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Why Prince Harry Gave Princess Diana’s Engagement Ring to William to Propose With

Photo credit: Max Mumby/Indigo - Getty Images
Photo credit: Max Mumby/Indigo - Getty Images

From ELLE

Eight years ago, Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton and gave her his late mother Princess Diana's sapphire engagement ring. But Kate would have never gotten that exact ring had Prince Harry not given it up. Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell said in the 2017 Amazon Prime documentary The Diana Story that Diana's ring was actually given to Prince Harry after her death. And Harry, in a "selfless" moment, gave it to William to propose with years later.

Burrell said, per Express, that both William and Harry got to pick a memento from Diana's possessions in 1997. William was asked first what he'd like and chose Diana's Cartier watch that she received as a 21st birthday present from her father. Then Harry was asked and he singled out the ring. He told Burrell, "I remember when I held mummy's hand when I was a small boy and that ring always hurt me because it was so big." So Burrell gave Harry the ring from the safe.

A little more than a decade later, William talked to Harry about proposing to Kate. “Harry said to him: ‘Wouldn’t it be fitting if she had mummy’s ring?’” Burrell recalled. “Then one day that ring will be sat on the throne of England. Harry gave up his precious treasure. His one thing he kept from his mother, he gave to his brother. That’s selfless, kind, and exactly who Diana was.”

Photo credit: Max Mumby/Indigo - Getty Images
Photo credit: Max Mumby/Indigo - Getty Images

When Harry proposed to Meghan Markle, he did incorporated a bit of Diana into his own ring. The ring, as Harry explained during his and Meghan's first interview after announcing their engagement, included two diamonds from his mother Princess Diana's personal collection "to make sure she's with us on this crazy journey together."

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