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When Prince William proposed to college sweetheart Kate Middleton in 2010, he did so using one of the most famous engagement rings of all time—the sapphire and diamond set jewel that had belonged to his late mother, Princess Diana.
Diana chose the ring herself in 1981 with help from Prince Charles (now King Charles III) and Queen Elizabeth II from a selection brought to Buckingham Palace from the London jewlery firm Garrard.
In interviews supplied to biographer Andrew Morton in 1992, the princess said of the ring: "A briefcase comes along on the pretext that [Prince Andrew] is getting a signet ring for his 21st birthday and along come these sapphires. I mean nuggets! I suppose I chose it, we all chipped in. The Queen paid for it."
The ring became Diana's most famous item of jewelry, worn almost constantly throughout her marriage and after her 1992 separation from Charles and eventual divorce in 1996.
After the princess' tragic death following a 1997 high-speed Paris car crash, the ring was inherited by her two sons, William and Prince Harry.
The ring wasn't seen for over a decade, before it was photographed on Kate's finger upon the announcement of her engagement at St James's Palace in London.
Over the years, Kate has said little publicly about the ring, or Diana.
Newsweek looks at everything Kate Middleton has said on the record about her engagement ring.
'I Just Hope I Look After It'
Kate's first public comment about becoming the caretaker of Princess Diana's engagement ring was made in her first extended interview with Prince William on the day their own engagement was announced.
On November 16, 2010, three weeks after William proposed during a vacation in Kenya, the couple sat down at Clarence House with ITV broadcaster Tom Bradby to discuss their future plans.
Describing his decision to propose with his late mother's ring, William said he thought it was "nice" because "obviously she's not going to be around to share any of the fun and excitement of it all—this was my way of keeping her sort of close to it all."
When asked for her thoughts, Kate showed the ring, describing it as "beautiful" and going on to joke that she hoped she'd "look after it."
Engagement Interview with Tom Bradby
"It's beautiful... I just hope I look after it. It's very, very special."
'Exactly the Same Size'
Kate didn't discuss the ring again until April 2023, where she was filmed making a rare comment about Princess Diana and her legacy, seven months after taking on her late mother-in-law's title of Princess of Wales.
During a visit to the Welsh town of Merthyr Tydfil, Kate was filmed by a member of a crowd of well-wishers revealing the never-before-heard detail that the glittering engagement ring hadn't needed to be resized before she wore it.
"It's the same ring," she said. "And it's exactly the same size as when I tried it on."
The princess also said the ring was "very, very special," before discussing how important it was for Diana to be a part of the lives of her grandchildren, Prince George (born 2013), Princess Charlotte (2015) and Prince Louis (2018).
Visit to Wales, April 2023
"It's the same ring [as Diana's], and it's exactly the same size as when I tried it on, yeah. So it's very, very special. It's an honor to be able to carry on wearing it...I never, sadly, got to meet her...I never met her, no, sadly. Obviously now with the children—her grandchildren—her being a grandmother...she'd be brilliant. You know, we miss her every day and that's what's important."
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more