This is the most expensive ring in the royal family (and it’s not Kate’s)

kate middleton ring
(Image credit: 2019 Max Mumby/Indigo)

You can't deny that some of the most beautiful engagement rings in the world belong to the royal family. There is Meghan Markle's stunner, Princess Eugenie's pink sapphire, as well as the most iconic of all, Kate Middleton's ring.

And while they are all theoretically priceless, thanks to the historical legacy they do or will represent, they all of course have a price tag.

For example, Prince Charles shelled out £28,000 for Princess Diana's sapphire in the 80s, though these days experts place the value at around £300,000-400,000.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry reportedly spent around £90k on Meghan Markle's engagement ring, with jewellery experts estimating the central diamond to be 3 carats, while the other two are 1.5 each, making it 6 carats in total.

Those price tags are certainly very impressive, but according to experts, those rings aren't the most expensive rings in the royal family.

In fact, though its retail value is estimated to be around £80k, Duchess Camilla's ring is said to be the most priceless of all? Why? Because its history goes much deeper in the royal family than all the others (in fact, most engagements in the family since Camilla have been with new rings).

Getty
(Image credit: Getty)

Prince Charles proposed in 2005 with a gorgeous art deco ring, featuring a central five carat emerald-cut diamond surrounded by three diamond baguettes on each side.

It used to belong to the Queen Mother, and although she was photographed wearing it in the 80s, it wasn't actually her official engagement ring. The Palace said it was a family heirloom, which means it dates back even further.

The art deco style means it is probably from the 1920s-1930s, making it a rather impressive heirloom.

wallis simpson ring

Getty
(Image credit: Getty)

However, some say that there is an even pricier ring in the family: Wallis Simpson's. In 1936, the Duke of Windsor abdicated the throne to propose to Wallis with a massive 19.77 carat emerald ring by Cartier.

The central stone was flanked by diamond baguettes and the platinum band was engraved with 'We are ours now 27 X 36' for the date.

It is estimated that in today's money it would be worth a cool £1.8million.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.