For decades, the renowned 12-carat sapphire-and-diamond ring of the late Princess Diana has remained a cherished gem within the royal family.
In 2010, Prince William, 41, presented his future wife Kate Middleton with Princess Diana’s blue ring during their engagement. However, it is known that Prince Harry, 38, also held a desire to bestow this iconic ring upon his future spouse.
Paul Burrell, the former butler of the Princess of Wales, shared in the documentary “The Diana Story” on Amazon Prime that after Diana’s death in 1997, her two young sons were permitted to choose a keepsake from her dazzling jewelry collection. Burrell, 65, disclosed that Harry chose Princess Diana’s blue ring, a gift from King Charles in 1981. Meanwhile, William went for his mother’s Cartier watch, a sentimental present from her father on her 21st birthday.
Burrell recounted that Harry once mentioned, “I remember when I held mummy’s hand when I was a small boy and that ring always hurt me because it was so big.”
Years later, when William was ready to propose to Kate Middleton, Harry unselfishly offered his brother the cherished engagement ring. Burrell recalled Harry’s words to William: “‘Wouldn’t it be fitting if she had mommy’s ring?'”
The act of brotherly devotion didn’t go unnoticed. Burrell praised Harry’s selflessness, stating, “Harry gave up his precious treasure, his one thing he kept from his mother, he gave to his brother. That’s selfless, kind, and exactly who Diana was.”
Fast forward to 2017, and Prince Harry, now the founder of the Invictus Games, proposed to Meghan Markle with a bespoke engagement ring. This ring was a heartfelt creation, featuring diamonds he personally selected, including two from Diana’s collection. The central diamond came from Botswana, a place that held significance for the couple, who often visited there together.
In a joint interview following their engagement, Harry and Meghan spoke about the profound meaning behind the ring. Harry revealed, “The ring is obviously yellow gold because that’s her favorite. The little diamonds on either side are from my mother’s jewelry collection to make sure that she’s with us on this crazy journey together.”
Meghan echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the importance of preserving Diana’s memory. “And it’s incredibly special. And you know to be able to have this which sort of links where you come from and Botswana which is important to us, and it’s perfect,” she shared.