One sapphire, four heirlooms, and decades of emotion. Explore how Kate Middleton keeps Lady Diana’s memory alive through the most sentimental royal jewels.
A single ring tells a family story. Catherine, Princess of Wales, wears Lady Diana’s sapphire engagement ring – a 12 carat Ceylon sapphire framed by 14 diamonds in 18 carat white gold from Garrard. It is the royal jewel people search for first, and for good reason : the piece bridges 1981 and today, grief and hope, mother et son.
That blue spark never left the headlines. Chosen by Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, the ring reappeared when Prince William proposed in Kenya in 2010 and the engagement was announced on 16 November 2010. Since then, Catherine has quietly layered in other Diana pieces – from the Collingwood pearl earrings to Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot tiara – turning heirlooms into living memories seen at state banquets and tours.
Kate Middleton’s sapphire from Lady Diana : design, origin, value signals
The ring’s design is precise : an oval 12 carat Ceylon sapphire surrounded by 14 solitaire diamonds, set by Garrard in 18 carat white gold. Lady Diana selected it from the jeweler’s collection in 1981 after the engagement to the then Prince of Wales was announced on 24 February 1981.
Price details place it in history. Contemporary reports put the original cost around £28,000 in 1981, while modern estimates often value it in the hundreds of thousands of pounds today. The figure changes with gem markets, yet the symbolism outprices any valuation.
When Prince William proposed during a private Kenya trip in 2010, the ring moved from memory to promise. The couple’s engagement portraits, released in December 2010, fixed the image worldwide. To fit Catherine’s hand, the band was subtly adjusted that year with small platinum beads inside the shank – preserving the design without altering the head.
From Garrard in 1981 to a Kenyan proposal in 2010 : key milestones
Dates map the emotion. Lady Diana’s choice in 1981 set a modern tone inside a very traditional institution. Decades later, the sapphire resurfaced as a personal tribute when Prince William offered the ring before the public announcement on 16 November 2010.
Public debuts mattered. The ring gleamed at the couple’s photocall in St James’s Palace the same day, then in portraits released in December 2010. Each appearance reattached the narrative to a new chapter – courtship, wedding, parenthood – without changing the jewel itself.
That continuity continues on formal nights. Catherine has paired the sapphire with other Diana-linked pieces at major events, letting viewers connect the dots between generations without a word spoken.
Beyond the ring : Lady Diana jewels Kate continues to wear
The sapphire leads the story, but it is not alone. Several Lady Diana heirlooms have returned to service on Catherine’s watch, each with its own timestamp and occasion.
- Collingwood pearl drop earrings : a 1981 wedding gift to Lady Diana, spotted on Catherine at the state banquet for King Felipe VI of Spain on 12 July 2017 at Buckingham Palace.
- Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot tiara : created in 1914 by Garrard for Queen Mary, beloved by Lady Diana in the 1980s, first worn by Catherine at the Chinese state banquet on 20 October 2015.
- Nigel Milne three strand pearl bracelet : designed in 1988 with a charity link, worn by Lady Diana, revived by Catherine during the Germany tour in July 2017 in Berlin.
- Sapphire et diamond drop earrings : widely reported as refashioned from a pair worn by Lady Diana in the 1980s, seen on Catherine during the 2011 Canada tour.
Each outing is dated, visible, verifiable – the opposite of rumor. The pieces move from vault to spotlight with care, often at state occasions or commemorations where photographs, guest lists, and timings are a matter of public record.
Meaning and modern use : why these heirlooms still matter
Royal jewels do more than dazzle. They signal continuity, personal tribute, and duty all at once. The sapphire engagement ring compresses private loss and public role into one unforgetable flash of blue that viewers recognize in a second.
There’s also a pragmatic story. Rewearing heirlooms is sustainable and historically mindful. Adjustments are respectful – tweaks to fit or convert, not redesigns – letting Catherine pair Diana’s icons with contemporary gowns and British designers without diluting provenance.
And the human layer sits on top. When Catherine selects the Lover’s Knot tiara for a state banquet or the Collingwood pearls for remembrance, the choice reads as both fashion and family. The dates tell us when, the gems tell us who, and together they explain why these pieces still feel alive decades after 1981.