Royal Engagement Rings

Princess Diana

Lady Diana Spencer and Charles, Prince of Wales, became engaged in February 1981. Her engagement ring consisted of 14 solitaire diamonds surrounding a 12-carat oval blue Ceylon sapphire set in 18-karat white gold. It was created by then-crown jeweller Garrard. Diana’s selection of this ring was unusual. It was neither custom-made nor unique and was, at the time featured in Garrard’s jewellery collection and available to anyone for purchase. Diana may have selected it because it reminded her of her mother’s engagement ring.

Queen Elizabeth II

The diamonds for Queen Elizabeth II’s engagement ring came from a tiara belonging to Prince Philip’s mother Princess Andrew of Greece. Prince Philip designed the square-cut diamond engagement ring with diamond side stones and had it set in platinum. The queen still wears this ring every day, paired with her Welsh gold wedding band.

Sarah Ferguson Duchess of York

In 1986, Prince Andrew proposed to Sarah Ferguson with an oval-cut Burmese ruby from Garrard jewelers because it matched the color of her fiery red hair. Afterward, ruby rings were in high demand.

Sophie Rhys Jones, Countess of Wessex

Prince Edward also proposed with a ring from go-to royal jeweler Garrard. He gave Sophie a 2-carat oval diamond surrounded by two smaller heart-shaped gems. The ring is valued at around $150,000.

Queen Victoria

On the announcement of their engagement in 1839, Prince Albert presented Queen Victoria with an 18-carat gold, serpent engagement ring. The head of the serpent was adorned with rubies for the eyes, diamonds for the mouth, as well as a large emerald set at the centre, representing Victoria’s birthstone. Whilst a serpent may seem an unusual choice for an engagement ring, it is an ancient Roman symbol for everlasting love and was a particularly popular expression of adoration during these times.

The Queen Mother

The Duke of York gave Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (aka Queen Elizabeth II’s mother, who later in life was referred to as the Queen Mother or Queen Mum) a sapphire ring. The ring had diamond accents and was complemented by a Welsh gold wedding band. Eventually, she decided to swap out her engagement ring for a large pearl surrounded by diamonds.

Alexandra of Denmark

In 1862, Edward VII proposed to Alexandra of Denmark with a gold acrostic style ring at the Royal Palace of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium. The ring was designed by London jewellers Garrard & Co and the names of the gem stones spelled BERTIE, in reference to the name that Alexandra affectionately called her husband-to-be.

Princess Madeleine of Sweden

Her engagement ring features a large Asscher-cut stone in a minimalist setting, atop a simple pavée shank. She paired it with a matching delicate pavée wedding band.

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall

If you thought the Queen Mother’s ring looked familiar, it might be because it currently belongs to Camilla. The Duchess of Cornwall received it from Prince Charles in 2005. He gave it to her after he inherited it from his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth. It’s still shining bright as ever! I think this ring is stunning but personally I have no regard for this woman.

Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco

Soon after Grace met Prince Rainier, he proposed with a jewel from Cartier. It was a delicate eternity band set with rubies and diamonds for the colors of Monaco. But soon after it was changed for a platinum Cartier 10.47 carat emerald-cut diamond with two baguette diamonds on each side.

Queen Letizia of Spain

Queen Letizia’s non-traditional ring doesn’t include a center diamond or gemstone Instead her band features 16 vertically set baguette cut diamonds in a platinum or white-gold setting.

Princess Margaret

Five years after her engagement to Group Captain Peter Townsend fell apart, Queen Elizabeth’s sister, Princess Margaret, received a ruby engagement ring that was designed by her future husband, photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones. The ruby surrounded by diamonds was created to look like a rosebud in honor of the princess’s middle name: Rose.

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex

Prince Harry designed Meghan Markle’s engagement stunner, a three-stone diamond ring, himself. The center gem comes from Botswana, a country near and dear to the couple’s heart: “We were really by ourselves, which was crucial to me to make sure we had a chance to get to know each other,” Harry said of the couple’s time in the country. The two smaller stones belonged to Harry’s mother, Princess Diana. He included them as a way “to make sure she is with us on this crazy journey together.”

Princess Alexandra

Queen Elizabeth’s cousin got quite a special ring before she married Sir Angus Ogilvy, he presented Alexandra with an engagement ring made of a cabochon sapphire set in gold.

Wallis Simpson

Edward VIII abdicated the throne to marry twice divorced American Wallis Simpson, presenting her with a 19.77-carat emerald ring. The inside of the ring was inscribed with the words: “We are ours now 27 x 36.” The numbers are shorthand for the date he proposed, October 27, 1936.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands

This engagement ring also has symbolic significance, as it has an unusual orange diamond – the national colour of the Netherlands. Maxima and Crown Prince Willem-Alexander announced their engagement on 30 March 2001, and married the following year.

Birgitte, Duchess Of Gloucester

Her husband Prince Richard put his architectural interest to good use when he designed this special ring for her! How romantic.

Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge

Prince William reportedly carried his mother’s sapphire engagement ring with him in his backpack for three weeks before finally asking Kate Middleton to marry him in a spartan log cabin during their Kenyan holiday. Minutes after Middleton appeared wearing it for the first time jewelry stores around the world started getting calls from clients looking for something similar. Now, it is valued at more than £300,000, but is considered priceless.

Princess Anne

Mark Phillips proposed to Princess Anne with a lassic sapphire set between two diamonds. The princess also received a sapphire ring from her second husband, Timothy Laurence—but with a cabochon stone flanked by three diamonds on each side, this one was more bohemian in style.

Princess Sofia of Sweden

The brilliant-cut center diamond is surrounded by a circle of smaller diamonds that also line the band. Prince Carl Philip has said that he had a hand in its design although he admits that he had a bit of help.

Zara Tindall

Equestrian Zara Tindall received a custom designed diamond and platinum ring with a divided diamond band from former rugby player Mike Tindall.

Princess Eugenie of York

Jack Brooksbank proposed to Princess Eugenie of York with a blush-colored padparadscha sapphire ring, surrounded by diamonds. The rare gemstome, known for its unique pink-orange glow, is most typically found in Sri Lanka. It also bares a striking resemblance to the ring her mother, Sarah, Duchess of York, received from Prince Andrew in 1986.

Autumn Phillips

Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips was the first of Queen Elizabeth II’s grandchildren to marry. He met Autumn Kelly at the 2003 Canadian Grand Prix and proposed with a platinum ring containing an oval center diamond with more diamonds on either side.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway

Crown Prince Haakon of Norway shared the happy news that he had proposed to girlfriend Mette-Marit on 1 December 2000, and her engagement ring was incredibly sentimental, having been worn by three generations of Swedish royal women. The yellow gold ring is set with diamonds and rubies.

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark

Mary’s square diamond ring with two rubies on either side was fitting because it represented the red and white of the Danish flag, and is quite simply a spectacular symbol of her induction into royalty.

Maria Teresa, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

A large round diamond engagement ring in a thin diamond halo, with more diamonds on the band.

Princess Charlene of Monaco

The ring is called Téthys, a 3 carat pear shaped diamond with brilliant diamonds embellishing the sides, set in gray gold.

Queen Silvia of Sweden

One isn’t enough for the queen of Sweden, she wears a set of three that includes a diamond solitaire, a diamond strip and a magnificent ruby on a band lined with diamonds.

Princess Michael Of Kent

Michael presented Marie Christine with a two-stone sapphire-and-diamond ring made from stones that belonged to his mother, Princess Marina.

Pippa Middleton

Although not technically royalty, Pippa Middleton was renowned as the world’s most eligible bridesmaid during her sister’s and brother-in-law’s royal wedding nuptials. But not for long. When James Matthews dropped to one knee for Pippa’s hand in marriage, he did so with a 5-carat art deco engagement ring worth $120,000.

Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden

An engagement ring which features a round diamond solitaire in what appears to be a knife-edge setting

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

Featuring two huge square-cut diamonds in the toi et moi style, one stone representing the bride and the other representing the groom, made by Van Cleef & Arpels. The unusual design is reflective of it’s very creative wearer. Queen Margrethe is one of the most artistic Heads of State, whose genius and vibrant nature is widely lauded.