Meghan Markle has been accused of wearing “blood money” earrings donated by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on two separate official occasions.
Markle wore the earrings – initially a gift to Queen Elizabeth – at an official dinner in Fiji during a royal trip that included Tonga, Australia and New Zealand in October 2018, just three weeks after Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in Saudi Arabia . The United States has accused the Crown Prince of ordering Khashoggi’s death.
“These earrings were bought with blood money and given to her by a murderer,” said Michael Eisner, a lawyer who was fighting for justice for Khashoggi, according to the Daily Mail. “She has nothing to wear.”
“These earrings were bought with blood money and given to her by a murderer. She has nothing to do with them.”
The Crown Prince reportedly gave the queen chandelier earrings as an official wedding gift over lunch at Buckingham Palace in March 2018. There is no evidence that Markle knew him at the time or knew him.
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Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wears earrings from the leader of Saudi Arabia on November 14, 2018 in London. (Getty Images)
Markle’s lawyers insisted she was unaware of the Saudi prince’s connection to the murder at the time, but a source told the Telegraph that she had been advised by advisers not to wear the earrings. In addition, all garments and jewelry are usually meticulously chosen for a real trip.
The story was all over the media at the time.
“Royal Household staff members sometimes advise people about their options,” a source told The Telegraph. “But what they choose to do with this advice is a very different matter.”
And while royalty is common to accept gifts, “nowhere in the gift policy is it written that you should use them,” a source told the Daily Mail.
Markle wore the earrings for the second time a month later, at Prince Charles’ 70th birthday party at Buckingham Palace.
Prince Harry looked “shocked” when an aide approached him at the party about earrings, according to The Telegraph.
The Kensington Palace team told reporters at the time that the earrings were “borrowed”, but gave no details, according to The Telegraph.
Eisner is the head of operations for Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), founded by Khashoggi.
“She must inform herself as a member of the Royal Family about current events and politics and what is going on,” said Eisner, according to the Daily Mail. He noted that she had been photographed two years earlier alongside a Saudi women’s rights activist. “It is disconcerting that she was unaware of the circumstances surrounding Khashoggi’s murder and understood that MBS had blood on her hands.”
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Markle was defended by some about the moment of criticism – three years later – and argued that his criticism is “racist” and “sexist”, since many politicians have not vehemently opposed the crown prince.
The reports were published shortly before his highly publicized interview with Oprah Winfrey, scheduled to air on Sunday night.
Others noted that Markle’s earrings and other scandals paled in comparison to accusations of sexual misconduct launched against Prince Andrew.