Kate Middleton: How much was her engagement ring? Should it actually be Meghan's?

Kate Middleton is part of the Royal Family and has been since marrying Prince William in April 2011. They have three children together, Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, four, and Prince Louis, one. When William proposed, he used the engagement ring which his father, Prince Charles, used to propose to his mother, Princess Diana. However, this ring might never have been given to Kate if it wasn’t for her brother-in-law, Prince Harry, 34.

How much did the ring cost?

Kate’s sapphire engagement ring was originally bought for Princess Diana in 1981 before she married Prince Charles.

At the time, it cost an eye-watering £28,500 and an expert revealed it could be worth over £300,000 now.

However, the ring actually belonged to Prince Harry which means he could have been saving it for his future wife.

Harry has been married to Meghan Markle since 19 May 2018 and they tied the knot at a ceremony at Windsor Castle.

He proposed with a custom-made ring which was designed by Prince Harry using diamonds from his mother’s collection.

However, when Harry and William were mourning the death of their mother in 1997, they both chose a memento from Diana’s possession, according to the 2017 Amazon Prime documentary “The Diana Story”.

Speaking in the programme, Paul Burrell explained when they were choosing what they would like, William opted for Diana’s Cartier watch which she had got for her 21st birthday.

Prince Harry asked for Princess Diana’s engagement ring and was in possession of it until William proposed to Kate.

Speaking of William’s plans to propose, Paul said: “Harry said to him: ‘Wouldn’t it be fitting if she had mummy’s ring?’

“Then one day that ring will be sat on the throne of England. Harry gave up his precious treasure. His one thing he kept from his mother, he gave to his brother.

“That’s selfless, kind, and exactly who Diana was.”

If Prince Harry had kept hold of the ring, he could have used it to give to his future wife, Meghan.

Kate and Meghan have both married into the Royal Family but a key sign revealed their different takes to royal life.

According to her star sign, the Duchess of Cambridge is likely to take a traditional and responsible approach to being a royal.

Meghan’s sign suggests she is more likely to be passionate when performing her royal duties. 

How did Kate Middleton become a royal?

Early life

Kate Middleton, or Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, was born on 9 January 1982 at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, England.

She was born to Michael and Carole Middleton, a former flight dispatcher and air hostess. The couple founded a party supplies company, Party Pieces, in 1987 – now estimated to be worth £30 million.

Kate has a younger sister Pippa Matthews, 34, and a younger brother James Middleton, 31.

Education

Kate and her family moved to Amman, Jordan, in 1984, where the future Duchess was educated at an English-speaking nursery school.

After moving back to Berkshire the family sent Kate to private school, St Andrews School. She went on to briefly study at Downe House before moving onto Marlborough College where she boarded.

For university the young Kate attended the University of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland. Here she was awarded an undergraduate MA (2:1 Hons) in history of art.

Relationship with Prince William

Kate met Prince William when they were both studying at St Andrews, and both living in St Salvator’s Hall. Famously, William reportedly took a fancy to Kate after she wore a see-through dress during a fashion show.

In 2003 the couple began dating and lived together during their second year of university.

The couple split in April 2007, however, in October they were back together.

Wedding

Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton with his late mother Princess Diana’s engagement ring in October 2010. The couple were holidaying in Kenya at the time.

On 29 April 2011 they married at Westminster Abbey with a whopping 26 million watching the event live.

Kate wore an Alexander McQueen dress worth a reported £250,000 on the big day.

Kate assumed the title “Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge” and also become the Duchess of Cambridge on the day.