Why Prince William giving Kate his mother’s ring caused a bit of controversy at the time

Kate Middleton's ring is one of the most famous in the world, and you'll know that it's mainly because it was Princess Diana's engagement ring before her.

The stunning piece of jewellery features a 12-carat oval Ceylon sapphire surrounded by 14 solitaire diamonds in a marguerite design, and set in 18-karat white gold.

The Duchess of Cambridge was apparently not meant to receive the ring at all, as upon Princess Diana's passing, and when her sons turned 18, the ring was passed onto Prince Harry for his future wife, while Prince William got his mother's Cartier ring.

However, when Harry realised William wanted to propose to Kate, he decided to give him the sapphire, knowing it would be perfect for her.

During their engagement announcement, Prince William said of the ring, 'Obviously, she’s not going to be around to share in any of the fun and excitement of it all, so this is my way of keeping her sort of close to it all.'

This romantic gesture did raise some eyebrows at the time though, with some critics saying it wasn't a good omen to propose with a ring that came from an unhappy marriage.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana married in 1981 and officially divorced in 1996, though they separated in 1992.

Luckily, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have proven those critics wrong.