Inside Meghan Markle’s million-dollar watch collection,
Meghan Markle has released the first promo for her upcoming Netflix Christmas special as part of her ongoing deal with the American streaming service.
On Monday, the Duchess of Sussex, 44, shared the first look for ‘With Love, Meghan Holiday Celebration’ with her Instagram followers as she unveiled the show’s poster.
The image showed Meghan, clad in a festive-ready, emerald Galvin gown, smiling to herself while setting her Christmas table with an assortment of baubles, candles, and spruce leaves.
While the table was overflowing with decorations, Meghan herself opted for a more understated styling approach by ditching heavy jewellery and makeup – and allowing her Cartier wrist stack to do most of the heavy lifting.
Meghan paired her beloved 18-carat Cartier Love Bracelet, believed to be a £5,000 gift from Prince Harry during the early days of their relationship, with her mother-in-law’s famous gold Cartier Tank Francaise for the shoot.
The watch, once owned by Diana, is a staple piece in Meghan’s wardrobe – but the Duchess recently swapped it out for a design that bears a striking resemblance to another of the late Princess of Wales’s prized Cartier pieces.
The former Suits actress, who recently signed her first film in eight years, was pictured on set in Los Angeles, California, wearing a watch that royal fans believe is the same one Dodi Al Fayed gifted Diana.
If Meghan has indeed acquired the Panthiere De Cartier, it would make her the owner of two heirloom pieces from Diana’s collection – and experts estimate their connection to the people’s princess would put their ‘value in the millions’.
While the Duchess appears to favour the Tank Francaise, she has also been spotted in more affordable timepieces – including one that retails for just $40 on the secondary market.
Timex Originals Tonal Watch
This £30 watch from Timex has certainly stood the test of time, with Meghan first wearing it in a 2016 interview with Good Housekeeping.
The LA-born actress was best known for portraying paralegal Rachel Zane on Suits when the magazine profiled her, as Meghan discussed her ‘love of snail mail, work wardrobe essentials, and her (now-defunct) lifestyle website, The Tig’.
In one of the images from the shoot, before she met and fell in love with Prince Harry, Meghan can be seen wearing the Timex watch that features a circular, gold-toned case with a brown dial and matching leather strap.
According to the CEO of WatchGuys, Robertino Altieri, it is a ‘bulkier watch than Markle normally wears’.
He told Hello! magazine that the watch is ‘pretty affordable and can be found on the secondary market for around $40’.
Baume Et Mercier ‘Hampton’ Wrap Watch
Another watch that Meghan has owned for at least a decade is Baume Et Mercier’s brown ‘Hampton’ style with a wraparound strap.
It was first seen on Meghan’s Instagram in 2015 when she posted a photo of her beloved beagle Guy, who sadly died in January this year.
She also wore the watch, which retails for around $1,500, during a trip to Redvale vineyard, as per Hello!’s report.
The simple yet elegant watch has a silver dial and leather strap that ‘wraps around the wrist twice’, Mr Altieri said.
The Two-tone Cartier Tank Francaise Watch
Meghan is known to be a fan of the Tank watch and splurged on her own two-tone version back in 2013 when ‘Suits’ was picked up for a third season.
In an interview with Hello! magazine two years later, Meghan explained that she treated herself to the £4,200 watch to celebrate the success of the American legal drama.
‘I’ve always coveted the Cartier French Tank watch. 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.’
Meghan also revealed she had the stainless steel and yellow gold watch engraved to read ‘To M.M. From M.M.’ and hoped to pass it on to her daughter one day, adding: ‘That’s what makes pieces special, the connection you have to them.’
Princess Diana’s priceless Cartier Tank Watch
The 24-carat gold Tank watch, once owned by Diana and thought to be gifted to Meghan by Harry, was priced at £17,800 at the time but is now likely worth a lot more given its history, and is one of the pieces sported by Meghan today.
According to former royal butler Paul Burrell, Prince William initially picked the Tank Francaise while Prince Harry chose her famous sapphire engagement ring to keep for themselves after Diana’s death.
However, the brothers swapped them when William decided to propose to Kate Middleton, now the Princess of Wales, in 2010.
‘Harry gave up his precious treasure,’ Mr Burrell told Marie Claire in 2021. ‘His one thing he kept from his mother, he gave to his brother. That’s selfless, kind, and exactly who Diana was.’
Meghan, therefore, received the watch as a gift from Prince Harry after their wedding in 2018.
The elegant timepiece was worn by Diana on a number of occasions in the 90s, including a 1997 visit to London’s Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu Temple, and an engagement at the British Lung Foundation that same year.
The Panthiere De Cartier Watch
While filming Close Personal Friends, in which the Duchess reportedly plays herself, Meghan was seen sporting a new watch in place of the Tank Francaise.
While this is still unconfirmed, royal watchers quickly pointed out the never-before-seen bling resembles the Panthiere De Cartier watch that was given to Diana by her late lover Dodi Al Fayed – the son of Harrods tycoon, Mohamed Al Fayed.
According to royal biographer Judy Wade, as shared by Town & Country, it was among the many opulent gifts he showered Diana with, including ‘a huge box of tropical fruit and a roomful of pink roses’.
‘Designed in the 1980s, the Panthère de Cartier watch takes its name from the bracelet of the same name,’ according to the brand.
‘Its ultra-flexible structure echoes the movements of the Maison’s emblematic animal.
‘Both a watch and a piece of jewellery, it is a veritable fashion icon for women with bold style.’
