Queen Elizabeth gives Meghan Markle special gift during first royal outing together

Queen Elizabeth has reportedly gifted Meghan Markle a pair of earrings, making the two of them match in their first girls’ day out together. The new Duchess of Sussex joined her grandmother-in-law Queen Elizabeth, who was also wearing pearl earrings, for a visit to Cheshire on Thursday.

Meghan, 36, travelled with the Queen by the royal train for a series of engagements, her first official trip without her husband, Prince Harry. Her cream Givenchy dress with a boxy cape overlay was a nice contrast to Her Majesty’s lime green outfit. They did, however, match accessories, specifically their pearl earrings.

The pearl drop earrings Meghan was wearing was apparently a gift from the monarch. Royal correspondent Emily Andrews told The Sun that the jewellery was given by the Queen.

“[In my opinion] the pearls look old, not new, and so likely come from the Queen’s personal collection rather than the shop,” she said.

It wasn’t mentioned when Markle was given the earrings. It could be a wedding present, but the Queen already had given her and Harry a gift. According to reports, she gifted them the York Cottage, a home in the grounds of Sandringham Estate.

As for their first official engagement together, the Queen and the Duchess appeared to have been getting along swimmingly. They travelled to Cheshire overnight aboard the Royal Train. They officially opened the Mersey Gateway Bridge, a new toll bridge over the River Mersey in Widnes, and the Storyhouse cultural centre in Chester. They also watched a dance performance by a theatre group called Fallen Angels before taking part in a minute’s silence at midday to mark the first anniversary of the Grenfell Tower Fire disaster. They then took a walk along the streets to the local town hall to attend a council lunch.

The outing was Meghan’s first official engagement without Harry following their wedding on May 19. The couple was reported to have honeymooned in Ireland.