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Though members of the royal family may be closely associated with crowns, tiaras and historic gemstones, in some cases dating back centuries, there are more personal items of jewelry that hold special meaning to each of them—principally their engagement rings.
As coverage of any royal wedding is worldwide news, so too are the engagements, with the all-important engagement rings serving as inspiration points for future brides around the globe.
From Queen Elizabeth II's diamonds, which were taken from a tiara belonging to her mother-in-law, to the Princess of Wales' famous oval sapphire, inherited from Princess Diana, the royal's engagement rings are their ultimate accessory.
Here, Newsweek looks at six of the British royals' sparkling sentimental jewels.
Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip announced their engagement in July 1947, though the then-princess had accepted the proposal a year earlier on the condition given by her father that she wait until she was 21 to go public.
Philip was a lieutenant in the British navy and the son of Prince and Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark. When he proposed to Elizabeth, he did so with a ring made using stones from one of his mother's tiaras which had been given to him for the purpose.
Philip had the ring made by the English firm of Philip Antrobus, who also designed an elaborate diamond bracelet using the remaining stones from the tiara, which was given to the prince's bride as a wedding present.
The ring features a large central diamond, reportedly measuring at around three carats in weight, flanked by two smaller diamonds on a platinum band.
Duchess of Edinburgh
When Queen Elizabeth II's youngest son, Prince Edward, proposed to his long-term girlfriend, Sophie Rhys-Jones, in 1999, he did so using a diamond ring that echoed the formation of his mother's.
Edward and Sophie (now the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh) undertook an engagement photocall at Clarence House in London where the future princess showed her ring, designed by the firm of Asprey and Garrard, to photographers.
The ring reportedly cost £105,000 ($127,514) and has been regularly worn throughout the royal's 24-year marriage.
Queen Camilla
When Prince Charles (now King Charles III) announced his engagement to Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005, it formed the culmination of a long romance that experienced a series of public highs and lows.
As a second marriage—following the royal's 1996 divorce from Princess Diana and Camilla's own from Andrew Parker Bowles in 1995—it altered royal convention by taking place in two parts, a civil ceremony and a church blessing.
Convention was adhered to with the all-important engagement ring, however, and the future queen was given an heirloom jewel that had formerly belonged to Charles' grandmother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
The art deco-style ring reportedly dates back to the 1920s and features an eight-carat emerald-cut diamond set into a platinum band, flanked by six smaller diamond baguettes.
Princess of Wales
When Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton in 2010, he did so using one of the most famous engagement rings of all time—the diamond and sapphire ring which had been the engagement ring of his late mother, Princess Diana.
After her death, the ring was inherited by her sons and Kate complimented the ring with her choice of a sapphire blue dress for the couple's official engagement photo-call at St James's Palace.
In April 2023, Kate discussed the ring in a rare moment caught on camera at a public event. The princess told a well-wisher that the ring was the same size as it had been when Diana wore it, requiring no alteration for her use.
"It's very, very special," she said. "It's an honor to be able to carry on wearing it."
Duchess of Sussex
Prince Harry also honored his mother when proposing to Meghan Markle in 2017.
The prince specially designed a three-diamond ring for Meghan, using a large central stone which had been mined in Botswana, where the couple spent a meaningful vacation at the start of their relationship.
The central stone is flanked by two smaller diamonds which were revealed to have been taken from Princess Diana's jewelry collection.
"The little diamonds either side are from my mother's jewelry collection to make sure that she's with us on this crazy journey together," the prince said in his engagement interview, with Meghan adding: "It's beautiful, and he designed it. It's incredible."
Since their marriage, the ring has undergone some alterations.
Princess Eugenie
Queen Elizabeth II's granddaughter, Princess Eugenie, announced her engagement to businessman, Jack Brooksbank, from Buckingham Palace on January 22, 2018.
The engagement ring selected by the couple echoed the diamond set ruby ring which was given by the princess' father, Prince Andrew, to her mother, Sarah Ferguson, before their marriage in 1986.
Instead of a ruby, Eugenie's ring features a large, rare, Padparadscha sapphire which gives a pink-to-orange hue.
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