On Monday, People reported Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, is seen wearing a bracelet that belonged to Harry’s mother, Princess Diana — the same bracelet that was used to help craft Markle’s engagement ring during a preview for Meghan and Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, airing March 7 on CBS. According to People, the couple wanted Markle, who is expecting her second child, to wear the bracelet during the interview so Diana could be with them.
When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry became engaged in 2017, news of the couple’s engagement was then thought to be a big step in ushering Britain’s monarchy into a more modern direction. Not only is Markle divorced, but she’s also Black. The Internet was more than excited to see the royal family welcome its first biracial member, and just when it looked like times were a-changing at Buckingham Palace, we got an ugly reminder Prince Harry’s family still has a ways to go. When Markle attended the Queen’s Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace she was forced to dine among Princess Michael of Kent, Prince Michael of Kent’s wife and Queen Elizabeth II’s first cousin who drew criticism over her choice of jewelry. She wore what appeared to be a blackamoor brooch, which is racist, to the lunch.
And speaking of brooches, there was the time Queen Elizabeth (maybe, possibly) threw shade at then-President Trump during his visit to Windsor Castle in 2018. On the day Trump arrived in England, the Queen wore a brooch that was a personal gift from the Obamas, paid for with their own money. The next day, she adorned herself with another piece she holds dear to her heart: the Sapphire Jubilee brooch, a gift from Canada — the same country Trump was risking a trade war with. But here’s the kicker: On the final day of Trump’s visit, Queen Elizabeth II wore the same brooch her mother wore to her father’s funeral. Yes, dear reader, his funeral. She may be against wearing wedges, but she certainly isn’t against using her clothes to send a subliminal message.
