The Duchess of Cambridge’s engagement ring is one of the most iconic pieces of royal jewelry.
- The Duchess of Cambridge's engagement ring once belonged to Princess Diana (opens in new tab).
- Prince Harry reportedly chose the ring as a "keepsake" before passing it on to Prince William to propose with.
- In other Royal News (opens in new tab), Prince Harry's inauguration appearance has been revealed. (opens in new tab)
With its stunning sapphire and diamond design and elegant shape, the Duchess of Cambridge’s ring adds an extra touch of sparkle to any of her stylish outfits. She received the ring from Prince William after he proposed whilst they were on a trip to Kenya with friends in 2010. It originally belonged to his mother Princess Diana, who received it from Prince Charles when they became engaged back in 1981.
It’s thought by some that Prince William’s decision to propose to his then-girlfriend Kate Middleton with the very same ring was inspired by a desire to see his late mother included in some way in the exciting occasion.
However, this 12-carat oval sapphire ring was not always destined to be passed down in this way. In fact, the Duchess of Cambridge wouldn’t have ended up with this family heirloom, had it not been for her brother-in-law Prince Harry.
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Who owned the Duchess of Cambridge’s engagement ring before her?
After Princess Diana tragically passed away in France in 1997, her sapphire ring actually went to her youngest son Prince Harry. Speaking on Amazon Prime’s The Diana Story, the Princess of Wales’ former butler, Paul Burrell, spoke about how when she passed away, her two sons were given the opportunity to keep an item that once belonged to her as a keepsake.
Mr. Burrell recalled that Prince William said: "I’d like mummy’s Cartier watch, the one that Grandpa Spencer gave to her for her 21st birthday.”
Whilst Prince Harry opted for Princess Diana’s stunning ring. According to Mr. Burrell, Prince Harry made a particularly heartfelt comment about this piece of jewelry.
He claimed the young prince said: “I remember when I held mummy's hand when I was a small boy and that ring always hurt me because it was so big."
Perhaps inspired in his choice of item by the sentimental memories it held for him, Prince Harry then owned the sapphire ring.
Who was supposed to receive the Duchess of Cambridge’s engagement ring?
It has been reported that once Prince William’s relationship with his then-girlfriend Kate Middleton advanced, Prince Harry then decided to give Diana’s ring to his brother Prince William to propose (opens in new tab).
It is also believed that Prince Harry liked the thought of this significant ring sitting on the throne in the future, as Duchess Catherine is set to be the country’s future queen. Had Prince Harry not made this wonderfully generous decision, it’s likely that he would have kept the ring for the moment he proposed to his own future wife - Meghan Markle.
Instead, Prince Harry proposed to Meghan, now Duchess of Sussex, with an equally stunning diamond ring, featuring two stones that used to belong to Princess Diana.
As reported by Express.co.uk, the Duke of Sussex has also gifted his wife a sentimental eternity ring (opens in new tab). The ring features Prince Harry, Duchess Meghan and their son Archie’s birthstones and honored their first wedding anniversary and Archie's birth.
What a wonderful gift!
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