The Duchess of Sussex stepped out without the engagement ring Prince Harry gave her for the couple’s first joint public appearance in the UK since their return.
Meghan, 45, has not been photographed wearing the ring for almost nine months. However, many expected her to bring out the diamond sparkler for the couple’s royal-style appearance in Nottingham today.
The city holds particular significance for the Sussexes, as it was where they carried out their first royal walkabout together after announcing their engagement in 2017.
Meghan paired her outfit with a £1,500 cashmere coat and burgundy heels by London-based designer Jennifer Chamandi, valued at £650. She kept the rest of her jewellery understated.
The duchess was last seen wearing the engagement ring in February 2026, when she attended an NBA game in California.
Instead, Meghan accessorised her autumnal look — featuring a burgundy coat and matching knit jumper, both from Joseph — with her wedding band and the bedazzled fitness tracker she is now rarely seen without.
Alongside the Oura ring, which is concealed inside a custom diamond-encrusted gold ‘sleeve’ by Logan Hollowell, she wore a new and unidentified gold band on her right hand.
She also wore Princess Diana’s Cartier Tank Française watch, valued at £17,800 ($24,020), which was given to her after her marriage to the Duke of Sussex.
Meghan did not wear the engagement ring from Prince Harry during their first joint public outing since returning to the UK
Meghan is rarely seen without Princess Diana’s Cartier Tank Française watch, which was given to her shortly after her 2018 wedding
Meghan wore her wedding band and an Oura ring, a titanium fitness tracker that monitors heart rate, sleep quality, calories burned and other health metrics
Harry proposed to Meghan in 2017, commissioning the late Queen Elizabeth II’s regular jeweller, Cleave & Company, to create a one-of-a-kind engagement ring for his future bride.
The prince reportedly took a ring from Meghan’s jewellery box so the designers could determine her size. In a touching tribute to his late mother, he also asked them to ‘harvest’ diamonds from one of Diana’s bracelets.
Since the proposal at Nottingham Cottage — the couple’s former home in the grounds of Kensington Palace — the ring is believed to have been altered four times. Meghan was spotted wearing it with a thinner band than the original design at Trooping the Colour in June 2019.
Small diamonds were also added along the sides of the ring. The changes were valued at around £126,000 ($150,000), with jewellery expert Arabel Lebrusan suggesting the redesign reflected a more American style.
Royal biographer Omid Scobie wrote in Finding Freedom that the decision to resize and reset Meghan’s engagement ring with a new diamond band in 2019 was Harry’s idea.
In the biography, celebrity jeweller Lorraine Schwartz reportedly described the prince as: ‘The loveliest person ever. So romantic, so thoughtful.’
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The authors added: ‘So much so that Harry also thought to have Lorraine resize and reset Meghan’s engagement ring with a new diamond band.’
More than 100 people gathered to welcome the Sussexes in the East Midlands this morning
Further speculation about changes to Meghan’s engagement ring emerged in 2022, when she attended the Invictus Games in The Hague, Netherlands. The setting appeared to feature additional diamonds surrounding the central stone.
The ring was notably absent during several of Meghan’s appearances in 2023, when a loose stone was reportedly being repaired – in what some believed was a third alteration.
In 2025, eagle-eyed royal fans noted that the ring’s central diamond looked more like an emerald cut than the original cushion cut when it was seen in a trailer for Meghan’s since-axed Netflix series.
During their appearance in Nottingham, a crowd of 100 fans gathered to greet Harry and Meghan.
The duchess accepted bouquets and balloons from well-wishers as she told them ‘it’s great to be back’. Harry repeatedly placed a protective arm around her as they posed for selfies and chatted with members of the public.
At one point, Meghan appeared to show someone in the crowd her jewellery.
Their last official public appearance together in Britain was at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022.
Meghan kisses Irene Hardman, 90, who was there to greet them on their first official royal outing in the city in 2017 and returned today with a framed photo from the day
Meghan bowed and clutched her hands to her chest after a warm reception from the crowd of supporters
There is a ‘really nice synergy’ in their return to Nottingham nine years on, a source said, while adding that things have changed since they were last there.
‘Her public appearances will be relatively rare. She is reading a lot of scripts at the moment. If she has time left after all of that, she will do some charity work,’ the Sussex source continued.
‘But she’s not a working royal. Her day isn’t organised around a programme pulled together by a private secretary. She’s a full-time mum and entrepreneur, and that alone takes up a lot of time and work.’
Harry is focused on his charity work, especially Invictus, while Meghan is more focused on her brand As Ever and her potential return to acting.
‘They have different professional priorities,’ one source told the Telegraph. ‘Prince Harry’s is his philanthropic work and public service. Her focus is on her family and children, followed by her business, followed by rebooting her acting career.’