Has the Duchess of Sussex's engagement ring been changed for the second time? That's the question on many fans' lips following her latest Instagram photo with friends.
Rocking skinny jeans and a 'Love like a Mother' T-shirt to support her friend Kelly Zajfen’s charity, Alliance of Moms, Meghan sat cross-legged on the grass laughing and leaning in with Kelly and her Suits co-star Abigail Spencer.
The former actress layered chunky gold bangles up her arm and finished off her laid-back look with her go-to accessories – her trilogy diamond engagement ring and Clogau gold wedding ring from Prince Harry.
Focusing on the former, one X fan remarked: "Is it just me or has #MeghanMarkle’s engagement ring doubled in size?" and a second agreed, remarking: "I’ve been saying she took wedding ring off to slowly change the size of the diamond. It wasn’t big enough for her."
However, a third brushed off the rumours, taking to the social media platform to defend the Duchess. "I’m not buying it. In my opinion, Meghan is not the type of person who would ever draw unnecessary attention to herself," they wrote.
It would be unlikely that Meghan would choose to swap out the main diamond in her ring for a larger alternative since the original holds such significance to the couple. When Prince Harry proposed during a picnic at their Kensington home in 2017, he presented his bride-to-be with a custom ring using three very sentimental diamonds – the main one was a cushion-cut stone from Botswana where they went on their first holiday together, and the two on either side were from his late mother Princess Diana's personal collection.
© Karwai TangMeghan previously said: "It's incredibly special to be able to have this, which sort of links where [Harry comes] from and Botswana, which is important to us, it's perfect."
Musing the possible explanations for Meghan's perceived change, Steven Stone’s Maxwell Stone said: "It's nearly impossible to discern any changes from the available photo." He added: "There are several possible explanations for the centre stone appearing slightly larger in the new photo. It could be a trick of the light, or because Meghan hasn't been wearing her ring as frequently in recent months, it could just be standing out more when she does wear it."
If Meghan has chosen to upgrade the diamond, it would mark the second change to the original ring in seven years. The original diamonds were set on a gold band, which Harry said was Meghan's favourite in their engagement interview.
However, the Duke of Sussex showed off his thoughtful side when he had the ring upgraded in 2019 to match a new personalised eternity band.
© Getty"On May 19, 2019, Harry also surprised his wife of one year with the gift of a ring that he had created with jeweller-to-the-stars Lorraine Schwartz, a favourite of Meghan's," explained Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand in royal biography, Finding Freedom.
"The conflict-free diamond eternity band paid homage to the family of three with Meghan's, Archie's and Harry's birthstones (peridot, emerald, and sapphire, respectively) on the underside of the ring."
According to the authors, the jeweller added: "'He's the loveliest person ever. So romantic, so thoughtful.' (So much so that Harry also thought to have Lorraine resize and reset Meghan's engagement ring with a new diamond band.)"
Since the arrival of their daughter Princess Lilibet, it is thought that Harry and Meghan would want to include the tot's birthstone in the eternity ring to complete their little family tribute.
Harry shared new details about their love story in their Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan, including elaborating on their proposal story. They had originally told the press that they were roasting a chicken in their home, Nottingham Cottage, when he popped the question, but there was much more to the romantic story.
"I wanted to [propose] earlier. Because I had to ask permission from my grandmother, I couldn't do it outside of the UK. I did pop a bottle of champagne while she was roasting a chicken and that kind of slightly gave the game away," Harry began.
© Getty"She was like, 'You never drink champagne, what's the occasion?' And I was like, 'I don't know, I just had it like, lying around, whatever,'" Harry joked, and Meghan laughed: "It was a magnum!"
After telling Meghan to wait inside, Harry secretly set up a picnic blanket "in the little walled garden, overlooked by the staff flats" surrounded by electric candles where he got down on one knee next to Meghan's pet dog Guy.
They tied the knot in May 2018 at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, almost three years after their first date at Soho House.
PHOTOS: Lady Amelia Spencer's rarely-pictured model mother Victoria is her twin in tender wedding moment
