Lyla Dejesus
Royal wedding rings have been made from a nugget of Welsh gold, as was the case for Princess Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, and Princess Anne. However, the stones set within them have varied dramatically. Queen Elizabeth II's engagement ring, for example, was designed by her husband, Prince Philip, and features a three-carat diamond surrounded by five pavé diamonds on either side. The diamonds were taken from his mother's tiara. Princess Margaret's engagement ring, on the other hand, was a ruby and diamond cluster designed to look like a rose, in honour of her middle name.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Queen Elizabeth II's engagement ring | A platinum ring set with 11 diamonds, a 3-carat round solitaire, and 5 smaller stones set on each shoulder |
| Princess Margaret's engagement ring | A ruby and diamond cluster ring designed to resemble a rose, which was Margaret's middle name |
| Princess Diana's engagement ring | A 12-carat blue Ceylon faceted sapphire ring encircled by 14 solitaire diamonds |
| Princess Anne's engagement ring | A two-carat cabochon-cut blue sapphire stone on a traditional band of yellow Welsh gold with a single white diamond on either side |
| Princess Anne's second engagement ring | A three-carat cabochon-cut sapphire with three small white diamonds on either side |
| Princess Eugenie's engagement ring | A rare pink-tinted Padparadscha sapphire set within a cluster of diamonds |
| Princess Charlene's engagement ring | A three-carat, pear-cut diamond |
| Princess Victoria of Sweden's engagement ring | A white gold solitaire ring with a round brilliant-cut stone |
| Duchess of Windsor's engagement ring | A 19.77-carat emerald ring from Cartier |
| Queen Letizia's engagement ring | An eternity band featuring a series of baguette-cut diamonds |
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What You'll Learn
Queen Elizabeth's wedding ring
Queen Elizabeth II's wedding band was made from a nugget of Welsh gold. Princess Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, and Princess Anne would all have their wedding bands made from the same nugget. The late Queen was buried with her wedding band, a piece she never took off.
Queen Elizabeth's engagement ring was designed by Prince Philip, who enlisted the help of jeweller Philip Antrobus. The ring features a round, 3-carat centre diamond, flanked by five clusters of smaller diamonds on each shoulder, all set in platinum. The centre stone's size suggests it was intended to be worn regularly rather than reserved for special occasions. The ring was created using diamonds from a tiara that belonged to Philip's mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg. Princess Alice received the tiara as a wedding gift from Tsar Nicholas II in 1862.
The whereabouts of Queen Elizabeth's engagement ring are unknown. It is speculated that it was passed on to Princess Anne, or returned to a vault for safekeeping. It is also possible that Princess Beatrice inherited the ring, as she was very close to her grandmother.
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Princess Margaret's ruby ring
The engagement ring of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowden, and sister to Queen Elizabeth II, featured a ruby centre stone surrounded by a halo of cut diamonds, designed to resemble a rosebud. The design was a nod to Princess Margaret's middle name, Rose, with the pink-red hue of the ruby adding to the sentiment. The ring was purchased from jeweller SJ Philips by her husband-to-be, Antony Armstrong-Jones, for 250 euros.
Princess Margaret's engagement ring captivated the world when she married in 1960, in the first-ever televised royal wedding. The occasion was also notable as the first time in four centuries that a "commoner" married a king's daughter. The ruby and diamond ring was set in platinum on a yellow gold band, a classic combination.
The ruby in Princess Margaret's ring was a rare and sentimental choice. While rubies are often more affordable than diamonds, the average ruby found in an engagement ring sells for between $2,500 to $10,000 per carat. The ruby in Princess Margaret's ring was a "sumptuous pink-red", a rarer and more romantic hue than the deep, dark red of the highest-grade Burmese ruby.
Princess Margaret's wedding band was made from a nugget of Welsh gold, continuing a tradition for the British Royal Family. Princess Elizabeth, Princess Anne, and Princess Margaret all had their wedding bands crafted from the same nugget of gold.
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Princess Diana's sapphire ring
Princess Diana's engagement ring is one of the most iconic pieces of jewellery in Britain and is arguably the most famous engagement ring in the world. It features a 12-carat oval Ceylon sapphire surrounded by 14 round diamonds and set in 14-karat white gold. The sapphire is a traditional royal blue and is believed to have been mined in South Africa. When Prince Charles proposed to Diana in 1981, he purchased the ring for £28,000. Today, it is estimated to be worth up to £300,000. The ring was inspired by Queen Victoria's sapphire brooch from 1840, which she wore as her "something blue" on her wedding day. This ring reminded Charles of his grandmother and mother, representing marriage, family, and a symbol of love.
Princess Diana's choice of a sapphire engagement ring sparked a trend that has continued to the present day. Sapphires rank nine on the Mohs hardness scale, making them a durable gemstone suitable for everyday wear. After Diana's death, the ring was not worn until Prince William proposed to Catherine, Princess of Wales, formerly known as Duchess of Cambridge, with the same ring. This gesture was a true sentiment of love and a reminder of his mother, allowing the beautiful ring to be admired once again and inspiring a new generation of women to consider timeless sapphire engagement rings.
The royal family has a long history of incorporating coloured gemstones into their engagement and wedding jewellery. In the 1800s, coiled snakes were widely recognised as symbols of eternal love, and Prince Albert gave Queen Victoria an ouroboros design to commemorate their engagement in 1839. In 1923, the future King George VI proposed to Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon with a 12-carat Kashmir sapphire and diamond ring. Wallis Simpson, the wife of Prince Edward, started the trend of coloured engagement rings with her 19.77-carat emerald ring from Cartier.
Sapphire engagement rings continue to be popular among royal families. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden received a white gold solitaire ring with a round brilliant-cut stone when she became engaged in 2009, breaking the Swedish tradition of exchanging gold bands upon engagement. Princess Diana's ring has also inspired jewellery collections, such as the Garrard 1735 collection, which features a cluster setting with coloured stones accented by clusters of diamonds, offering women a way to express their style through striking coloured gemstones.
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Duchess of Windsor's emerald ring
The Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, received an emerald engagement ring from King Edward VIII, who later abdicated the throne to marry her. The ring was a stunning 19.77-carat emerald sourced from Baghdad by Jacques Cartier, one of two cut from a large emerald that once belonged to a Grand Mogul. The ring symbolised the love between the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and represented a break with tradition, as emeralds are not traditionally used for engagement rings due to their softness. The ring is also infamous for its symbolic representation of the choice between love and duty, which led to a constitutional crisis in the United Kingdom and the abdication of King Edward VIII.
The Duchess of Windsor's emerald ring was not only a symbol of their love but also a reflection of her exquisite taste in jewellery. Wallis Simpson was known for her love of emeralds, and the ring was set in platinum with baguette-cut diamonds on either side of the central emerald. The ring was purchased on 30 October 1936, two months before the abdication, for a 'special price' of £10,000, which would be worth £500,000 in 2023. The ring was engraved with the phrase "We are ours now 27×36", referencing the date of their engagement, 27 October 1936, and their initials, "We".
In 1958, the Duchess of Windsor modified the ring, taking it back to Cartier to be redesigned with a more modern style. The new setting featured a yellow gold band and several new diamonds. This modified ring was later sold for $1.9 million (£1.5 million) at Sotheby's after the Duchess's death.
The Duchess of Windsor's emerald ring is not only a beautiful piece of jewellery but also a historic artefact that symbolises a pivotal moment in British royal history. The ring represents a choice between love and duty, challenging traditions, and the power of an unconventional love story that changed the course of the monarchy.
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Queen Letizia's eternity band
Queen Letizia of Spain's engagement ring is a unique piece of jewellery. Instead of a central stone, the ring is an eternity band featuring 16 baguette-cut diamonds. It was crafted by Spanish brand Suárez Jewellery and is said to be worth £20,000. The ring is made of white gold, and the diamonds snake around the finger in a modern design.
The future Queen debuted the ring at her engagement announcement with King Felipe VI in the gardens of El Pardo Palace in Madrid on 6 November 2003. The couple married on 22 May 2004 at Madrid's Almudena Cathedral. Queen Letizia wore a custom-made gown by Manuel Pertegaz with long sleeves and an open collar, paired with a 4.5-metre-long train and a diamond tiara.
Queen Letizia's ring is a departure from traditional engagement rings, which often feature a central stone. Instead, her ring is more akin to a classic eternity band, with diamonds encircling the finger. This style of ring, with no beginning or end, symbolises eternal love and is often chosen to commemorate a special occasion or milestone in a relationship.
While Queen Letizia's eternity band is certainly unique, she is not the only royal to favour a more modern style. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden also broke with tradition when she accepted a white gold solitaire engagement ring from her fiancé, Daniel Westling, in 2009.
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Frequently asked questions
Princess Diana's engagement ring was a blue Ceylon faceted sapphire ring of 12 carats. The sapphire was encircled by 14 solitaire diamonds. It was designed by the famed House of Garrard.
Queen Elizabeth II's engagement ring was a platinum ring set with 11 diamonds, a 3-carat round solitaire, and 5 smaller stones set on each shoulder. The stones were taken from a tiara owned by Prince Philip's mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg.
Princess Margaret's engagement ring was a ruby and diamond cluster ring designed to resemble a rose, which was Margaret's middle name.
