This past Monday Buckingham Palace officially announced the engagement of Princess Eugenie of York to Mr. Jack Brooksbank. It seemed only fitting that this week’s Royal Wedding Wednesday should cover Royal Engagement Rings and Portraits.
Royal Engagement Rings and Portraits
The happy couple will marry at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle later this year in the fall. Princess Eugenie’s engagement ring features a padparadscha sapphire. It is a blush colored stone that is extremely rare.
Many people pointed out that the ring is quite similar to the ruby ring her father, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, gave to her mother, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, in 1986.
There are definite similarities to the Duchess’ ring. It is said that Prince Andrew chose the Garrard Jewelers gem to match his fiancée’s fiery hair. The ring featured an oval Burmese ruby flanked by ten diamonds.
Princess Eugenie and Jack’s official engagement portrait took place in the picture gallery at Buckingham Palace. The bride wore a dress by Erdem and Jimmy Choo shoes.
Prince Harry and Miss Megan Markle
With the release of Princess Eugenie’s official engagement photos, the British press immediately began comparing them to the official photo’s taken of Prince Harry and his American fiancée, Miss Megan Markle, just last month.
Many were shocked that Miss Markle chose such a sheer gown given that the Royal family generally dresses fairly conservatively for official portraits. The $75,000 price tag of the Ralph & Russo gown also raised some eyebrows. But Miss Markle, a successful actress, can afford such a dress.
Prince Harry designed the engagement ring and it was executed by the jeweler Cleave and Company. A diamond from Botswana is the center stone. It is flanked with two diamonds from Princess Diana’s collection.
Prince William and Catherine Middleton
Prince Harry’s brother, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, presented his fiancée, Catherine Middleton, his mother’s iconic engagement ring.
For their 2010 official engagement portrait, the Duchess of Cambridge chose to wear a $300 off the rack three quarter ivory sheath by Reiss.
The stunning 18-carat oval sapphire surrounded by 14 diamonds was made by Garrard Jewelers. It originally cost $36,000 in 1981. It is now priceless.
Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer
Diana herself selected the ring and years later said she picked it because “It was the biggest one on the tray.”
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip
Here’s a swoony shot.
The royal approval.
The diamonds for the ring came from a tiara belonging to Philip’s mother, Princess Andrew of Greece.
Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones
Her sister, Princess Margaret, announced her engagement to Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960.
Swoony take two.
Armstrong-Jones designed the lovely ring. The center ruby is surrounded by diamonds. The rosebud design was a nod to Princess Margaret’s middle name, Rose.
Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and the Duke of York
Their mother, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, never expected to become queen when she finally accepted the proposal of the Duke of York in 1923.
The Duke presented her with a simple sapphire and diamond ring that you can slightly see in the image below with Princess Elizabeth.
The Duke and Duchess of Windsor
She became Queen when her brother in law, King Edward VIII, abdicated the throne to marry the twice-divorced American, Wallis Simpson. Thus making her husband King George VI.
The Duchesses 19.77-carat emerald engagement ring bore a personal inscription that read: “We are ours now 27 X 36.” It was a reminder of the day Edward proposed, October 27, 1936.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
Queen Elizabeth’s great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, wore a somewhat unusual engagement ring by today’s standards.
The ring featured an emerald (her birthstone), rubies, and diamonds that were set into a curling snake design. While the reptile may seem like an odd choice, back in the 19th century it was a sign of eternal love and commitment.
Princess Anne
The Queen’s only daughter, Princess Anne, chose a sapphire and diamond engagement ring by Garrard Jewelers when she became engaged to Capt. Mark Phillips.
Interestingly, she selected a sapphire again for her second engagement to Sir Timothy Laurence.
Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones
Prince Edward, the Queen’s youngest son, proposed to Sophie Rhys-Jones with a two-carat oval diamond that is flanked by two smaller heart-shaped gems. It is also from the British royal jeweler Garrard.
However, he soon became aware that other leading ladies in Hollywood were wearing much larger rings. He quickly ordered an additional ring from Cartier. It was a 10.5-carat emerald-cut diamond flanked by two baguettes.
Toi et Moi
I will leave you with the engagement ring of what possibly is the most timeless of all Royal romances.
Future French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte gave Rose Tascher de la Pagerie de Beauharnais, later Empress Josephine, a diamond and sapphire ring to show his love and seal their engagement. The tear-shaped stones set side by side, are a style known as Toi et Moi (you and me). The design signifies the union of two souls into one.
What ring is your favorite?
Laura
I lean toward smaller and simpler — the Grace Kelly probably suits me best!
I enjoyed this so much. Thanks for all of your hard work and research.
Thanks for the research and pictures. I love seeing the preference for colored stones and unusual settings. I remember reading a book about DeBeers years ago attributing the preference for diamonds for engagement rings to their marketing campaign, “A Diamond is Forever.” This slogan cemented the idea in the public mind that a diamond is a rare stone to commemorate an engagement, and they are not rare at at all. The rarity comes form the control of the diamond trade. I also like the use of heirloom stones, it is so sentimental.
I actually prefer Prince Harry & Megan Markle’s engagement photos the most because they are more modern/relaxed and I love her sheer gown though that’s a ridiculous price tag regardless if one has the money or not (I could never even think of spending that much for anything). Princess Diana’s green gown, while pretty, reminds me too much of the dreaded bridesmaid dresses that I was forced to wear at two of my sister’s weddings…. I just can’t like it because of that. 😉
As for the rings, I prefer simple and non-traditional. They’re all pretty, but the prettiest engagement ring I’ve seen lately is that of my own daughter Sarah – it’s a raw, natural diamond (like a dull rock) surrounded by smaller diamonds and it’s so interesting and so her.
Thanks for providing such interesting reading for the start of my day. 🙂
Love, Linda
Great post, this is so interesting.
Wonderful post! I love Napoleon’s ring to Josephine! Second to it, I love the look of Lady Elizabeth Lyons’ sapphire with what looks like 4 corner diamonds. Diana’s is steeped in wonderful history (her comment of biggest one on the tray sounds like she was fully aware of her relationship with Charles from the get-go). Megan’s is my favorite, classic diamond arrangement. Thank you for sharing! I love the clothing fashions too.
My favorite ring is MINE!
I love the Princess Grace eternity band. Her emerald cut 10.5 carat ring looks too big for her hand, but maybe movie stars/royalty thought
bigger is better. Really enjoyed this article, Laura, and thanks for the time and effort you put in to it! ~ carol
Diana’s ring set the standard for so many brides for years after the engagement. I remember the advertisements from jewellery companies showing similar (although much smaller) versions of the iconic ring. Hopefully all their marriages ended up much happier. I have never seen pictures of Margaret’s or even Her Majesty’s rings before. You have really done your home work! This was a truly interesting read. Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
I like Eugenie’s! Pretty, different, striking. Of course, I didn’t choose a diamond, either.
Laura, I’m loving this series. I think I like Princess Diana’s ring the best. They are all beautiful but hers is my favorite. It is quite nice that Prince William was able to give Catherine his mother’s ring. I think Diana would like Catherine.
I love seeing all the pictures you have shown. I especially like seeing Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip in the two photos you called swoony shots. Great pictures of them.
Thanks for all your research.
What a wonderful glimpse into royal engagements. I love Diana’s / Kate’s ring – that sapphire has captured my imagination since I first saw it in 1981. I love Prince William and Catherine’s engagement photo – they look so in love. Eugenie’s ring is beautiful, too, I’d never heard of that colour of sapphire. Truly unique.
All the rings are stunning but my favorite is still Princess Diana’s. I am so happy that William gave Kate her ring. What an honor!!
Wow…beautiful rings . I like the colored stones instead of just using diamonds!
Of course Lady Di’s ring is so iconic. Sapphires are such a classic and romantic choice. Thanks for all the research. Great post. Timely because of the recent engagements and The Crown and Victoria on PBS. I actually just started a Royals Pinterest board because of The Crown.
I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the photos and hearing about each ring. They’re all beautiful (except for Victoria’s!) but I’d have to say I like the design of Sophie Rhys-Jones’ ring the most.
Well, it’s hard to pick a favorite! They are all beautiful. I did not know about Josephine’s ring… it is quite interesting. I think I would pick, err, um Beatrice’s no um Kate’s! Lovely rings. I have been enjoying your royal posts. I also watch the crown and Victoria.
I don’t really like big rings, but Di’s ring is my favorite.
I thoroughly enjoyed this post, Laura! You researched it so well – and I was particularly fascinated with Queen Victoria and Princess Margaret’s rings. I am so intrigued by how the Royal family have influenced jewellery trends over the years. My late mother’s engagement ring was a similar style to HM The Queen’s (albeit on a much smaller sale). My own engagement ring was a similar style to Princess Diana’s, although again on a much smaller scale. I noticed that the style became very popular again after Prince William gave his mother’s ring to Catherine Middleton. It will be interesting to see how Megan Markel and Princess Eugenie’s rings influence fashion in the coming year! Thank you so much for sharing this post with the Hearth and Soul Link Party. Wishing you a lovely week!
What an interesting post! I have never seen Princess Margaret’s ring before. It is stunning and so unusual.
Another wonderful post Laura! I will always love Princess Diana’s ring (now Duchess Kate’s ring), but I love learning about all the beautiful royal rings! Mary
Oh. I didn’t know that William had given Catherine his mum’s ring. So sweet.
Thank you so much for all the research you did. Diana’s/Kate’s ring remains my favorite as sapphire is my birthstone. Although my life has not showered me with a lot of jewels (or occasions to wear them!), I enjoy them so much. Years ago, one of my favorite games was choosing 1 ring off each page of a catalog that carried a lot of jewelry! Cheap entertainment. It was so nice to see all the rings and learn the histories.
Oh I love that swoony shot of the Queen and Phillip. It was fun learning about all of the different rings. I myself prefer smaller rings as well. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
For me it’s a tie between Princess Eugenie’s blush-colored sapphire and diamond ring and Princess Diana’s sapphire and diamond ring that Catherine Middleton now wears. I love the sparkle of all those little diamonds surrounding the beautiful center stones.
This was a fun and interesting post to read. I appreciate all the research that you did for it.
My favorite was the Grace Kelly green Emerald wedding ring. My least favorite was Queen Victorias snake ring. Thank you for this intresting read.
Wow! I can’t decide! So much interesting background information, I never knew most of it. Thanks so much for sharing at Vintage Charm! xo Kathleen||Our Hopeful Home
My choice would be Princess Diana’s. Simply gorgeous…