As we found out recently, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle might have gotten engaged months before they made the official announcement. The Duke of Sussex designed the engagement ring himself, using a central diamond from Botswana – a country that the newlyweds have visited together.
The two diamonds on either side are from his late mother Princess Diana’s collection. The three jewels were held together by a gold band, which Meghan later changed to a diamond eternity band.
Although we knew the sentimental value of the ring, it seems to have been made all the more special for the time and effort Prince Harry put into creating it.
According to the authors of new biography Finding Freedom, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, the Prince went on a mission in Africa to source the perfect conflict-free diamond in May 2017, a whole six months before their engagement was officially announced.
The pair wrote, 'Unbeknownst to most, [Harry] already had an engagement ring in the works. That May, Harry travelled alone to Botswana in his role as patron of Rhino Conversation Botswana. While in Africa, he did a little secret diamond scouting with a close friend who helped him to source the perfect conflict-free stone.'
The book also claims Harry and Meghan got engaged on a romantic holiday to Botswana in August 2017, which coincided with the Duchess' birthday as well as their one year anniversary of dating, though the couple haven't confirmed or denied those facts.
