When Prince Charles and Princess Diana announced their engaged in 1981, the Princess of Wales wore a stunning 12-carat oval Ceylon sapphire ring. The jewel was surrounded with 14 solitaire diamond and set in 18-karat white gold.
Princess Diana’s former butler, Paul Burrell, spoke about how Prince Harry remembered his mother’s engagement ring during Amazon Prime’s ‘The Diana Story’ documentary.
Prince Harry had a sentimental memory of the Princess of Wales’ ring.
Mr Burrell recollected how Harry once said: “I remember when I held mummy’s hand when I was a small boy and that ring always hurt me because it was so big.”
Princess Diana died in August 1997 when Prince William was aged 15 and Prince Harry just 12 years old.
Mr Burrell said that when the Princess of Wales passed away, her sons were given the opportunity to keep an item of her belongings as a keepsake.
The former royal butler remembered that Prince William said: “I’d like mummy’s Cartier watch, the one that Grandpa Spencer gave to her for her 21st birthday.”
However, Prince Harry wanted to keep his mother’s engagement ring.
It is said that once Prince William’s relationship with his now wife Kate Middleton advanced, Prince Harry decided to give Diana’s ring to his brother to propose.
READ MORE: Charles and Camilla facing ‘series of problems’ over Diana
But Prince Harry gave a heartwarming nod to his wife Meghan and their baby son Archie in a gift for the couple’s one-year anniversary.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex got married in May 2018.
Prince Harry said he was “absolutely over the moon” after announcing the arrival of his baby son Archie on 6 May 2019.
After they started a new chapter with their son, it was soon time to celebrate their first wedding anniversary on 19 May 2019.
Prince Harry gave the Duchess of Sussex a beautiful personalised eternity ring that honoured both his marriage and Archie’s birth.
The Duke of Sussex designed the piece with American jeweller Lorraine Schwartz.
Prince Harry paid tribute to his family through birthstones for the Duchess, Archie and himself.
A source told Harper’s Bazaar: “Meghan was touched.”
They added: “A lot of thought went into it.”
The ring features a green emerald stone for Archie, a blue sapphire for Prince Harry and an olive-green peridot for the Duchess.
Meghan’s engagement ring also had two stones that used to belong to Princess Diana.
