With a vast collection of family heirlooms and access to the best bespoke jewellers in the country, the Royal Family are well known for wearing some of the most striking jewellery, whether that's for special events and occasions or even engagement rings. With Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding a matter of days away, we thought we would take a look at 7 of the most iconic rings from the Royal Family.
Queen Elizabeth II
When Prince Philip of Greece proposed to the future Queen, he did so with a ring made from diamonds from his mother's, Princess Andrew of Greece, tiara. The ring, designed by Prince Philip, was set in platinum and had a 3 carat square cut diamond with more diamonds set down the sides. The Queen continues to wear this ring every day alongside her Welsh gold wedding band.
Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth II's sister, received a ruby ring from her husband to be and photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones. Her engagement ring consisted of a ruby stone in the middle surrounded by smaller diamonds. A ruby was picked to represent her middle name 'Rose'.
Princess Diana
Princess Diana got to pick her own ring from a selection that was presented to her by the current crown jeweller, Garrard. Prince Charles told her to pick whichever ring she wanted and she chose a Ceylon Sapphire surrounded by diamonds and set in white gold. It happened to be an item in stock so if you had a spare £28,000 at the time you could have bought it too. At the time, critics and even some of the royal family were unhappy about this as royal engagement rings were usually made bespoke. Rumour has it that she chose this particular ring because it was the biggest, others say it was because it reminded her of her mother's engagement ring. Whatever the reason was, the princess clearly loved the ring as she even wore it occasionally after her and Prince Charles had got divorced.
Kate, Duchess of Cambridge
When Princess Diana died, Prince Harry and Prince William both inherited an item of jewellery each, William chose a Cartier watch and Harry chose his mother's engagement ring. When Prince William wanted to propose to Kate Middleton, the brothers made a trade. By proposing to Kate with his mother's engagement ring, it was a way for William to carry on his mother's legacy and to make sure she was there for such an important moment in his life.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
In 2005 Prince Charles proposed to Camilla Parker Bowles with an art deco style ring from the Queen Mother's jewellery collection. It is said to be one of the large engagement rings in the main royal family and it is said to be one of the most valuable. It is a classic piece made up from a large emerald cut diamond with baguette diamonds on either side. It is also set in platinum to make it even more special.
Meghan Markle
The trilogy ring that Prince Harry designed for Meghan Markle brings old and new together. The central diamond is sourced from Botswana, a place special to both of them, and the two smaller diamonds on either side were taken from Princess Diana's personal collection so that she would be there with them through their journey together. The ring is also set in yellow gold which is Meghan's favourite.
Princess Eugenie
When Jack Brooksbank proposed to Princess Eugenie he did so with a unique gemstone, a padparadscha sapphire, that is surrounded by ten diamonds and set in yellow gold. A padparadscha is a very rare type of sapphire with its colour a mix of pink and yellow that creates a sparkling peach shade. The ring is in a similar style to that of her mother's, Sarah Ferguson, who had a ruby engagement ring to match her fiery red hair.
If you're looking for the perfect engagement ring fit for a Queen, we have a large collection of new and pre-owned rings available here
