Diana Princess of Wales chose the ring for her engagement to Prince Charles in 1981 from a selection presented to her by the then Crown jewellers Garrard of Mayfair
Sapphires were one of the late princess’s favourite gemstones, and some commentators say she chose it because it reminded her of her mother’s engagement ring.
Before the Princess of Wales’s death in the 1997 Paris car crash, the ring was valued at more than £250,000 because of its connection to the royals, and in particular Diana. Yesterday William, who eventually inherited the ring from his mother’s £21million estate, showed the family heirloom is priceless to him by choosing it for his fiancée
Diana, who died in 1997, chose the elegant cluster ring after becoming engaged to Charles in 1981 and William handing it on to his wife-to-be will undoubtedly have been hugely emotional.
At the time it cost £28,000 and was from a selection presented to her by jewellers Garrard. Because it was not made for her specially, it was open to the public to buy.
As they posed for pictures at St James' Palace tonight, William said giving Kate the ring was his way of ensuring his late mother could be part of the occasion.
In front of the world's press, he said: 'As you may have recognised, it's my mother's engagement ring, so of course it's very special to me and Kate's very special to me now as well, and it's only right the two are put together.
'It was my way of making sure my mother didn't miss out on today, and the excitement and the fact that we're going to spend the rest of our lives together.'
The 28-year-old Prince used the dazzling oval blue 18-carat sapphire and diamond ring when he popped the question while they were on holiday in Kenya last month.
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