Kate Middleton’s $517,000 engagement ring . Rachel Burchfield wrote this on March 9, 2026, at 8:41 AM. Kate Middleton on October 11, 2023. Credit: Getty Prince William asked Kate Middleton to marry him while they were on vacation in Kenya in October 2010.
The future king used the same sapphire and diamond ring that his mother, the late Princess Diana used to wear to propose. A jewelry expert says that wearing the heirloom piece is harder than it looks because it comes with its own challenges.
The famous sapphire and diamond heirloom ring
Every engagement ring is special, but not every one is a piece of royal history. Kate Middleton’s is, though, and her famous sapphire and diamond ring needs constant care and is said to be hard to wear.
The 12-carat Ceylon sapphire design
In 2010, Prince William asked Kate to marry him with a ring that had a lot of meaning. It was the same ring that his father, Prince Charles gave to his mother, Lady Diana Spencer, in 1981. The ring has a 12-carat oval Ceylon sapphire in the center and a halo of 14 diamonds set in 18k white gold around it. It’s a beautiful piece by anyone’s standards.
The work required to preserve royal heirlooms
Ben Roberts, the managing director of Clogau, the brand that makes the Welsh gold that Brides says is often used in British royals engagement rings, says, “Most people don’t know how much work it takes to keep an heirloom in good shape every day.”
Regular inspection and careful maintenance
Roberts told Hello!, “Caring for an heirloom of such value is hard enough as it is, even without any changes.” Kate and her team will need to do regular inspections and in-depth evaluations, gentle cleaning to bring back the shine, and, if necessary, expert repairs to make sure it lasts.
Why Prince William chose Diana’s ring
William asked Princess Diana to marry him more than 13 years after she died in a car accident in Paris on August 31, 1997. In their first interview after getting engaged, William told ITV News that he chose to propose with his mother’s famous engagement ring while they were on vacation in Kenya in October 2010 because she’s not going to be around to share in any of the fun and excitement of all this.
The historical inspiration behind the sapphire
According to Vogue, the ring, which is now worth about $517,000, was inspired by a brooch that Prince Albert had British jeweler Garrard make for his future wife, Queen Victoria as a wedding gift in 1840. Victoria loved the piece so much that she wore it on the front of her dress on her wedding day as her something blue piece.
The ring fit perfectly without resizing
Kate said in an ITV News interview in 2010 that her engagement ring was “beautiful” and that she hoped she would look after it. The Princess of Wales didn’t talk about her engagement ring again for 13 years, until she went to the Welsh town of Merthyr Tydfil in April 2023.
According to Newsweek, during this visit, Kate told William that she and her late mother-in-law Diana wore the same size ring. When William proposed with the sapphire and diamond sparkler, it didn’t need to be resized for Kate.
Kate said, “It’s the same ring And it fits the same way it did when I tried it on.”
The future queen said her ring was very very special and that it was an honor to keep wearing it.
Kate said that she never got to meet her, which is too bad, because Diana as a grandmother would have been brilliant.
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Kate said, “We miss her every day, and that’s what matters.”
