Meghan Markle wore a pair a striking diamond earrings that were a wedding gift from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, who approved the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, it was claimed today.

Kensington Palace had said at the time of the formal dinner in Fiji in October 2018 - which took place three weeks after the killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul - that the jewellery was 'borrowed', without stating from whom.

Lawyers for the Duchess of Sussex have now told The Times that she may have stated they were borrowed, but did not say they were borrowed from a jeweller - and denied that she had misled anyone about their provenance.

The newspaper was also told by Meghan's team that every relevant member of royal staff knew who the earrings were from, and the Duchess was unaware of rumours at the time that bin Salman was involved in the killing.

Bin Salman is not thought to have met Meghan or given her the earrings in person. The jewellery is considered Crown property because it was a gift from a foreign head of state, and she would not be allowed to sell them.