Kate Middleton shows off engagement ring as she uses Lego
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The Princess of Wales and Duchess of Sussex’s respective jewellery collections are enviably dazzling, but there are three rings the royals turn to time and again for daily wear. Express.co.uk spoke to a jewellery expert about the poignant meanings behind Kate and Meghan’s respective engagement, wedding and eternity rings.
Engagement rings
The Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Sussex both wear engagement rings that pay tribute to the late Princess Diana, their mother-in-law.
Charlotte Leigh GIA AJP, engagement ring specialist and fine jewellery designer at Lottie Leigh Fine Jewellery, said: “There is the Princess of Wales’ famous sapphire engagement ring, given to her by the Prince of Wales.
“Then there are the diamonds added to Meghan’s sentimental ring, designed by Prince Harry using his mother’s personal diamonds and a stone from Botswana, which holds significant
meaning to them as a couple.
“Remodelling jewellery inherited from previous generations is a popular and nostalgic way of remembering family members that have passed as well as being eco-friendly. I feel extremely honoured when remodelling special pieces like these.”
Kate’s engagement ring features a 12-carat oval royal blue sapphire, surrounded by a halo of smaller diamonds set on white gold.
Meghan’s engagement ring is a trilogy diamond ring, but it was altered in recent years to flaunt some extra sparkle.
The thin yellow gold band has been adorned with pave diamonds, while extra diamonds skirt around the central stones too.
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Wedding rings
Kate and Meghan own gold wedding rings, the plainest of their three rings, that are steeped in royal history and can be seen as tributes to the late Queen and her parents.
Charlotte explained: “The Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Sussex were also both gifted wedding rings from Queen Elizabeth II, made from Welsh gold, which has become a royal tradition started by King George VI.”
The gold for Kate and Meghan’s rings comes from the Clogau St David’s mine at Bontddu in North Wales.
The Queen Mother, the Queen, Princess Diana and Princess Margaret also wore Welsh gold wedding rings.
Eternity rings
After the birth of her first child Prince George in 2013, the Princess of Wales was pictured with a third ring on her finger.
Kate’s eternity ring is a thin diamond band from the brand Annoushka, and it was thought to be a gift from Prince William to mark the start of their parenthood.
The ‘Eclipse’ ring features 0.23-carat diamonds set in 18-carat white gold, and it retails for £1,800.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex was also spotted wearing a third band on her ring finger after the birth of her son Archie in 2019.
The band was thought to be a gift from Prince Harry to mark one year of marriage, but it also included a tribute to their baby son.
According to Finding Freedom authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, the eternity ring features the birthstones of Harry, Meghan and Archie – sapphire, peridot and emerald, respectively.
Harry and Meghan welcomed their second child Lilibet in June 2021, so the ring may now include Lili’s birthstone of alexandrite, pearl or moonstone.
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