From Charles and Diana to Eugenie and Jack: A brief history of royal engagements

Danielle Fowler

·Freelance Writer

22 January 2018 at 7:00 am

Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones

Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip

The story behind Queen Elizabeth II’s engagement ring is a real life fairy tale. After falling for Prince Philip aged just thirteen, the pair began to exchange love letters.

And in 1946, the Duke of Edinburgh asked King George VI for his daughter’s hand in marriage but he could not propose until her 21st birthday. Their engagement was officially announced on 9 July, 1947.

The Queen’s three-carat engagement ring features ten diamonds and once belonged to the Duke of Edinburgh’s mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg.

When his late mother learnt that he was wishing to propose, she gave her son the tiara she donned on her wedding day so that it could be dismantled to produce the perfect engagement ring.

Prince Philip then collaborated on the creation of the ring with London-based jeweller Philip Antrobus and used the additional stones to make a diamond bracelet which he gave the Queen as a wedding gift. [Photo: Getty]

With the news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are engaged, we decided to take a trip down memory lane and revisit the most famous royal engagements of years gone by.

The story of how Prince Philip designed his wife Queen Elizabeth II’s engagement ring wouldn’t look out of place in a fairy tale.

While the sapphire ring Prince Charles used to propose to Princess Diana has undoubtedly taken on a legacy of its own.

From Princess Margaret’s second proposal to the royal wedding of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, take a look back at the most romantic royal engagements in history.

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From Charles and Diana to Eugenie and Jack: A brief history of royal engagements

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip

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