13 of the most iconic royal engagement rings ever: from Queen Elizabeth to Meghan Markle, and Grace Kelly to Princess Charlene of Monaco
Royal engagement rings have ranged from incredibly expensive to surprisingly simple. Here are some of the most extravagant ones of our time worn by Europe’s most high-profile royals (hint: expect a lot of royal brides from the UK and Monaco).
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The diamonds in Queen Elizabeth’s three-carat engagement ring came from a tiara that belonged to Prince Philip’s mother, Princess Andrew of Greece
The ring is made up of one three-carat diamond surrounded by 10 smaller diamonds.
The Prince of Monaco proposed to Grace Kelly with an engagement ring of interlocking diamonds and rubies – but then bought her a bigger 10.5-carat diamond
That bigger diamond ring was displayed at the “Grace, Princess of Monaco: A Tribute to the Life and Legacy of Grace Kelly” exhibit at Sotheby’s in New York in 2007.
The exhibition also featured her dresses, letters, photos and other items.
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Princess Diana picked out her own sapphire engagement ring from a Garrard catalogue
The sapphire stone was surrounded by 14 diamonds. It cost about US$36,000 in 1981, but today it’s (practically) priceless.
Sarah Ferguson’s ring also came from Garrard
The ruby in the centre matches her red hair, while the stone was surrounded by 10 drop diamonds.
The couple divorced in 1996.
Queen Elizabeth’s youngest son, Prince Edward, proposed to Sophie Rhys-Jones with another Garrard ring
The ring contained three diamonds in a modern setting.
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands received an engagement ring with orange diamonds from King Willem Alexander
Orange is the historic national colour of the Netherlands.
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King Felipe of Spain (then crown prince) presented Queen Letizia with a band of diamonds instead of a traditional engagement ring
The ring contained 16 baguette diamonds with white gold trim.
Princess Victoria of Sweden kept her engagement ring simple
In Sweden, where royal engagement rings are usually plain gold bands, a single patience diamond was more than enough.
Prince Albert of Monaco proposed to Princess Charlene in 2010 with a three-carat, pear-shaped diamond with smaller diamonds around it designed by Repossi
The royal couple met through the Olympics (both are former Olympians) and wed in 2011. Charlene rarely wears the engagement ring publicly.
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Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton with his mother’s ring, and she continues to wear it today
Middleton also wears other pieces of Princess Diana’s jewellery, including earrings and bracelets.
Prince Harry proposed to Meghan Markle with a ring he designed himself
The ring contained three stones: one diamond from Botswana flanked by two diamonds from one of Princess Diana’s brooches.
Princess Eugenie’s engagement ring contains a padparadscha sapphire surrounded by diamonds in a design similar to her mother Sarah Ferguson’s
The design resembled her mother Sarah Ferguson’s US$35,000 design.
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Princess Beatrice’s 3.5-carat engagement ring is estimated to cost around US$100,000
- Royal engagement rings have ranged from incredibly expensive to surprisingly simple – Princess Diana’s ring was from a catalogue anyone could have ordered from
- The UK’s Sarah Ferguson and Sophie Rhys-Jones both received rings from Garrard, but what about Queen Letizia of Spain and Máxima of the Netherlands?