There’s nothing quite like a royal wedding: the dresses, the pageantry, the beautiful brides, and (perhaps best of all) the engagement rings! Here’s a look at some of the most beautiful royal celebrity engagement rings.
Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex
Clocking in at an estimated $500,000 to $1 million, Meghan Markle’s engagement ring is a beauty to be reckoned with. Designed by Prince Harry himself and created by court jewelers Cleave and Company, the ring includes three diamonds on a solid yellow gold band (Meghan’s personal favorite metal). The middle diamond hails from Botswana, and the other two were hand selected from Princess Diana’s personal collection.
After Prince Archie was born last May, Harry had the stones reset in a micro-pave band.
Diana, Princess of Wales and Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge
When Prince William proposed to his now wife, Kate Middleton, he famously used his mother Princess Diana’s blue sapphire ring. After Diana’s death, the ring went to Prince Harry who reportedly passed it on to William to give to Kate. While the ring did need resizing to fit Kate, it’s otherwise unchanged from the ring Diana wore.
The sapphire ring, chosen by Diana herself upon her engagement to Prince Charles, wasn’t originally as well-loved as it is today. Initially, Diana experienced criticism for not choosing a custom-made ring. Some even nicknamed the ring a “commoner’s ring.” Today the ring ranks as one of the most famous royal celebrity engagement rings and is valued at $1 million.
The famous 12 carat sapphire rest on an 18k white gold band is encircled by fourteen solitaire diamonds.
Princess Beatrice of York
Princess Beatrice and her fiance Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, one of the most recent engagements on our list, announced their decision to wed through social media on September 26, 2019. Her ring, a collaboration between Mozzi and British designer Shaun Leane features a 4-carat diamond on a platinum pave-style band with several smaller diamonds surrounding it.
Princess Eugenie of York
When Princess Eugenie, daughter of Prince Andrew and 10th in line to the throne of United Kingdom, announced her engagement to Jack Brooksbank, her longtime boyfriend, the world went gaga over her blush-colored padparadscha sapphire. The ring, which is surrounded by diamonds, is somewhat reminiscent of her mother’s ring, a Burmese ruby also surrounded by diamonds.
Apparently, Princess Eugenie played a part in selecting the gorgeous ring. Brooksbank found the sapphire but didn’t move forward without her approval.
Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco
Fun fact. Princess Grace’s famous emerald cut engagement ring isn’t actually the first ring she received from Prince Rainier. The first ring, the one she wore when announcing her engagement from her family home in Philadelphia, was a simple eternity band with alternating rubies and diamonds.
The final ring, made famous by its appearance in Philadelphia Story, was a 10.47 carat emerald cut diamond on a platinum band with two baguettes on either side. Both rings were designed by Cartier.
Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor
Wallis Simpson’s scandalous engagement to Edward VIII, then the king of England, somewhat overshadowed her actual ring. The ring itself, however, was a beauty and, like their marriage, a somewhat rebellious choice.
King Edward VIII, who later abdicated his throne in order to marry his beloved, chose an emerald for her ring, despite the fact that emeralds scratch easily, making them an unpopular choice for engagements. The original platinum band bore the inscription “We are ours now 27 X 36” (in honor of their engagement which took place on October 27, 1936). Edward VIII later had the 19.77 carat emerald reset on a beautiful gold and platinum band.
Letizia, Queen of Spain
Queen Letizia, a former journalist and the first commoner to become a member of Spanish royalty, was a non traditional choice for a royal bride and her engagement ring follows in the same vein. The modern-style ring features a white-gold band with 16 vertical baguette diamonds. Her understated elegance paid off in the end and her ring ranks as one of the most popular celebrity engagement rings.
Royal engagement rings are famous for a reason. Little expense is spared in choosing the stones and designs. While a royal engagement ring might be a bit out of reach for most of us, the beauty and inspiration they bring isn’t. With the myriad of choices available today, it’s easy to find a ring that makes you feel like royalty.