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During his recent tour of Colombia with his wife Meghan Markle, Prince Harry‘s necklace seems to have caught some attention due to its somewhat controversial history.
Related: Meghan Markle Apparently Got in Big Trouble With the Royals Over…a Necklace
Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, touched down in Bogota on August 15, 2024. They were warmly greeted by Vice President Francia Márquez—the first Black woman to hold this position in Colombia—and her husband, Rafael Yerney Pinillo. But it wasn’t just the high-profile meeting that sparked headlines.
The Duke of Sussex, who’s been navigating choppy waters since stepping back from royal duties and relocating to California with Meghan, seems to have picked a piece of jewelry that carries more weight than meets the eye. The necklace in question is a gift from a friend in Botswana, a place that holds special significance for the couple (remember, that’s where they went on their third date). It features three charms: a tiger’s eye stone and two silver pendants gifted to him by Meghan, each etched with the heartbeats of their children, Archie and Lilibet.
But here’s where things get interesting. The necklace also has a bit of royal drama attached to it. In his memoir, Spare
, Harry recounted an alleged physical altercation with his brother, Prince William, who he claims tore the necklace off his neck.
“He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out,” Harry writes in Spare. The alleged incident, according to Harry, was sparked by William’s comments about Meghan being “rude” and “abrasive.”
Fast forward to 2023, and Harry discussed the incident with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show. He mentioned that the necklace was “now fixed” and explained its significance: “I’ve got my kids’ heartbeats, which my wife gave me,” he said, referring to the etched pendants. “And a friend of mine in Botswana made this for me, which has got tiger’s eye on it.”
Over a year later, the Duke of Sussex is back to sporting what appears to be this very same necklace. In photos from the trip, you can spot the cord peeking out from his open-collared shirts as he mingles with Colombian students and officials.
During their visit, Meghan and Harry discussed their mission to create a safer digital landscape and promote mental health for children worldwide. Perhaps Harry’s choice to wear this particular necklace—with its history of being broken and mended—is more than just a fashion statement. Could it be a symbol of new beginnings? A reminder that even fractured relationships can be repaired?
Whatever the reason, it’s clear that this simple cord necklace carries a ton of meaning for the prince. As he continues to forge his own path outside of traditional royal duties, he’s keeping reminders of his journey close to his heart—or in this case, around his neck.
For more about Prince Harry, read his memoir, Spare. Told for the first time in his own words, the book takes readers through the Duke of Sussex’s life with the British royal family, from the death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997 to how the moment led to his decision decades later to move to America with his wife, Meghan Markle, and leave Buckingham Palace for good in 2020. “With its raw, unflinching honesty, Spare is a landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief,” the publisher’s description reads.
