Princess Diana Wore Engagement Ring After Divorce For Special Reason: Is This Why Kate Middleton Wears It Now?
Even after her bitter divorce from Prince Charles, Princess Diana still wore her gorgeous sapphire and diamond engagement ring, as well as her wedding ring, for a very touching reason. She wore it for Prince William and Prince Harry.
What more do we know about the exquisite ring that William gave Kate Middleton when he proposed and does she still wear the ring?
The Daily Mail reported that the first ring the nearly 32-year-old Prince Charles gave his intended 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer, was a diamond eternity ring.
A year later, in February 1981, is when Diana chose the ring of her dreams. The couple had been dining at Windsor Castle with Queen Elizabeth and presumably Prince Philip.
After dinner, the royal jeweler, Garrard, presented a selection of rings to choose from. Without hesitation, Diana chose the sapphire ring, as sapphires are her favorite gem.
The ring, which Diana claimed was “not the largest by far,” was an oval Ceylon sapphire with 14 diamonds surrounding it set in 18-carat gold.
At the time, the ring cost £28,000, or £110,000 ($143,000 USD) in today’s currency, but before her death in 1997, it was valued at £250,000 ($324,000 USD) because of “royal connections.”
By the time Diana and Charles were divorced in 1996, the world knew all about the sordid love triangle between Charles, Camilla, and Diana. This marked the end of the fairy tale of the daycare worker with an impeccable pedigree who married the heir to the British throne.
Yet, Diana continued to wear the gorgeous sapphire engagement ring and her wedding ring even when she was officially separated and after she was divorced from Charles. She did this out of respect for her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
Touching reason Diana wore her engagement ring for years after marriage ended ?? https://t.co/yX19k5zUg7
— Royally_Petite (@RoyallyPetite) August 17, 2017
When Diana died, the boys were each allowed to take a keepsake from their mother. Prince William chose Diana’s Tank Francaise watch from Cartier, a gift from her late father, John Spencer. In turn, Prince Harry took the sapphire and diamond engagement ring.
Many surmise that there was a negotiation between William and Harry when William wanted the ring for Kate. Yet, the Daily Mail explained that the two brothers decided that whoever became engaged first would give the ring to their fiancé. William beat Harry to the alter, so he was able to present the cherished ring to Kate Middleton.
So in 2011, when Clarence House announced the engagement of Prince William to Kate Middleton, all eyes were on Catherine, who wore a blue dress that perfectly matched the stunning sapphire of Diana’s engagement ring. Diana’s engagement ring then became Kate’s.
Although there are some royal watchers that felt that this ring was a symbol of Diana’s unhappiness and wondered why William gave it to Catherine.
Yet, William had made it clear that this ring only held special memories, and although his mother was not physically going to be there on his special day, she would not ever be forgotten.
“It’s very special to me and Kate’s very special to me now, as well… It was my way of making sure my mother didn’t miss out on today and the excitement and the fact we’re going to spend the rest of our lives together.”
For years now, it appears that Kate wears the stunning ring with a lot of pride and reverence. She is never seen without the stunning reminder of Princess Diana and what she stood for.
Clearly, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge continue to honor Princess Diana in their work and how they live their lives.
Princes William & Harry said they waited 20 years to talk about Princess Diana’s death. Prince William says: “we won’t be doing this again.” pic.twitter.com/spJTJ9oZlr
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 23, 2017
Are you a fan of Princess Diana’s sapphire and diamond engagement ring? Do you think of Princess Diana when Duchess Catherine wears the ring? Please share your opinions below.
[Featured Image by Neil Hall/WPA Pool/Getty Images]
