Expert REVEALS which Royal owns the most expensive engagement ring – and why Kate and Meghan’s are so meaningful

WEARING a £1,995 tuxedo dress, designed by her stepsister Daisy, Earl Mountbatten’s granddaughter Phoebe, posed on the steps of Kensington and Chelsea Register Office after tying the knot with British banker Leopold Glover.

Holding a bouquet of white roses in her left hand, Phoebe, 29, who is a third cousin of Prince William and Prince Harry, kissed her husband, who was a fellow pupil at Chelsea’s £28,000-per-year Garden House preparatory school.

He had proposed to Phoebe, who works as the global account development director at Freuds+ in New York, with a sapphire engagement ring, during a walk in Central Park, and the couple had a low-key ceremony two days after Valentine’s Day.

Now expert Anya Walsh, who is a specialist at 77 Diamonds, has valued the blue sapphire trilogy ring, which has two trapeze accent diamonds, for more than the cost of a sports car.

‘The ring is a real showstopper with an extremely impressive centre stone,’ she said. ‘Without knowing the main stone’s provenance, it’s difficult to know the exact value, but if it comes from Kashmir, for example, it could be worth £120,000.’

So, how does Phoebe’s ring compare to other members of the Royal family. The Mail online has compiled a rich list of the Royal’s engagement rings, which reveals those with the greatest value and most rare stones.

The Princess of Wales: Value: £500,000+

Ring: Originally Princess Diana’s engagement ring, the 12-carat oval-cut Ceylon blue sapphire is surrounded by 14 round-cut solitaire diamonds, set in 18-carat white gold.

‘You will certainly struggle to find a ring more eye-catching than Kate’s,’ said Anya. ‘The spectacular blue Ceylon sapphire centre stone is perfectly complemented by both the solitaire diamonds and the white gold setting.

‘When you also consider the history of the ring it’s probably one of the most iconic pieces of jewellery in existence, and whilst this makes it priceless in some ways, the value of the physical ring itself would be an absolute minimum of £500 000.’

Announcement: When William and Kate got engaged, on November 16, 2010, while on holiday in Kenya, he revealed that he had been carrying the sapphire and diamond engagement ring he inherited from his mother, Princess Diana, in his rucksack.

The couple had been dating for eight years before William popped the question in a log cabin at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, where they had been staying on safari.

‘We had been talking about marriage for a while, so it wasn’t a massively big surprise,’ William said in the couple’s engagement interview with ITV News’ Tom Brady. ‘I took her up somewhere nice in Kenya and I proposed.

‘I had been carrying it around with me in my rucksack for about three weeks before that and I literally would not let it go. Everywhere I went I was keeping hold of it because I knew if it disappeared, I would be in a lot of trouble….

‘It’s my mother’s engagement ring so I thought it was quite 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 close.’

Queen Camilla: Value: £240,000

Ring: Once belonging to the late Queen Mother, the five-carat emerald-cut diamond  is flanked by three baguette diamonds on each side, in an Art Deco style design.

‘Camilla’s ring is an extremely elegant piece,’ said Anya. ‘Whilst it may appear a little understated in comparison to Kate’s ring, it exudes the class and quality befitting a Queen.’

Announcement: On February 10, 2005, 35 years after they met, and a decade after their affair rocked the Royal family, Charles and Camilla finally announced their engagement.

It is not known where the future King proposed but Camilla has confirmed that he got down on one knee to pop the question. The couple tied the knot in a civil ceremony at Windsor’s Guildhall on April 9, 2005.

The Duchess of Sussex: Value: £150,000+

Ring: Designed by Prince Harry, Meghan’s yellow gold engagement ring features a cushion-cut diamond, from Botswana, which is estimated to be between 2.5 and 3 carats. The central stone is flanked by two diamonds which belonged to his mother Diana. She has recently reset the ring onto a slim, diamond-paved band.

‘Meghan’s ring is a great example of how you can modernise a classic piece of jewellery, by altering it and putting it on a thin diamond band,’ said Anya.

‘Whilst the centre stone is new, the inclusion of stones previously belonging to Diana bring an added dimension and demonstrates how old and new can be perfectly blended to create an outstanding piece.’

Announcement: Harry and Meghan announced their engagement on November 27, 2017, after meeting on a blind date in London. The prince proposed while they were cooking roast chicken at his home in Kensington Palace.

‘It was just an amazing surprise,’ she said. ‘It was so sweet, and natural and very romantic. He got on one knee.’ 

‘She didn’t even let me finish,’ he added. ‘She said: ‘Can I say yes.’

‘It was a really nice moment. Just the two of us.’

Princess Eugenie: Value: £100,000+

Ring: A rare soft pink Padparadscha sapphire, named after the colour of a Lotus blossom, surrounded by ten round-cut diamonds, with two pear-shaped side stones, on a yellow gold band.

‘Princess Eugenie’s ring is beautifully unique and a departure from the blue sapphires seen across other royal rings,’ said Anya, ‘with the soft pink hue of the centre stone sitting effortlessly amongst the diamonds.’

Announcement: Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, former manager of Mayfair’s Mahiki nightclub, on January 22, 2018, after they had got engaged on holiday in Nicaragua. In a series of tweets, her mother Sarah Ferguson congratulated her daughter and her fiancé saying the couple ‘float with laughter and love’ and the announcement was ‘Total joy!’.

‘We love Jack, and I am so excited to have a son, a brother and a best friend,’ the duchess added. ‘Eugenie is one of the finest people I know and so together it will be pure harmony.’

Princess Anne: Value: £70,000

Ring: Three-carat oval-cut sapphire ring with three smaller diamonds.

‘Prince Anne is well known for her no-nonsense attitude and her exemplary work ethic,’ said Anya. ‘But whilst she’s no stranger to rolling up her sleeves, her engagement ring provides a glimpse of her softer side.’

Announcement: Divorced from her first husband Captain Mark Phillips, father of her two children Peter and Zara, Princess Anne’s second engagement  to Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence was private and low-key. 

The couple met when he was serving on the Royal Yacht Britannia and they married in a small ceremony at Crathie Kirk in Scotland on December 12, 1992, as the Church of England didn’t allow divorcees to get married. Despite it being her second marriage, the Queen, Prince Philip, the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret and Prince Edward all attended the wedding.

The Duchess of Edinburgh: Value: £70,000

Ring: Three-carat white gold diamond ring, nestled between two, smaller pear-shaped stones, made by Asprey and Garrard, now Garrard & Co.

‘For most, a breathtaking centre stone is the key feature of an engagement ring,’ said Anya, ‘however, Sophie’s ring demonstrates that sometimes, less isn’t always more. The three beautiful stones working in unison to create a truly unique piece of jewellery.’

Announcement: Buckingham Palace was bounced into announcing the engagement of Edward and Sophie, on January 6, 1999, after a story in the Sun newspaper announced that they were getting married in the summer. Edward had proposed to Sophie just before Christmas while they were on holiday on Windemere Island in the Bahamas but agreed to keep it secret so he could ask her father for permission. ‘We are the best of friends, and we happen to love each other very much,’ he said, as Sophie showed off her diamond engagement ring at a photo call in the gardens of St. James’ Palace.

Princess Beatrice: Value: £60,000+

Ring: Platinum engagement ring with pavé diamonds on the band, featuring a 2.5-carat round centre diamond flanked by two smaller diamonds.

‘Classic, stylish and elegant, Beatrice’s ring is perhaps a perfect example of a stunning diamond ring in its simplest form, with the added sophistication of pavé diamonds on the band to bring an additional dimension to what is a stunning piece,’ said Anya.

Announcement: The Duke and Duchess of York announced the engagement of their eldest daughter Beatrice and family friend Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi on September 26, 2019. The couple got engaged during a weekend in Italy.

‘We are extremely happy to be able to share the news of our recent engagement,’ the couple said at the time. We are both so excited to be embarking on this life adventure together and can’t wait to be married.

‘We share so many similar interests and values and we know this will stand us in great stead for the years ahead, full of love and happiness.’

Zara Tindall: Value £60,000

Ring: Zara’s ring showcases a 1.5 carat solitaire diamond with a four-claw split shoulder design which itself is set with several diamonds.

‘Like Beatrice’s ring,’ said Anya, ‘Zara’s ring is another example of a beautifully classic, slightly more understated royal ring, boasting an eye-catching round or cushion solitaire. The split diamond-set band brings an air of class to the piece.’

 

Announcement: It was on December 21, 2010, that Zara and Mike Tindall announced their engagement by posting a photograph of Zara’s left hand resting on Mike’s stomach. The former rugby player had been planning to propose for years but finally got down on bended knee when she was watching television. ‘I had been thinking about it for ages, waiting to ask,’ he later revealed, ‘but then my brother got engaged, and so did a certain Duke of Cambridge.

‘I was upstairs, plucking up the nerve to do it, while Zara was downstairs watching television. It was all about shock value – I wanted to catch her when it was quiet, and she wasn’t expecting anything.

‘And it definitely worked! ‘She was completely in shock. Then, when she stopped laughing, she said, ‘Yes.’ That was a relief.’ The couple got married at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh the following July and now have three children Mia, Lena and Lucas.

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