Meghan Markle's necklace from Princess Diana's collection leaves Royal experts puzzled as they never saw her wear it

Meghan Markle turned heads with a new piece of jewellery during her and Prince Harry's visit to Nigeria, sparking speculation that it might be from Princess Diana's collection.

The diamond cross necklace that Meghan, 42, wore at a reception for military families in Abuja caught the sunlight and the attention of Royal enthusiasts, who noted they couldn't recall seeing Diana wear it.

According to the New York Post, the necklace was a heartfelt gift from Prince Harry, who inherited it among other items from his mother's private collection. A source close to the Sussexes shared: "A gift to his wife that once belonged to his mother is incredibly meaningful and that isn't lost on his wife."

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Yet, the same report included scepticism from insiders about the necklace's origins, with the Post's picture editors unable to locate any images of Diana wearing the piece.

An insider with close ties to Diana expressed surprise, noting, "No, I didn't recognise this at all," and highlighted that Diana typically shied away from religious symbols to avoid causing offence, saying, "In fact, Diana was ever the professional and she generally avoided wearing religious motifs of any kind because they have the potential to offend people, so she would never usually wear such a thing.", reports the Scottish Daily Express.

Another comment came from a "London socialite" who observed: "Meghan likes to curate her jewellery to tell a certain story. I find it hard to believe that she's been sitting on this necklace for five years."

Diana, who tragically passed away at the age of 37 in August 1997, was only seen wearing a cross twice in public during her more than 16 years as one of the most photographed women globally.

On one occasion, while embracing HIV-positive children in San Paulo, Brazil, in April 1991, a small baby reached up to touch her gold cross necklace. She later donated this cross and chain to a charity auction scheduled for September 1997.

The item was stored and eventually sold to an Australian collector for an undisclosed amount.

The only other instance was when she borrowed the Attallah Cross crafted by Royal jeweller, Garrard, in 1920 from her friend, businessman Naim Attallah, for a charity gala in London in October 1987. This piece was auctioned in January 2023 and acquired by Kim Kardashian for just under $200,000.

All of Diana's jewellery collection was bequeathed to her sons, William and Harry, although there has always been some mystery surrounding why her will was seemingly altered by her executors. It stipulated that three-quarters of her physical possessions should go to her sons, with the remaining quarter divided among her 17 godchildren.

However, the godchildren each received only one keepsake. This change may have resulted from a letter from Diana, which came to light during the trial of former butler Paul Burrell on charges of theft from her apartment.

The trial fell apart when the late Queen Elizabeth remembered that Burrell had been authorised to take certain items, excluding jewellery.

In her letter to her executors, Diana stated: "I would like you to allocate all my jewellery to the share to be held by my sons, so that their wives may, in due course, have it or use it. I leave the exact division of the jewellery to your discretion."