the Duchess of Sussex posted two black-and-white i...

the Duchess of Sussex posted two black-and-white images of herself wearing a swimsuit – with sunglasses on and her hair up in a ponytail – as she leapt into the water while holding a large bunch of balloons.

Meghan Markle made quite the splash today as she marked her 45th birthday by sharing photos on social media of herself jumping into an outdoor pool – as she thanked her followers ‘for the birthday love’ on social media.

Taking to Instagram, the Duchess of Sussex posted two black-and-white images of herself wearing a swimsuit – with sunglasses on and her hair up in a ponytail – as she leapt into the water while holding a large bunch of balloons.

Meanwhile, her lifestyle brand As Ever also congratulated the mother-of-two with a snap of Meghan wearing a designer striped shirt from Céline and white Anine Bing ‘Brie’ jeans.

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The company’s social media post also included a sweet throwback photo of a young Meghan sporting pigtails and a white turtleneck, seated in what looks to be her childhood bedroom.

‘Happy birthday to our founder, @meghan. Lighting No. 084 to celebrate!’ the caption read, referencing a candle sold by the brand, which appeared alongside other As Ever products in one of a quartet of photos posted to mark Meghan’s special day.

Last weekend, the brand’s founder showcased her impressive jewellery collection during her latest promotional footage for As Ever.

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Meghan Markle has thanked her followers 'for the birthday love' as she celebrated turning 45 by jumping into a pool
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Meghan Markle has thanked her followers ‘for the birthday love’ as she celebrated turning 45 by jumping into a pool

Taking to Instagram, the Duchess of Sussex posted black and white photos of herself in a swimsuit, plunging into the water excitedly
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View gallery

Taking to Instagram, the Duchess of Sussex posted black and white photos of herself in a swimsuit, plunging into the water excitedly

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On Sunday, she shared the recipe for her ‘favourite ice cream sundae’, made by placing her raspberry spread into a glass before adding vanilla ice cream, crumbled shortbread and flower sprinkles.

But royal fans couldn’t take their eyes off the former actress’ dazzling rings, which were on full display as she created the dessert.

Prince Harry‘s wife wore her wedding ring, as well as a giant diamond pear band, thought to be worth $250,000 and once dubbed ‘an engagement ring upgrade’ by jewellery experts.

She also wore a new, unidentified gold band on her right hand, and Princess Diana‘s Cartier Tank Française watch, worth £17,800 ($24,020), which was gave to her after she married the Duke of Sussex.

Meghan was also seen wearing her £2,370 ($3,197) Jennifer Meyer mini bezel tennis bracelet, which is handcrafted from polished 18-carat yellow gold and was designed by Tobey Maguire‘s ex-wife.

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However, despite the enviable jewellery collection on display, there was one item noticeably absent – the Duchess’ £120,000 ($161,922) engagement ring.

The Suits star is believed to have not worn the sparkler in over four months; the last time she was pictured with the jewel was in February 2026 when she wore it to an NBA game in California.

Harry proposed to Meghan in 2017 – enlisting the late Queen Elizabeth II’s regular jeweller, Cleave & Company, to design a unique jewel for his bride-to-be.

Meanwhile, her lifestyle brand As Ever also congratulated the mother-of-two with a sleek snap of the founder wearing a striped shirt and white trousers
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Meanwhile, her lifestyle brand As Ever also congratulated the mother-of-two with a sleek snap of the founder wearing a striped shirt and white trousers

As Ever shared a sweet throwback photo of Meghan (pictured)
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As Ever shared a sweet throwback photo of Meghan (pictured)

The prince had even snuck a ring from Meghan’s jewellery box so that the designers knew her size and, in a particularly touching tribute to his late mother, asked them to ‘harvest’ the diamonds from one of Diana’s bracelets.

Since the proposal in Nottingham Cottage, it is believed the ring has been altered four times.

At Trooping the Colour in June 2019, Meghan was spotted wearing the ring with a thinner band than its original design.

She also had little diamonds set down the sides of the ring, worth around £126,000 ($150,000), in what jewellery expert Arabel Lebrusan suggested was a more American style.

In his book Finding Freedom, royal expert Omid Scobie noted the decision to resize and reset the engagement ring with a new diamond band in 2019 was Harry’s idea.

In the biography, jeweller-to-the-stars Lorraine Schwartz reportedly said of the prince: ‘He’s the loveliest person ever. So romantic, so thoughtful.’

The authors continued: ‘(So much so that Harry also thought to have Lorraine resize and reset Meghan’s engagement ring with a new diamond band.)’

In 2022, there was further speculation that Meghan altered the ring for a second time when she attended the Invictus Games in The Hague, and it appeared that she had added additional diamonds to the setting surrounding the central diamond.

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 Netflix series.

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