The Reason For Kate Middleton Altering Her Iconic $500,000 Princess Diana Engagement Ring

May 05, 2021 by apost team

It's common knowledge by now that when Prince William proposed to his wife Kate Middleton, he did so with his late mother Princess Diana's engagement ring. What many may not know, however, is that it was his younger brother Prince Harry who initially inherited it. 

This information was revealed in a documentary about the royal family, in which a former butler who worked for Princess Diana said Prince Harry 'selflessly' offered it to his brother for his proposal. 

In the recent documentary "The Diana Story," released by Amazon Prime in September of 2017, Paul Burrell, a former butler of Diana's, confirmed that Harry originally inherited the late princess' engagement ring.  According to The Sun, Harry was told to pick out some of his late mother's jewels after she died in 1997. One of the gems he had chosen was the $400,000 iconic sapphire ring.

In 2010, when William revealed he was planning to propose to his then-girlfriend Kate, his younger brother offered him the ring as a tribute to their mother. 

William proposed to Kate in 2010 while on vacation in Kenya. According to the duchess, the proposal came as a huge surprise. "He's a true romantic and we had a wonderful holiday in Africa and it was out there in a very quiet lodge and it was very romantic and it was a very personal time for both of us," Middleton told ITV at the time, according to ABC News.

According to William, proposing with Diana's engagement ring meant his late mother "didn't miss out" on their special day. However, Marie Claire reports that after the proposal, Kate changed her ring, opting to have it resized.

"Well as you may recognize now, it's my mother's engagement ring and it's very special to me, as Kate is very special to me now as well. It was only right the two were put together," he said at the time. 

It was a beautiful gesture from Harry to give the ring to his brother so that he could propose to Kate in 2010. According to ELLE, Burell recalled in the documentary, "Harry said to him: 'Wouldn't it be fitting if she had mummy's ring?'" The former butler said Prince Harry's "selfless" action highlighted the qualities Diana raised her children to have. 

"Then one day that ring will be sat on the throne of England. Harry gave up his precious treasure," Burrell added.  "His one thing he kept from his mother, he gave to his brother. That's selfless, kind and exactly who Diana was."

Marie Claire reports that Kate had then chosen to resize the ring as it did not fit her finger well. Although the ring looked beautiful on Kate’s finger when the couple announced their engagement, it kept sliding and twisting around as it was slightly too big for her. It isn't immediately apparent that the ring has been resized as the change is inside the band and not within the jewels. 

The duke and duchess asked crown jeweler G. Collins and Sons to resize the ring for her, who did so by adding small platinum beads inside the band so that it would fit more snugly on Kate's finger. It is likely that they only resized the band because great care would need to be taken to not affect the gorgeous sapphire stone and surrounding diamond halo.

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As Kate ended up becoming the new proud owner of the beautiful ring, Harry got creative when the time came to propose to his now-wife, Meghan Markle. The former prince opted for designing his own piece of jewelry, to which he even added a bit of sentiment. According to The Sun, the yellow-gold ring featured a central stone hailing from Botswana, a country Harry and Meghan have fond memories of, along with two smaller diamonds from Diana's collection. 

Harry proposed to Meghan in November 2017 while enjoying a chicken dinner at Kensington Palace. Referring to the ring, Meghan said it meant Diana was "with us on this crazy journey together." At the time Meghan said:

"Everything about Harry's thoughtfulness and the inclusion of Princess Diana's stones and obviously not being able to meet his mum. It's so important to me to know that she's a part of this with us."

Iconic as Diana's sapphire engagement ring might be, it actually stirred quite the controversy when Prince Charles' engagement to Diana was first announced. When the couple made their engagement public on February 24, 1981, they also revealed the ring for the first time, which featured a 12-carat oval Ceylon sapphire stone, surrounded by 14 solitaire diamonds sitting on 18-karat white gold. Her choice, however, did not sit very well with the Royal family as it wasn’t the norm for a Royal to wear jewelry that was not custom-made and available for public purchase. 

In any case, she loved the ring so much she continued to wear it even after her divorce from Prince Charles. At the time, the ring was said to have cost Prince Charles a whopping $60,000. Today, it's estimated to be worth as much as $500,000, according to Oprah Mag. 

What is your favorite piece of Royal jewelry? Let us know your thoughts, and make sure you pass this along to your friends and family!