23 spellbinding royal engagement rings: From Queen Camilla's heirloom to Princess Anne's vibrant rock


Take a closer look


royal engagement rings
Chloe Couchman
Chloe CouchmanLifestyle Writer
November 14, 2022

Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa's daughter Princess Alexandra is the latest royal to announce her engagement.

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She shared the exciting news she is preparing to marry partner Nicolas Bagory in spring 2023 by showing off her new diamond and gold engagement ring. While not much is known about her classic rock, several other ladies such as Princess Kate and the Duchess of Sussex have revealed the sentimental backstories behind their precious gems. 

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From Queen Consort Camilla's inherited heirloom to Sarah Ferguson's colourful rock, we take a closer look at bewitching royal engagement rings, past and present…

Princess Eugenie

A man and woman, both smiling, stand close together in formal attire in a grand room.

Jack Brooksbank appears to have taken inspiration from Sarah Ferguson's engagement ring when picking out a ring for Princess Eugenie. The striking ring resembles a flower, and contains a padparadscha sapphire surrounded by diamonds, which gives a beautiful pinkish-orange glow.

Sarah Ferguson

Sarah, Duchess of York and Prince Andrew, Duke of York smiling and holding hands, standing outdoors with two men in suits behind them.

Sarah, Duchess of York's engagement ring is one of the most recognisable royal jewels, and features a Burmese ruby surrounded by ten diamonds, forming a flower pattern on a yellow gold band. There are several similarities between her ring and the one now owned by her daughter, Princess Eugenie.

Queen Mother

George VI in military uniform with medals stands next to seated woman in elegant dress and headpiece.

After reportedly turning down Prince Albert's proposal several times, then-Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon said yes and the couple got engaged in January 1923. The Duke of York proposed with a Kashmir sapphire, which the Queen Mother later swapped for a large pearl surrounded by diamonds.

Meghan Markle

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, smiling and walking up stone steps.

The Duchess of Sussex's engagement ring was designed by Prince Harry, and is a trilogy ring featuring a large central diamond, flanked on either side by two smaller jewels set on a gold band. However, in June it emerged that Meghan had made changes to her ring by replacing the band with a delicate diamond-studded band.

Harry had put a lot of thought into designing the ring and the stones were specially selected by the Prince; the central diamond is from Botswana, where the couple holidayed together, and the other two diamonds are from his late mother Princess Diana's personal collection. The ring was made by Cleave and Company, Court Jewellers and Medallists to Her Majesty The Queen.

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Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II in a white dress and Philip Tomalin in naval uniform, both smiling.

Then-Princess Elizabeth announced her engagement to Prince Philip in July 1947, and the couple married four months later. The late Queen's three-carat diamond ring features a solitaire and five pave diamonds on either side on a platinum band and was made using jewels from a diamond and aquamarine tiara that belonged to Philip's mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg.

Princess Charlene of Monaco

Charlene, Princess of Monaco, smiling and showing her engagement ring.

Prince Albert proposed to Princess Charlene in 2010 with a bespoke pear-shaped engagement ring. The stunning design, which was reportedly crafted by Parisian jeweller Repossi, includes a massive three-carat, pear-cut diamond flanked by smaller diamonds in triangle arrangements. 

Princess Kate

Prince William and Kate Middleton stand together, smiling, in formal attire in a grand setting.

We can see why the Princess of Wales couldn't take her eyes off her stunning engagement ring at the couple's engagement photocall. Prince William proposed to his long-term partner with a sapphire and diamond ring that once belonged to his late mother Princess Diana, while they were on holiday together in Kenya in 2010.

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Princess Diana

Charles, Prince of Wales, stands behind Diana, Princess of Wales, on steps, both smiling.

Princess Diana was also given the sapphire and diamond engagement ring when then-Prince Charles proposed in 1981.

The Queen Consort

A woman with short blonde hair, wearing a red dress and pearl necklace, shows her ring.

Queen Consort Camilla looked delighted as she showed her dazzling ring as she celebrated her engagement at Windsor Castle on 10 February 2005. The art deco ring features a five-carat emerald-cut diamond in the centre, with three diamond baguettes on each side, and once belonged to the Queen Mother, King Charles' grandmother.

Zara Tindall

Mike Tindall and Zara Tindall smiling in winter attire, standing close together.

Princess Anne's daughter Zara Phillips was presented with a stunning ring designed by her long-term partner Mike Tindall when he proposed in 2010. The ring features a single solitaire diamond in the centre sat on a platinum band with several pave set diamonds.

Princess Margaret

Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, seated in a buttoned coat, next to Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, in a suit, both smiling.

Princess Margaret's fiancé Antony Armstrong-Jones designed a very sweet engagement ring for the royal that was said to pay tribute to her middle name, Rose. Not only was it made out of rubies, but it was also shaped into a rosebud.

Princess Beatrice

Man and woman embracing, both smiling. Close-up of hands showing a diamond engagement ring.

Edoardo Mopelli Mozzi worked with Shaun Leane to design Princess Beatrice's dream engagement ring, in a process the jewellery designer told HELLO! took four months. Beatrice's fiancé had firm ideas on the type of ring he wanted, Shaun revealed.

"He came to me and he knew he wanted a round diamond. He knew he wanted a modern classic; something that had a little bit of difference to it, that wasn't just a classic that we see everywhere. That's why he came to me," he said. "So basically, what I wanted to do with him - because he had an aesthetic for art deco and Beatrice has an aesthetic for Victorian – we fused the two and mixed an art deco element with a Victorian element to the ring so that there was a fusion of their favourite aspects."

Countess of Wessex and Forfar

Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and Prince Edward stand together, smiling, in formal attire by a blooming tree.

Prince Edward proposed to then-Sophie Rhys-Jones with a ring from Garrard, which features a two-carat oval diamond and two smaller heart-shaped gems set on an 18-carat white gold band.

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Princess Anne

Anne, Princess Royal and Mark Phillips holding hands, smiling, in formal attire.

The Queen's daughter Princess Anne wore a sapphire and diamond set gold engagement ring from Garrard following her engagement to Captain Mark Phillips in 1973. The couple divorced in 1992, and she married Timothy Laurence in December of that year.

Lady Kitty Spencer

Lady Kitty Spencer in a black dress with a DG belt, smiling at an event.

Following her Italian wedding to Michael Lewis, Princess Diana's niece Lady Kitty Spencer has been pictured wearing a gorgeous ruby ring on her left hand. Designed by Peter Norman Jewelers, the platinum ring features a large emerald diamond surrounded by French cut rubies, and it is reportedly also available in 18K yellow gold, 18K white gold or 18K rose gold.

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden

Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, and Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland, sit at a podium with microphones and flowers, smiling.

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden announced her engagement to her personal trainer Daniel Westling on 24 February 2009, and showed a first look at her ring – a white gold ring with a round diamond solitaire. The ring was a break from tradition, as in previous generations royal couples had exchanged simple gold bands to mark their engagements.

Princess Madeleine

A man and a woman exchange rings during a wedding ceremony. The man wears a black tuxedo with a white vest and blue sash, while the woman dons a white gown with an off-shoulder neckline and a veil.

Princess Madeleine of Sweden was given a stunning Asscher-cut diamond ring when she got engaged to Christopher O’Neill in 2013. The 4-carat stone is paired with a delicate pavée band.

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Queen Letizia of Spain

Felipe VI of Spain and Letizia Ortiz in formal attire, smiling and showing rings.

Then Prince Felipe of Spain announced his engagement to TV newscaster Letizia Ortiz, giving the first glimpse at her engagement ring – a 16-baguette diamond ring with a white gold trim. The couple married on 22 May 2004, six months after announcing their engagement.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands in an orange dress and hat, holding a bouquet, smiling.

Queen Maxima's engagement ring also has symbolic significance, as it has an unusual orange diamond – the national colour of the Netherlands. Maxima and Crown Prince Willem-Alexander announced their engagement on 30 March 2001, and married the following year.

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Crown Princess Mary of Denmark

Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, in a beige dress, stands next to a man in a dark suit and striped tie, both smiling.

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark's elaborate ruby-cut diamond engagement ring matches the national colours of Denmark and was presented to her by Prince Frederik of Denmark when he proposed in the autumn of 2003.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway

Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway, in a black suit, sits beside a woman in a white suit, both facing each other.

Crown Prince Haakon of Norway shared the happy news that he had proposed to girlfriend Mette-Marit on 1 December 2000, and her engagement ring was incredibly sentimental, having been worn by three generations of Swedish royal women. The yellow gold ring is set with diamonds and rings.

Princess Sofia of Sweden

Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia stand on grass in formal attire, smiling.

Prince Carl Philip of Sweden designed his wife Princess Sofia's engagement ring, ahead of his proposal in June 2014. The ring features a large central diamond sat on a band encrusted with smaller pavé diamonds.

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