Engagement rings of the protagonists of the British royal family. Those of Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle, Camilla and … ♦ ︎
The many fans of chronicles from the British royal family are preparing for a new wedding. After those of Prince Harry and Maghen Markle there were those of Eugenie, second child of Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, with Jack Brooksbank, then those of Beatrice of York with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. Or of nobles linked in some way to the royal family, such as Lady Gabriella Windsor, daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, who married Thomas Kingston.
The father of the bride, Prince Michael of Kent, is the son of George, Duke of Kent and Navy of Greece. He is also the nephew of King George V, who reigned from 1910 until January 20, 1936. He is therefore the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. In short, it is always part of the royal family, as evidenced by the fact that Lady Gabriella got married in the same place where the weddings of Meghan Markle and Princess Eugenia were celebrated (Kate Middleton and William instead said yes in the Abbey of Westminster).
As always, attention is also paid to everything around events of this type. For example, to the jewels that noble brides wear. Often the jewels worn by members of the royal family, in fact, reveal bonds and hierarchies, as well as being particularly valuable objects. In particular, the rings worn by girlfriends and brides of the British royal family all have a story to tell.
Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge
Kate Middleton presented herself in public with the ring of engagement that belonged to Princess Diana: a way to emphasize also a leading role and an unconditional entry into the royal family. The ring has a 12 karat Ceylon oval blue sapphire and is surrounded by 14 diamonds. The gift was a symbolic act and also a decision on which Prince William has meditated: before offering it to the future bride it seems that he kept the ring in his pocket for three weeks while on vacation with Kate in Kenya. In short, it is certainly not an impulsive one.
Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex
Meghan’s engagement ring was designed by Prince Harry personally. The ring is of the trilogy type, with three diamonds: the center stone, larger, comes from Botswana, where the couple had spent their holidays together. Not secondary aspect: the other two diamonds belonged to the Princess Diana jewelry collection. Also in this case, in short, there is a clear connection with the family history.
Queen Elizabeth II
Like his nephew Harry, Prince Philip, husband of Elizabeth II, who passed away in 2021, also designed the engagement ring. This is a square diamond ring of approximately 3 carats, made for her more than 70 years ago. This is not an exceptional link, but for a reason: austerity after the Second War advised against excessive ostentation of wealth. The diamond had previously been set in a tiara that belonged to Philip’s mother.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
The second wife of Prince Charles (from February 2005), received a ring with five carat diamonds. In this case it is a family ring: it was built in 1920 and belonged to the Queen Mother. The central diamond is square cut and is surrounded by six baguette-cut diamonds.
Zara Phillips
Zara (Anne Elizabeth) Phillips, married to Mike Tindall, is the daughter of Princess Anne, sister of the Queen, and her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips. She is therefore the second granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth. For engagement Zara received a diamond solitaire ring set by Mike Tindall on a platinum band studded with small diamonds.
Princess Eugenia
Sarah Ferguson’s daughter sported a ring with sapphire padparadscha, one of the rarest varieties of stone. It is an oval sapphire surrounded by diamonds and set on a Welsh gold ring, perhaps a gift from the queen. Among other things, the ring resembles that of Eugenie’s mother, Sarah Ferguson, when she became engaged to Prince Andrew in 1986.
Sarah Ferguson
The engagement ring of the Duchess of York was a Burmese ruby surrounded by diamonds, designed by Prince Andrew. Which, however, has confessed to having been helped by jewelers in charge of making the ring.
Princess Diana
In 1981 Lady Diana’s engagement ring was the first tear to the royal protocol: it was chosen, in fact, from the catalog of Garrad, a London jeweler. The tradition, in fact, foresaw that members of the royal family did not wear jewels that could be bought by any citizen (obviously rich enough to be able to afford it).
