MARKLE'S SPARKLE
Inside Meghan Markle’s ‘struggles’ with her £120k engagement ring after she ‘blinged up’ Diana sparkler
Kate Middleton has had her struggles with her engagement ring
IN 2017, Prince Harry popped the question to Meghan Markle and sealed the deal with a breathtaking engagement ring that included two of Princess Diana's diamonds.
The Duke of Sussex had designed the breathtaking sparkler himself - but a jewellery expert has claimed that upkeep of such a precious piece can be tricky.
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And we’ve even seen Meghan blinging up the ring to tweak the design over the years.
Less than two years after Harry proposed, the ring underwent a dramatic transformation.
The stunning sparkler originally had a thick gold band which beautifully offset the row of three diamonds.
However, Meghan appeared to have reset her ring with a much thinner, diamond-studded micro-pavé gold band.
During the couple's engagement interview in 2017, Prince Harry revealed he had specifically chosen a gold band for Meghan's original ring based on her jewellery collection.
Prince Harry designed the bespoke three-stone piece with the help of Cleave & Company, the late Queen Elizabeth’s regular jeweller, founded in 2001.
He said: "The ring is obviously yellow gold because that's her favourite and the main stone itself I sourced from Botswana and the little diamonds either side are from my mother's jewellery collection, to make sure she's with us on this crazy journey together."
At the time, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, Ingrid Seward, told Fabulous she "found it odd" that the Duchess of Sussex would change her engagement ring.
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"I find it a bit odd Meghan would want to alter a ring that her husband had especially designed for her," she said.
"A royal engagement ring is a piece of history not a bit of jewellery to be updated when it looks old fashioned."
The value of Meghan’s engagement ring is estimated to be upwards of £120,000.
Caring for a royal ring can be tricky according to Ben Roberts, Managing Director of Clogau – the brand responsible for the Welsh gold that the royals have used to create their wedding rings since 1923 (when Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, who became The Queen Mother, married the Duke of York, later King George VI).
Speaking about Kate Middleton’s 12-carat sapphire engagement ring, he told magazine: "Even without any alterations, caring for an heirloom of such value comes with its own challenges.
Royal engagement rings
Princess Diana
King Charles presented Diana with a selection of rings from Garrard and asked her to choose her favourite.
Diana opted for a 12-carat Ceylon sapphire stone surrounded by diamonds and set in white gold.
The princess loved the ring so much that she wore it after their divorce.
Kate Middleton
After her death, Diana's sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, were left three-quarters of her £21 million estate - with the other quarter going to her 17 godchildren.
In a special "letter of wishes", Diana explained that she was leaving her jewellery to her sons' future wives.
William used Diana's engagement ring to propose to Kate in 2010, in a nod to his beloved mum.
The late Queen
Queen Elizabeth II's engagement ring was a platinum ring set with 11 diamonds.
It had 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.
Queen Camilla
King Charles chose a ring from the Royal Collection that had belonged to his grandmother, the Queen Mother for Queen Camilla.
a five-carat emerald cut diamond at its centre with diamond baguettes on the sides.
"Kate and her team will need to employ careful maintenance, with regular inspections and in-depth evaluations, gentle cleaning to restore sheen, and, if necessary, expert repairs to ensure its longevity.
"That way, she can continue to wear it every day and maintain a constant connection to the past while grounding her in the present as a beloved senior member of the Royal Family."
Before her passing in 1997, Princess Diana left instructions for the division of her glittering jewellery collection.
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.
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