In case you hadn't heard already, Queen Elizabeth II has a new BFF - and, no, it's not a new corgi. It's actually none other than Prince Harry's new wife Meghan Markle - or the Duchess of Sussex, if you want to keep things official.
The pair officially embarked on their first royal engagement together this week, heading to Cheshire on the Royal Train to open the Mersey Gateway Bridge and Chester's Storyhouse Theatre and attend a lunch at Chester Town Hall as guests of the city council.
While the tour itself sounds pretty official, Meghan and the Queen didn't sweat it at all, and were spotted giggling together through the day. However, amidst all of the fun, there was important one thing that people missed about the former American actress' outfit - something that pretty much proves that her new friendship with Harry's grandma has been cemented.
To mark the occasion, the Duchess was wearing a pair of earrings that she had been given by the Queen. According to The Sun's royal reporter, Emily Andrews, the elegant pearl and diamond earrings Meghan was sporting were handed over to her by the monarch, who reportedly owns them herself. The former Suits star was looking absolutely stunning of course, having matched them with her custom Givenchy dress.
As expected, royal experts spotted her new jewellery straight away, with some pointing out that Princess Diana wore a very similar pair for one of her own royal visits, giving the earrings a bit of a sentimental touch. In addition, the Queen herself is rarely seen without her pearl accessories, regularly pairing them with her pearl necklace for outings.
Clearly the 92-year-old is loving having Meghan as a granddaughter-in-law - but don't think she's playing favourites now. Kate Middleton has borrowed several incredible pieces of jewellery from Queen Elizabeth over the years, including three major pieces from her private jewellery collection at a state banquet in 2015 and the delicate Cartier Halo tiara she wore on her wedding day in 2011.
Nonetheless, no matter how many jewels the UK monarch of 65 years owns, it still doesn't mean that she's overly bothered about them. In fact, rumour has it that Queen Elizabeth doesn't really care for flashy accessories.
Royal expert Alastair Bruce, who spoke with the Queen for The Coronation documentary, has stated that, while she takes the Crown Jewels’ cultural and symbolic role seriously, she’s not interested in jewellery itself.
"The Queen is entirely disinterested in jewellery as a person," he said. "There are plenty of people I know who are excited about what they have in a box in their bedroom. The Queen is the guardian of a considerable quantity of jewellery, setting aside the Regalia, but I don’t see her as somebody who’s particularly interested in diamonds and sitting there [cooing over them] like Elizabeth Taylor."
Not even caring about owning copious amounts of beautiful jewellery. The life of a royal, eh? If I could be part of the Windsor family, I know I'd be testing out every single one of those crown jewels like there was no tomorrow. Don't laugh, it's entirely possible. Hey, if Meghan can snag a prince, why can't I?
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