Kate Middleton’s $517,000 Engagement Ring Once Worn by Princess Diana “Comes With Its Own Challenges”

Prince William proposed with the sparkler while on holiday with Kate in Kenya in 2010.

• Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton in October 2010 while on holiday in Kenya.
• The future king proposed with the same sapphire and diamond ring that once belonged to his mother, the late Princess Diana.
• According to a jewelry expert, wearing the heirloom piece is more work than may appear to the naked eye, as it “comes with its own challenges.”

Everyone’s engagement ring is special, but not everyone’s engagement ring is an heirloom piece of royal history. Kate Middleton’s is, though—and her iconic sapphire and diamond sparkler apparently requires constant upkeep and is reportedly challenging to wear.

Prince William proposed to Kate in 2010 with a deeply symbolic ring—one given to his mother, then Lady Diana Spencer, in 1981 by his father, then Prince Charles. The ring features a 12-carat, oval Ceylon sapphire at its center surrounded by a halo of 14 diamonds set in 18k white gold—by anyone’s eye, a beautiful piece. But according to Ben Roberts, the managing director of Clogau—the brand that’s responsible for the Welsh gold that Brides reported often comprises British royals’ engagement rings—“Most people don’t know the level of upkeep that wearing an heirloom day-to-day can entail.”

“Even without any alterations, caring for an heirloom of such value comes with its own challenges,” Roberts told Hello!. “Kate and her team will need to employ careful maintenance with regular inspections and in-depth evaluations, gentle cleaning to restore sheen, and, if necessary, expert repairs to ensure its longevity.”

William proposed over 13 years after Princess Diana’s death in a Paris car accident on August 31, 1997. While speaking with ITV News in their first interview post-engagement, William explained that he opted to propose with his mother’s famous engagement ring while on holiday in Kenya in October 2010 because “obviously, she’s not going to be around to share in any of the fun and excitement of all this. This is my way of keeping her sort of close to it all.”

The ring—now valued at approximately $517,000—was inspired by a brooch that Prince Albert commissioned British jeweler Garrard to craft for his future wife, Queen Victoria, in 1840 as a wedding gift, according to Vogue. Victoria loved the piece so much that she decided to wear it as her something blue on her wedding day on the front of her dress, and wore the accessory up until her death. Queen Elizabeth inherited the brooch, which she wore on many occasions; as her son Charles was thinking about engagement rings for Diana, he was reportedly inspired by that sapphire and diamond piece. According to Hello!, Diana’s ring in 1981 was worth $37,806.

In their ITV News interview in 2010, Kate called her engagement ring “beautiful” and said she hoped she’d “look after it.” The Princess of Wales didn’t speak about her engagement ring again for 13 more years, until April 2023, when she visited the Welsh town of Merthyr Tydfil. Per Newsweek, it was during this visit where Kate shared that she and her late mother-in-law Diana wore exactly the same ring size, and when William proposed with the sapphire and diamond sparkler, it didn’t need to be resized.

“It’s the same ring,” Kate said. “And it’s exactly the same size as when I tried it on.”

The future queen called her ring “very, very special,” adding, “It’s an honor to be able to carry on wearing it.” Kate added that she “never, sadly, got to meet her,” saying that Diana as a grandmother would “be brilliant.”

“You know, we miss her every day, and that’s what’s important,” Kate said.