Prince William and Kate Middleton's engagement ring

Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton and gave her perhaps one of the most famous engagement rings in the world. With a beautiful oval blue sapphire surround by a cluster of 14 diamonds, William and Kate’s engagement ring is simply stunning.

What’s more, as it is the same ring that Lady Diana Spencer chose for her engagement to Prince Charles in 1981, it has a special place in Prince Williams heart. Lady Diana chose the ring from a selection from Garrard of Mayfair. Interestingly, it was not a unique ring, and at a price of £28,500 could have been purchased by anyone, not just the Royal Family.

The central stone is a 12-carat oval Ceylon sapphire. The surrounding solitaire diamonds are set in 18-carat white gold. The elegant ring chosen by Diana sparked off a trend for similar looking rings for weddings across the world.

Princess Diana loved Sapphires and many have commented that her love was due to the fact that sapphires reminded her of her mother’s engagement ring.

The ring, in today’s market would probably fetch a cool quarter of a million pounds, the value attributable to the connection to the Royal family.

For once, a Royal has chosen a ring that has high sentimental value to him, and it seems that it demonstrates his love for his bride-to be far more than a million pound ring could have – the link to his mother, and the reasons for her choice make it even more special.