All recommendations within this article are informed by expert editorial opinion. If you click on a link in this story we may earn affiliate revenue.
In June 2024, Kate Middleton will celebrate the 13th wedding anniversary of her marriage to Prince William.
On the day she walked down the aisle, the Princess of Wales was wearing her stunning engagement band — here's the full story of the ring's history and significance.
It is a 12-carat oval Ceylon sapphire surrounded by 14 diamonds set in 18-karat white gold.
According to , it is based on a brooch that Prince Albert asked the jeweller Garrard to create for his future wife Queen Victoria in 1840.
At some point this brooch belonged to the late Queen — and it inspired King Charles when choosing an engagement ring for Princess Diana in 1981.
Sara Prentice, Garrard's creative director, told the magazine that he had initially intended to purchase something, but "he actually ended up setting a sapphire cluster ring for her".
Kate first unveiled the eye-catching piece of jewellery in November 2010, several months before her wedding to William, when the couple announced to the world that they were betrothed.
At the time of its creation, the ring was worth £28,000, according to .
Sam Mee estimates that these days its value is more like £390,000.
However, given the historical significance it now holds, some believe it is actually priceless.
The late Princess Diana was the ring's first owner — she received it from then Prince Charles when he proposed back in 1981.
She was pictured wearing the stunning piece numerous times after her wedding.
It is unclear whether, when they divorced in 1996, she returned it to the now-king.
However, after her death in 1997, it ended up in the possession of her sons.
In a letter of wishes, the royal explained that she wanted it to be given to her two sons in the hope they'd one day pass it onto their future wives.
Her wishes came true in 2010, when William proposed to Kate using arguably the most iconic ring in the Royal Family — his mother's 12-carat sapphire engagement ring.
In her special "letter of wishes", included in her will, Princess Diana wrote: "I would like to allocate all my jewellery to the share to be held by my sons, so that their wives may, in due course, have it or use it.
"I leave the exact division of the jewellery to your discretion.";
It is believed that Diana's youngest, Prince Harry, was the first recipient of the ring following his mother's tragic passing.
Paul Burrell told the Amazon documentary The Diana Story in 2017 that the duke and his brother got to pick a memento from her possessions shortly after she passed away.
He recalled the young prince saying: "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."
The former butler then went to the safe and gave him the ring.
However, at a later date, he decided to give it to his brother ahead of his proposal then girlfriend Kate.
He reportedly said: "Wouldn’t it be fitting if she had mummy’s ring?"
It is believed that his older sibling then gave Harry their mum's Cartier watch, which she had received as a 21st birthday present from her father.
Wills asked his girlfriend of nine years to marry him in October 2010.
It is understood that he got down on one knee during a trip to Kenya.
Eagle-eyed royal fans have noticed the Princess of Wales wears three bands on her ring finger.
As well as her wedding and engagement rings, she also wears a white gold style studded with diamonds.
The £1,400 is thought the be a gift from William following the birth of Prince George on 22 July, 2013.
The 0.23 carat diamond ring sits alongside Kate's wedding band, which is made from Welsh gold.
The delicate style can be hard to see in comparison to Kate's enormous engagement sapphire.
It's thought the diamond ring isn't the only style William has gifted Kate.
The Duke is believed to have given the mum-of-three a beautiful rose gold style while they were studying at St Andrew's during the early years of their relationship.
Kate was spotted wearing the ring — which features both the couple's birthstones — at their graduation ceremony in 2015.
Royal fans noticed that Kate stepped out without her iconic sapphire engagement ring for her engagement at the Evelina Children’s hospital in London on the morning of January 28, 2020.
The Princess of Wales, 42, appeared to have also removed her Eclipse 18 carat white gold eternity ring.
It was later revealed that the royal mum-of-three removed her rings as a healthy and safety precaution while visiting the hospital.
Speaking to , Kensington Palace confirmed Kate had removed her jewellery because she was visiting the children's wards where they could pose a potential hygiene hazard.
The only reported reasons for Catherine removing her engagement ring are for safety during her royal duties and while playing sports.
