All About Kate Middleton's Stunning Sapphire Engagement Ring (and the Royal Heirloom It Was Inspired By!)

Mar. 15, 2025

Kate Middleton’s engagement ring is undeniably one of the most famous pieces of jewelry in the world.

Having first belonged toPrincess Diana, the blue sapphire and diamond ring has been circulating on the royal scene since 1981, when the futureKing Charlesproposed to Diana with it.

Though there’s some debate over exactly how the sapphire bauble made its way into the royal family (the jewelry company that made it, Garrard, claims Prince Charles chose it for his young bride because it reminded him of his mother’s own sapphire brooch while others say Diana ordered it from the company’s catalog or chose it from a spread of jewels that Charles presented her with), it’s been in Kate’s possession since 2010, whenPrince Williamused it to ask for her hand in marriage.

“It’s my mother’s engagement ring, so I thought it was quite nice because obviously, she’s not going to be around to share in any of the fun and excitement of all this,” Prince William said in hisengagement interviewwith Kate. “This is my way of keeping her sort of close to it all.”

He also told reporters of the piece: “It’s very special to me. As Kate’s very special to me now, it was right to put the two together.”

And while Princess Kate’s ring is certainly unique, she isn’t the first British royal to wear a sapphire stone on her left finger. Aside from her late mother-in-law Princess Diana,Queen Elizabeth’s mother, the Queen Mother, received asapphire engagement ringfrom King George VI in 1923.Princess Annealso wears a sapphire engagement ring from her husband,Timothy Laurence.

Here’s everything to know about Kate Middleton’s engagement ring.

The ring features a 12-carat sapphire center stone

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Tim Graham Photo Library

Kate’s ring originally belonged to Princess Diana

The ring was reportedly one of several pieces thatCharles presented Diana with at Windsor Castle ahead of his proposal, and he chose to include it because it resembled Queen Elizabeth’s sapphire brooch.

When Charles proposed to Diana with the ring in 1981, the jewel was priced at $37,500, though its value has increased significantly in the decades since.

Kate debuted her blue engagement ring with a matching dress

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Royal admirers first saw the sapphire and diamond ring on Kate’s hand during the couple’s engagement announcement at St. James’s Palace on Nov. 16, 2010. Kate had the perfect ensemble to show it off in: aroyal blue Issa dresswith a V-neckline and a crossover waistband.

Her gold wedding band was a gift from Queen Elizabeth

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The blue ring got some company on Kate’s finger on her and William’s wedding day on April 29, 2011, when Queen Elizabeth gifted the bride with a Wartski Welsh gold wedding band. Welsh gold bands are a long-standing tradition for the royal family: King Charles andQueen Camillareceivedsimilar wedding rings in 2005.

Kate has matching jewels for her engagement ring

While Kate’s ring is stunning enough to make a statement on its own, the Princess of Wales also has some matching pieces she has worn on occasion, which were from Princess Diana’s personal jewelry collection.

In 2019, Princess Katedebuted a large pair of double-cluster sapphire-and-diamond earringsthat once belonged to Diana. The late princess was photographed wearing the jewels many times, including at the Met Gala in New York in 1996.

Prince William gifted Kate an eternity ring after Prince George’s birth

Three years after the couple got engaged, Kate’s show-stopping engagement ring and Welsh gold wedding band got even flashier with theaddition of a white gold diamond eternity bandthat Prince William gifted her from Annoushka.

source: people.com