Reason Meghan Markle’s ditched her engagement ring recently

Meghan’s decision has sparked plenty of speculation about her marriage – but a source now claims there’s an innocent reason behind it.

A source reportedly close to Meghan Markle has revealed the reason for her ditching her engagement ring in recent months.

The Duchess of Sussex has been spotted numerous times this year without the sparkling jewellery gifted to her by Prince Harry when he proposed, prompting plenty of speculation about her marriage.

But according to Page Six, an insider insisted the three-stone diamond ring is just “being fixed”.

It wouldn’t be the first time the ring had undergone changes, with Meghan replacing the original gold band with a thin micro-pavé version in 2019.

In every outing since at least May, it appears that Meghan has opted not to wear the stunning ring first beamed around the world in late 2017 on the day she and Harry announced they would be getting married.

Harry and Meghan on day they announced their engagement. Picture: AFP Photo/Daniel Leal-Olivas

The stunning three-diamond ring was custom made. Picture: AFP Photo/Pool/Adrian Dennis

However, she has continued to wear her wedding band, occasionally layering it with a different, thicker gold ring.

The one-of-a-kind engagement ring was designed by Harry himself (with the help of the late Queen Elizabeth’s jeweller, Cleave & Company) and features a large cushion-cut centre diamond sourced from Botswana, where the couple spent time together early in their relationship.

It also features two side stones from the late Princess Diana’s jewellery collection.

During Harry and Meghan’s engagement interview, the bride-to-be gushed: “It’s beautiful, and he designed it – it’s incredible.”

But it was nowhere to be seen in May, when Meghan broke cover to head out on a hike in California, just hours after skipping her father-in-law’s coronation.

Later that month, it was once again absent from her finger during her high-profile appearance at the Ms Foundation’s Women of Vision Awards.

Meghan at the Women of Vision Awards. Picture: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

She was again without it in an Instagram picture posted by a friend this week.

Meghan also appeared to ditch the engagement ring, wearing just her wedding band, during an outing at the farmer’s market in Montecito last month – and again while out solo in Santa Barbara last weekend.

During her most recent outing, eagle-eyed fans also noticed an anti-stress patch stuck on her wrist.

Meghan’s engagement ring has undergone some subtle changes since it was first given to her in 2017, with the duchess replacing the original gold band with a thin micro-pavé version just two years later.

Her husband, Harry, recently wrapped up his whirlwind two-stop tour of Asia, which saw him attend Japan’s ISPS Sports Values Summit: Special Edition – celebrating the power of sport, community and philanthropy – before heading to Singapore for a Sentebale charity polo match.

Harry’s solo trip followed a challenging first half of the year for he and his wife, amid the collapse of their high-profile Spotify deal and negative reviews surrounding their attempt at building a commercial brand.

Last month, a Sussex source was also forced to deny rumours their marriage was in trouble following reports they were “taking time apart” in an effort to rebuild their bond.

The insider insisted to Page Six that any split speculation was untrue, and “literally made up”.