The Queen was given a family heirloom
King Charles III announced his engagement to Queen Camilla in February 2005 after popping the question with a very special engagement ring passed down by the royal family.
The monarch, who had previously been married to Princess Diana from 1981 to 1996, gave his second wife a gleaming art deco style ring which their engagement announcement revealed was a "royal family heirloom." It has since been revealed that it belonged to his beloved grandmother, the Queen Mother, who was spotted wearing it back in 1985.
It features a five-carat emerald-cut diamond in the centre with three diamond baguettes on each side, and aside from its sentimental value, it also supposedly has a very high monetary value with estimates from £80k upwards.
According to Kathryn Money, VP of strategy and merchandising for Brilliant Earth, it would have cost roughly £78,000, although the heirloom's extensive family heritage goes so far back that it is probably even more valuable than recent royal engagement rings.
Jewellers Est 1897, meanwhile, estimated it has a value of £100k, while The Express reported that it could be worth as much as £300k.
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It is not known exactly how Charles proposed to Camilla, but she confirmed he did follow tradition and get down on one knee. "Of course," Camilla said. "What else?"
Buckingham Palace released a statement in which the late Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh expressed their "warmest good wishes" for the happy couple, while Charles' sons Prince William and Prince Harry were "delighted" for their father, according to Clarence House.
After a short two-month engagement, Charles and Camilla got married in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall, followed by a religious blessing. Just 28 guests witnessed the ceremony, including Charles' siblings Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, and Princess Anne, while Queen Elizabeth, as the head of the Church of England, did not attend the civil ceremony.
Buckingham Palace initially announced the couple would wed on 8 April, but it was delayed by a day so that Charles could represent the Queen at the funeral of Pope John Paul II.
Other royal ring valuations have been similar, even those that have been custom-designed, such as the Duchess of Sussex's rock. Estimated to be worth between £90k and £135k, the trilogy ring features a large central diamond flanked by two smaller jewels on either side and set on a gold band.
Like Camilla's ring, it is steeped in history with two diamonds from Harry's late mother Princess Diana's personal collection, though they're not quite as old as Queen Camilla's.
Harry clearly put a lot of thought into designing the ring, as he also added a central diamond from Botswana, where the couple holidayed together, but in June 2019 it emerged that Meghan had made changes to her ring by replacing the band with a delicate diamond-studded band. It was made by Cleave and Company, Court Jewellers and Medallists to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Prince William, meanwhile, proposed to the Princess of Wales with a sapphire and diamond ring that also once belonged to Princess Diana. Kathryn said, "The stunning design is reminiscent of a brooch Prince Albert had custom-made for Queen Victoria before their wedding in 1840," but again, the gems aren't quite as valuable as Camilla's.
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