Simpson and Markle, two women, one monarchy, and a lesson that will not be forgotten

Wallis Simpson and Meghan Markle - How fashion and jewelry became tools of power in the British royal family

Thirty-five years in the world of antiques, and antique jewelry in particular, have taught me that a piece of jewelry is much more than an ornament. Jewelry is an archive, a repository of memories, and sometimes even a manifesto; therefore, when I examine Wallis Simpson and Meghan Markle - two women separated by over eight decades - it is hard to ignore the similarity between them, in their conduct in general and in their jewelry and fashion in particular.

Against the backdrop of the Art Deco era, in which the spirit of female independence hovered, Wallis Simpson appeared at the British royal court; she did not know the royal family's rules and had no intention of learning them. An American woman from Maryland, without any connection to European nobility and certainly not to "blue blood," but with a spine of steel and a taste that the House of Windsor had never seen before.

Her choices of the renowned jewelry house Cartier, the jeweler of royal families, were not random: the panther, the flamingo, the geometric cross bracelet, and more—they were a statement: I am not like you, and I am proud of it.

Every piece of jewelry she wore carried an engraved message of memory. For her, Cartier jewelry was not just a decorative and valuable ornament; it was a chapter in a subversive love story, a tool for building self-identity against an establishment that sought her silence.

Meghan Markle, about eight decades later, used "quiet luxury" as a political language. She, too, an independent and opinionated American woman, arrived at the British royal court with its rigid rules without knowing them, and she, too, was not received with open arms.

Like Wallis, she also chose prestigious and classic Cartier jewelry, such as a classic gold Cartier watch. Jewelry with a precise and present language.

From the beginning of their journeys, they broke and rebelled against royal tradition. Their choices of engagement rings were a personal statement rather than a choice of tradition. Wallis Simpson chose a large emerald ring instead of the traditional diamond, which was highly unusual for that time. A secret message and the date of the marriage proposal were engraved on the ring, as on her other jewelry. Meghan Markle chose a ring composed of three diamonds in a modern, upgraded design that deviated from accepted royal conservatism. The diamonds carried personal emotional weight: a central diamond from Botswana, where Prince Harry and she fell in love, and two diamonds belonging to Princess Diana on its sides—an emotional tribute to Harry for the commemoration of his mother

The similarity between them is also present in the way they used their jewelry to express an independent and present personality. In this picture, the design connection is very prominent. Both bracelets—the iconic Cartier bracelet of Wallis Simpson and the contemporary designed bracelet of Meghan Markle—feature two central, colorful stones surrounded by diamonds, in a design with a presence that does not seek to blend into the background.

Wallis Simpson's bracelet was designed and created by Cartier during the Art Deco period, which reflected a dramatic, elegant, and precise world. A period in which a new female figure appeared: independent, bold, and possessing a presence that did not exist in previous generations. Jewelry was no longer intended to symbolize status and wealth; it became a personal statement of modern women who sought to express their power and personal identity in a way not seen before and not present in royal family jewelry. Wallis Simpson was such a woman, independent and unpredictable, who was not afraid to stand against the conventions of the British royal family and chose to wear jewelry designed specifically for her. Meghan Markle also chose jewelry that was a personal choice and statement. Her interpretation is, of course, modern, but there is clear historical inspiration that cannot be ignored. This is the most fascinating part of the similarity between them: the use of jewelry and fashion as a personal language. Two foreign American women enter the British royal family in a storm and choose to stand out and express their individual identity rather than integrate and surrender to the rules of the royal institution.

The outward appearance was also part of the message. In the famous interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan Markle appeared wearing a black dress with white floral embroidery, in a look that echoed the memory of Wallis Simpson's iconic photographs from the 30s and 40s. This is not a direct copy, but a deeper similarity—an almost invisible connection between two women who understood that body language, hand positioning, and hairstyle can also become part of a personal statement.

Wallis Simpson presented a sharp and clear elegant look—a result of the rigid and calculated aristocratic world of the time. Meghan Markle, by contrast, presents a more modern and softer femininity, refined but also well aware of its power and presence.

It may not be a deliberate tribute, but it is hard to ignore the similarity and the feeling that both women understood well how to "exploit" their visual presence and understood that jewelry, fashion, and presence are a language of power, influence, and personal identity—a way to speak to the world without words.

Both used jewelry as a personal signature. Wallis Simpson wore the gifts given to her by King Edward—every piece of jewelry was another chapter in their love story, a chapter the British royal family would have preferred to erase from historical memory. Meghan Markle, by contrast, operates in a completely different media world, one in which public visibility has become an inseparable part of personal identity. For her, too, jewelry is not merely of material value but carries emotional, familial, and symbolic significance.

When the heart becomes jewelry—those who give the heart become part of the message itself, and it is not just a romantic symbol, but a tool for conveying a message. Wallis Simpson and Meghan Markle chose to use the heart symbol, one of the oldest, most intimate, and most charged motifs in the world, with each infusing it with her own personal meaning and a message to those around her.

Wallis Simpson received as a gift from King Edward an iconic heart-shaped piece of jewelry, studded with diamonds and bearing their initials. The heart carried deep romantic meaning and became a symbol of a forbidden love that succeeded in shaking an entire royal institution. For Edward, who was accustomed to a world of public and ceremonial gestures, it was almost an intimate confession—a private love vow against the entire world.

Meghan Markle is a fan of delicate heart jewelry as a symbol of an intimate emotional connection to her family and children. But there is a special heart, a red heart, that carried personal, human, and social significance. The red heart pendant was designed in collaboration with her close friend, Kelly McKee Zajfen, for the benefit of children with heart disease and in partnership with a children's hospital in Los Angeles. Part of its proceeds went to the pediatric cardiology department at the hospital. The choice to wear it became a personal tribute to her friend Kelly, who lost both her children, and an act of compassion and social giving.

Here lies the similarity between the two women. Both chose jewelry that expressed a personal choice and was not intended to serve the palace's public relations. With Wallis Simpson, a private love became a historical story. With Meghan Markle, the heart piece of jewelry connects public visibility, motherhood, compassion, and social involvement.

Both hearts express a personal statement, not just a decorative one.

Both women understood that they could not defeat the royal institution on its own terms and therefore built for themselves, each in her own way, a private, clear, and present field. Both used jewelry and fashion to stand out and tell their personal story without apologizing.

Wallis Simpson managed her dowry from the royal court in elegant silence. No journalist was allowed to interview her, and no window was opened into her world. She turned the palace of exile in France into her seat of power. A seat of power of luxury, celebrations of jewelry, fashion, and art, while demonstratively ignoring the British royal family.

Meghan Markle, by contrast, opened the window wide. An interview with Oprah Winfrey, a podcast, a memoir, presence at publicized events, and more.

Two women, two styles, and one strategy—jewelry as a signature to control the personal narrative.

As a researcher of antique jewelry, the story of these two women is greater in my eyes than any metal or gemstone, and it is what fascinates me. Both understood, each in her own time, that the British royal institution is a mechanism for image management, and both chose to follow their own path rather than blend in and try to fit into it. Both married men who chose them over the crown and paid for it with social ostracization. They understood that jewelry can say what words cannot express. For them, jewelry was a way to tell a human and personal story.

Perhaps this is the reason that antique jewelry and items move us. They carry with them not only beauty but also a personal story and memory. At the Albertina Gallery, we look for and collect antique jewelry with presence, character, and history—jewelry meant not just to adorn, but also to tell a story and preserve a memory. Every piece of jewelry is a unique item that carries a whole world story with it. I invite you to the Albertina Gallery to touch history.