Meghan Markle paid tribute to her children by gifting them personalized necklaces during a visit to Colombia with Prince Harry.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have had a whirlwind tour of Colombia on their latest royal style tour. The couple, who retired from working royal duties in 2020, arrived in the capital Bogota on Thursday morning and had a breakfast meeting with Vice President Francia Marquez and her husband Rafael Yerny Pinillo.
Over the past four days, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have taken the South American country by storm, drawing crowds to events to promote youth mental health and combat cyberbullying. The visit to Colombia marks their second official tour of the year, after visiting Nigeria in May, where they took part in a range of activities over three days.
Meghan and Prince Harry, 39, had a son, Prince Archie, 5, in May 2019 and a daughter, Princess Lilibet, 3, in June 2021. They are unable to be physically together.
Meghan was photographed wearing the pendant around her neck during a visit to Colombia. The 14K yellow gold pendant was custom made and engraved with the names of her two children.
It was designed by Ariel Gordon and is said to have cost the Duchess of Sussex $1,700 (£1,350). The brand is reportedly popular with other celebrities, including Beyonce, Kate Winslet, Gigi Hadid, and Jessica Alba.
A statement from the brand paid tribute to Meghan, saying: “Our Imperial Disc pendant is an elegant version of our best-selling signet medallion necklace, designed by Ariel when she wanted a necklace engraved with the names of her two children. It evokes a 1970s castaway vibe.”
Fans were quick to notice that the prince had decided to wear the necklace, which his brother Prince William claimed he had broken during a heated argument.
The Duke of Sussex claimed in his book Spares that the Prince of Wales had wrestled him to the ground and snapped the chain during a “physical struggle” in 2019. In the book, Harry recalls calling a therapist after the argument and reveals that his brother “threw him to the ground” while his shirt was “ripped” and his necklace was “broken” after he felt the argument was “different” to previous ones.
He claims the brawl broke out after his brother called Meghan “difficult,” “rude” and “violent” and claimed he was trying to “help” Prince Harry during the meeting. Prince William is said to have apologised to Prince Harry after the apparent scuffle.
In January 2023, he appeared on the US show “The Late Show” where he was asked by host Stephen Colbert about the necklace. Host Stephen, 58, asked: “There’s been a lot of talk about an argument between the two of you, where he pushed you down in the kitchen and you ended up breaking a dog bowl when you fell into it. He allegedly broke your necklace. Which necklace did he break?
Harry responded: “It’s been repaired now.” Harry then held up the necklace with three pendants to show the audience. Presenter Stephen then asked him to explain the three pendants, and the Duke of Sussex revealed two of them, with plates engraved with Archie and Lilibet’s electrocardiograms, given to him by his wife Meghan Markle, as a tribute to his children.
He explained: “It has the heartbeats of my children in it, which my wife gave me.” Pointing to the third pendant, he said: “And then my friend in Botswana made this for me. It’s got a tiger’s eye in the middle.”
Prince Harry and Meghan have been photographed wearing these necklaces many times over the years.
