Arguably the most famous piece in Kate's jewelry collection is her sapphire and diamond engagement ring, which previously belonged to Princess Diana.
Arguably the most famous piece in Kate's jewellery collection is her sapphire and diamond engagement ring, which previously belonged to Princess Diana.
The Duchess of Cambridge altered the famous sapphire piece - which previously belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales - to avoid "a bride's worst nightmare." The sapphire engagement ring, which was previously owned by William's mother, was adjusted for Kate by the royal jewellers, G Collins and Sons.
Kate Middleton wears Princess Diana's engagement ring
In Amazon Prime's The Diana Story documentary, Diana's former butler Paul Burrell reported that when she had passed, the boys were given the opportunity to keep an item that belonged to her as a keepsake.
The ring reportedly was found in the wreckage of the Mercedes and given to Diana's sisters when they came to Paris to accompany her body back to England.
The duchess selected a symbolic piece of jewelry from her late mother-in-law's jewelry collection to wear during her and Harry's televised, no-holds-barred interview with Oprah in 2021. It was a diamond bracelet and, reportedly, the same one from which the couple selected stones to create Meghan's engagement ring.
In the fall of 2020, Kate debuted a new pendant necklace, which appeared to use precious stones from Princess Diana's famed Saudi suite of sapphires—a gift from the Saudi royal family to the late Princess of Wales on the occasion of her wedding, featuring sapphires and diamonds designed to match her Garrard enagement ...
The Duchess of Cambridge is a lucky lady for many reasons. One being that she is now the owner of Princess Diana's most famous jewel. Originally created by British jeweller Garrard, Prince Charles chose this grand sapphire ring for his proposal to Diana in February 1981.
They said: "The third ring she wears is an eternity ring. Eternity rings are often used to mark special milestones in a relationship - in this case, it was a gift from her husband to mark the birth of their first child, Prince George.
While it may seem unusual that William opted not to have a wedding ring, it is thought he made the decision for practical reasons. A Palace insider told the Mirror at the time: “He's not one for jewellery. He's never worn any. "He decided he didn't want to wear one now.
She famously wore the emerald ring for a birthday appearance at the Tate Gallery in July 1997. She also often wore no rings at all during that final year of her life. What is this? More than two decades later, the aquamarine ring reappeared on Prince Harry's wife, Meghan Markle.
Prince Harry actually inherited Diana's engagement ring when she died in 1997, but "selflessly" offered it to his brother for his engagement to Kate, Diana's former butler Paul Burrell (opens in new tab) explains in a new documentary. "Harry said to him: 'Wouldn't it be fitting if she had mummy's ring?'
Mr Burrell claims to have been handed the ring - a £3,000 Bulgari yellow gold band with diamonds - in the Paris hospital room where Diana's body was taken to be prepared for its return to Britain. He says he recognised the ring as being the one Diana had told him about two days before her death in a phone call.
The Princess of Wales title was used by Princess Diana upon her marriage to Charles in 1981, and she was allowed to keep using it after they divorced in 1996. However, when Diana died in 1997, the title reverted back to the crown.
The late princess continued to wear her engagement ring even after she and Prince Charles divorced in 1996. After her death, Prince William inherited the sapphire sparkler, eventually using it to propose to Kate Middleton in 2010.
According to the same report, the Queen's engagement ring, which belonged to her mother-in-law Princess Alice of Battenberg, is likely to be inherited by her daughter Princess Anne.
Etiquette expert Myka Meier revealed that Kate holds her bags in her left hand so she can keep her right hand free to greet and shake hands with guests at the many public functions she attends as a royal. And Kate isn't the only royal to do this.
“Camilla's engagement ring is one of the most extensive and expensive in the Royal Family. Featuring 5 carat emerald cut diamond, surrounded by three diamond baguettes, I'd estimate its value to be around £212,000.
The use of the left-hand pinky finger as the wedding ring and royal signet or initial ring of the British Royal Family is an ironclad tradition dating back to the sons of Queen Victoria, who favored pinky rings in imitation of their mother as well as following German custom.
In Spencer, Diana is horrified (though seemingly unsurprised) to discover her husband gave her the same pearl necklace he gave to his then-mistress, Camilla Parker-Bowles. There's no evidence to suggest this gift-giving snafu ever happened (or that she ate them at the dinner table).
The choker, originally given to Queen Mary and then inherited by Queen Elizabeth II, was gifted to Princess Diana after her wedding to Prince Charles. It was eventually returned to Queen Elizabeth upon the princess's death in 1997.
The tiara was inherited by Diana's father John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer in the mid seventies and, as such, remains in the Spencer family. But while Kate may not inherit the famous diadem, it seems it will one day be given to her daughter, Princess Charlotte.
The Duchess of Sussex wore Princess Diana's gold Cartier watch, which was inherited by Prince Harry after his mother's death, at an event in Germany.
So what will Meghan Markle inherit from Queen Elizabeth? Radar Online reported in September 2022 that both Meghan and Lilibet will be left out of the Queen's inheritance. “There's a very good chance the Queen won't leave either of them any jewels of value,” a source said.
It is not the first time that the Duchess has worn the emerald-cut ring, which was commissioned by Diana from British jewelry brand Asprey in the 1990s and is estimated to be worth a staggering $90,000.