The Duchess of Sussex was spotted wearing a £280 “love” pendant, designed by Sophie Lis, earlier this year in March, Hello magazine reports.
Since then, sales of the pendant have shot up. So much so that it’s currently out of stock on the designer’s website, and is currently only available for pre-order.
But the pendant’s designer, Sophie Lis, pledged to donate 10 percent of each sale to the Wild at Heart Foundation – a charity which funds animal welfare projects and rescues stray dogs.
The result is that sales of the pendant have led to a donation of £10,000 to the charity.
Designer Sophie Lis confirmed the donation on her Instagram page.
She wrote: “We are so happy to announce we have donated £10,000 from sales of love pendants in the past two months to this incredible cause @wild_at_heart_foundation.
“When the Duchess of Sussex was spotted wearing the pendant, it struck a chord with fans the world over.
“Not only are we delighted to see Sophie’s stunning creation get the publicity it deserves, this royal seal of approval led to a rush of sales.
“And the Wild at Heart Foundation said it was “utterly blown away” by the donation of £10,000 following the sales boost.
“Thanks to this incredible donation, we’ll be able to embark upon new projects and reach thousands more dogs in need, helping to end the suffering of even more strays and give them the chance to lead the life they deserve.”
The pendant, which features diamonds and rubies set in 22 ct gold vermeil, symbolises eternal love and is inspired by a 19th century poem, according to the Sophie Lis website.
The poem extract, taken from “The Eternal Song” by French poet Rosemonde Gerard, reads: “For, you see, each day I love you more. Today more than yesterday and less than tomorrow.”
This is symbolised by plus and minus signs made out of rubies on the pendant.
The Wild at Heart foundation says that it organises spay and neuter programmes as part of its aim of working to “compassionately reduce the world’s 600 million stray dog population.”
In addition, the charity says that it funds, manages and supports international rescue and adoption schemes, “helping to rescue dogs from overseas and allowing them to experience the love, safety and kindness they so desperately deserve”.
It claims that an estimated one billion unwanted puppies are born as strays every year. “Most of these die a tragic death before they reach three years old,” the Foundation states.
Pendant designer Sophie Lis wrote on her Instagram page: “special thanks to @sussexroyal for raising awareness and hence funds for this wonderful charity.”
The Duchess of Sussex herself has a rescue dog – a beagle named Guy.
Hello Magazine reports that Meghan has had Guy ever since she filmed TV series Suits.
It’s understood that she brought the rescue dog over to the UK with her when she became engaged with Prince Harry.
Meghan is also a patron of Mayhew – an animal charity based in London that also does international work.
In January, Meghan paid the charity a private visit and was shown around refurbished kennels, as well as introduced to some of the animals in the charity’s care.