Prince William proposed to Kate in 2010 with his mother's 14 solitaire diamond and 12-carat oval blue Ceylon sapphire engagement ring, set in 18-karat gold. The ring was selected from the official royal jeweller, Garrard, by Prince Charles and Diana following their engagement in 1981.
It consisted of a 12-carat oval blue Ceylon sapphire surrounded by 14 diamonds and set in 18-karat white gold, and although it was initially given to Prince Harry, he decided to pass it on to William.
According to one jewellery expert, William's decision to give Kate his late mother's ring showed William was sure he had found a match his mother would have approved of.
An insider told the outlet that Prince William surprised Princess Kate with a family heirloom—a beautiful diamond ring that belonged to his late mother, Princess Diana—to mark the occasion.
The Duchess of Cambridge was apparently not meant to receive the ring at all, as upon Princess Diana's passing, and when her sons turned 18, the ring was passed onto Prince Harry for his future wife, while Prince William got his mother's Cartier ring.
According to Burrell, Harry chose to keep Diana's highly treasured engagement ring as a keepsake and William opted for her Cartier watch. This he repeated in interviews after the ring appeared on the finger of Kate Middleton in 2010, alleging that Harry must have given it to his brother.
Following Diana's death in August 1997, the sapphire ring was inherited by her son Prince Harry, who eventually offered it to his older brother Prince William before he proposed to Kate Middleton with it in 2010.
“The Queen Consort, really, gets first choice of the Queen's jewelry. And after that is Princess of Wales, of course, Kate.
The entire wedding cost the Crown around USD 34 million, of which USD 32 million was allocated to security. Kate wore a beautiful Alexander McQueen handmade lace gown, which had a 2.7-metre-long train.
As the new Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate receive a majority of their income from a private estate called the Duchy of Cornwall, which was established in 1337 to financially support the heir to the throne, according to CNN.
The yellow gold band has not one but three diamonds: a central rock of three carats from Botswana, where the couple had holidayed together, and two diamonds on either side from Princess Diana's collection. Markle showed off the ring at Kensington Palace when the pair announced their engagement in 2017.
After the princess' death, most of her personal jewelry was inherited by her two sons Princes William and Harry, with pieces loaned to her during her lifetime being returned to Queen Elizabeth II, where they are most likely to have been inherited by King Charles in 2022.
Perhaps the most famous piece of jewelry Kate inherited from Princess Diana is this sapphire engagement ring. The ring was created by British jeweler Garrard and chosen by Prince Charles for his proposal to Diana in 1981.
The late princess continued to wear her engagement ring even after she and Prince Charles divorced in 1996. After her death, Prince William inherited the sapphire sparkler, eventually using it to propose to Kate Middleton in 2010.
“The ring is yellow gold, because that's [Meghan's] favorite, and the main stone itself I sourced from Botswana, and the little diamonds on either side are from my mother's jewelry collection to make sure that she's with us on this — on this crazy journey together,” he said.
Kate Middleton and Princess Diana Have This Surprising Physical Attribute in Common. The Princess of Wales never had to get her heirloom sapphire engagement ring resized because she and her late mother-in-law have the exact same ring size.
2. What Was Middleton's Net Worth Before She Married Prince William? Although the princess was technically a commoner prior to marrying Prince William, she comes from a wealthy family. The Middletons own a popular party supply business called Party Pieces, and their shared net worth is about $50 million.
The royal family announced that they would pay for the wedding. The costs for the cake, the florist, and the catering had been estimated to be £50,000, £110,000, and £286,000 respectively, and the overall cost was expected to be around £32 million.
While the likes of Meghan Markle and Princess Eugenie turned to professional makeup artists to help perfect their natural looks, Kate reportedly chose to do her own makeup when she married Prince William in 2011.
If tradition prevails, most of the Queen's personal jewels will be passed on to King Charles III and Queen Camilla. It is speculated that Catherine, Princess of Wales will also receive some of the jewels as she will eventually be Queen.
As for why the Queen left Meghan out of her inheritance, Radar Online's source speculated that it could be due to either “practicality” or Harry and Meghan's drama with the British royal family in the years leading up to the Queen's death.
But she is also in line to inherit a truly remarkable piece that will no doubt mean a great deal to her father, William. Charlotte is set to receive the iconic Spencer tiara, which previously belonged to her late grandmother, Princess Diana.
After Diana's tragic death at the age of 36 in a 1997 Paris car crash, her jewelry was inherited by her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. The glittering pieces collected by Diana throughout her married life held enormous sentimental value to both the princess and the princes.
The ring reportedly was found in the wreckage of the Mercedes and given to Diana's sisters when they came to Paris to accompany her body back to England.
Bulgari diamond band
Diana was wearing a ring given to her by Dodi Fayed when she died. It was a £3,000 Bulgari yellow gold band with diamonds. The diamond band set in yellow gold was not an engagement ring and was worn on the fourth finger of her right hand, where her butler Paul Burrell advised her to wear it.