Prince Harry was "shocked" when he was informed his aides knew the controversial backstory to a pair of earrings Meghan Markle was heavily criticised for wearing, a new book has claimed.
Shortly after joining the royal family, the new Duchess of Sussex wore a glitzy pair of diamond earrings to a state dinner during a tour of Fiji in 2018, hosted by the country's President Jioji Konrote.
At the time, the media were told the earrings had been "borrowed", but it has since been reported that the earrings were sent to the duchess by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince as a wedding gift - though there is no suggestion that he gave the earrings to the Duchess personally, and she is not known to have ever met him.
Meghan's decision to wear the jewels surprised palace staff, due to reports implicating the Saudi royal in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Washington Post columnist was killed inside the Saudi embassy in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 2 of the same year.
In his new book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, the Times' Royal Correspondent Valentine Low claims Palace staff responsible for registering details of all royal gifts recognised the earrings straight away and got in touch with people at Kensington Palace.
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But Low claims that the aides decided "not to confront" Meghan and Harry on the issue and the potential upset it could cause "out of fear for what their reaction would be".
However, a few weeks later, Meghan donned the earrings once more as she headed to the 70th birthday party of the then-Prince Charles.
Low's book alleges that following this second occasion, an aide decided to discuss the provenance of the earrings with the Duke of Sussex and Prince Harry was "said to have looked 'shocked' that people knew where the earrings came from".
Mr Low adds that Meghan and Harry's legal team "deny [the Duke] was ever questioned about their provenance".
Back in 2021, the couple's representatives said Meghan had "no idea about Sheikh Mohammed’s involvement in Khashoggi’s murder".
The Duchess' lawyers also contested claims that emerged previously that Meghan told her staff the earrings had been borrowed from a jeweller. The firm added: "The Duchess is certain that she never said the earrings were borrowed from a jeweller.
"It is possible she said the earrings were borrowed, which is correct, as presents from heads of state to the Royal Family are gifts to Her Majesty the Queen, who can then choose to lend them out to members of the family."
Meghan has previously shown her support for women's rights in Saudi Arabia, appearing alongside activist Loujain al-Hathloul in 2016.
The Mirror has contacted representatives of the Duke and Duchess at Archewell for comment.
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