Royal engagement rings run the gamut, from rosebud-shaped sparklers to classic diamond solitaires and, most famously, an eye-catching Ceylon sapphire. The latter piece belonged to Princess Diana, given to her by then-Prince Charles in 1981. Initial reactions to Diana’s ring were mixed because it broke with tradition in a subtle way—supposedly, the royal family were even among the ring’s critics.

When Diana died in 1997, it passed down to her sons. Prince William used it to propose to his now-wife, Princess Catherine, in 2010. He explained his decision to give the ring to his longtime girlfriend in an ITV interview about his engagement. “I thought it was quite nice [to use Diana’s engagement ring] because obviously she’s not really around to share any of the fun and excitement of it all. This is my way of keeping her sort of close to it all,” he shared.

Kate Middleton now wears it as part of a glittering $527,312 ring stack alongside her Welsh gold wedding band, an eternity band, and a sapphire and diamond Cartier ring. While the ring is widely considered both a beautiful piece of jewelry and a touching tribute to William’s late mother, its initial reception was less

The problem was neither the design—the royal family are avid fans of sapphires—nor the price, but the fact that it came from a catalog instead of being a one-of-a-kind creation. Diana’s beloved engagement ring was part of a stock collection, meaning the public could purchase their own identical version if they had the funds. According to Vogue, Charles’s family members didn’t approve of the sparkler due to this divergence from the royal tradition of having a bespoke ring—and the fact that commoners had access to it.

Diana evidently didn’t mind. Not only did she define ‘80s engagement ring trends with her bold, colorful bauble, but she continued to wear the piece on occasion following her 1996 divorce from Charles.

Why would Charles include a stock ring in the selection to begin with? People suggested in a 2025 article that it reminded the prince of a brooch he’d seen his mother and grandmother wear, compelling him to choose it. A Garrard spokesperson, speaking to Marie Claire in 2017, seemingly confirms this version

“Queen Victoria absolutely loved sapphires, so Prince Albert always used to buy her sapphires. There’s a very famous sapphire brooch which Queen Elizabeth wears regularly, passed down from Queen Victoria. That was the inspiration for the sapphire engagement ring that the Duchess of Cambridge wears,” the Garrard representative explained.

“Prince Charles had always seen this beautiful sapphire brooch of his mother’s, which House of Garrard had created. When he went to House of Garrard he saw that ring, and thought it was perfect,” they continued. While Charles and Diana’s relationship would become infamously adversarial, the choice of engagement ring was something they agreed on—others’ opinions notwithstanding.