Royal Engagement Rings: History & Facts
For the past couple of months The Queen has been celebrating her 90th birthday. To mark this milestone we have taken a look back at some of the best and most beautiful Royal engagement rings in history.
The Queen
When Prince Philip proposed to Princess Elizabeth in the summer of 1946 he did so in secret. On July 9th 1947 their engagement was officially announced.
The ring he gave to the future Queen featured a stunning three-carat solitaire with five smaller diamonds on each side set in platinum. It is said that Prince Phillip had was heavily involved in the designing of the exquisite ring, even taking the diamonds that make up the ring from his mother, Princess Alice’s tiara.
Now that is definitely fit for a Queen!
Princess Diana & The Duchess of Cambridge
When Prince Charles proposed to Diana in February 1981 with a gorgeous ring that featured a 12-carat oval Ceylon sapphire surrounded by a cluster of 14 diamonds, little did he know that it would one day become one of the most famous rings in the world.
In 2010 Prince William followed in his fathers footsteps by proposing to Kate Middleton with the same ring, once again bringing it into the limelight.
We’re not surprised that William wanted to use the same engagement ring as his father before him, it’s absolutely breath taking!
Crown Princess Mary
Crown Prince Fredrik proposed to his future Princess, Mary Donaldson, in 2003 with a magnificent emerald cut diamond ring with two ruby baguettes on each side, which are said to represent the colours of the Danish flag.
Isn’t it stunning?
Wallis Simpson
When Edward VIII proposed to Wallace Simpson in 1936 he did so with this staggering 19.77-carat emerald cut diamond ring. It was engraved with the words, “We are ours now 27 x 36”, which is shorthand for the date that he proposed.
This is such a unique and eye-catching design.
Princess Grace
When Prince Reiner III of Monaco first proposed to the actress Grace Kelly, he did so with a ruby and diamond eternity ring that was a lot more modest than the one we see here.
Later, he decided to upgrade the ring so that Kelly could fit in with the other actresses of the era whose rings were a great deal larger then hers. He ended up giving Kelly a 10.5-carat emerald-cut diamond flanked by two baguette from Cartier.
If you have been inspired by any of these rings and would like an engagement ring that is fit for Royalty, take a look at our stunning collection here.