Princess Diana’s engagement caused controversy at the time

princess diana ring
(Image credit: Getty)

Meghan Markle might have caused a bit of controversy when she changed her engagement ring, but she was by no means the first royal to do so. In fact, when Princess Diana raised a few eyebrows herself when she got engaged to Prince Charles.

At the time, he popped the question sans ring, and let her choose from a selection of rings by Garrard, the royal jeweller.

Diana picked what is now Kate Middleton's engagement ring, a gorgeous sapphire surrounded by diamonds, set on a white gold band.

The reason this was a bit controversial at the time, within the royal family at least, was that it was custom to either propose with an heirloom or a totally bespoke ring.

princess diana ring

(Image credit: Getty)

The Princess actually picked the ring from a catalogue, so it was by no means unique, and in fact anyone else could go and order the exact same ring - if they had the cash of course.

Others also criticised it for its size, implying Diana was after a flashy ring unfit of the royal family.

Regardless if this, Princess Diana loved the ring, and carried on wearing it even after she separated from Prince Charles.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Contributing Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK. She writes about catwalk trends and the latest high street and Instagram sartorial must-haves. She also helms the Women Who Win franchise.

She has worked in fashion for over 10 years, contributing to publications such as Cosmopolitan, Red, Good Housekeeping, and Stylist.