This wouldn’t be the first time the California native has worn jewels from the royal collection. When the “Archetypes” podcast host tied the knot with Prince Harry at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in May 2018, she did so wearing the Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau Tiara. At an exhibition showcasing items from their wedding day later that year, the duchess shared in a voice recording that it was a “surreal” experience to select the headpiece with her grandmother-in-law.
Meghan — who shares son Archie, 3, and daughter Lilibet, 15 months, with Harry — had traveled to the U.K. earlier this month for a series of public engagements with her husband, 38. After the queen’s passing, the pair remained abroad during the country’s mourning period.
“In celebrating the life of my grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen — and in mourning her loss — we are all reminded of the guiding compass she was to so many in her commitment to service and duty. She was globally admired and respected,” Harry wrote in a Monday, September 12, statement. “Her unwavering grace and dignity remained true throughout her life and now her everlasting legacy.”
Buckingham Palace announced on September 8 that Britain’s longest-reigning monarch had died “peacefully” at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. After being driven to the palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Elizabeth’s body was transported back to London via Royal Air Force on Tuesday, September 13. One day later, her children and grandchildren walked in a procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where her coffin laid in state for several days before the state funeral.
Following Monday’s ceremony, a committal service will occur at Windsor Castle. Elizabeth will be buried in a prepared tomb at the King George VI Memorial Chapel in St George’s Chapel alongside her late husband Prince Philip, who died in April 2021.