The touching reason Princess Diana wore her engagement ring after her divorce

Kate Middleton's engagement ring is one of the most iconic in the world, having spurned a thousand copies and made us all fall in love with sapphires again. But it's of course famous for another reason, as it used to be Princess Diana's.

Back when she and Prince Charles got engaged in 1981, she broke tradition by choosing the ring from jeweller Garrard's catalogue, rather than having it custom made or wearing a family heirloom.

Diana and Charles sadly separated in 1992, however the late Princess carried on wearing bother her engagement and wedding rings until 1996, which is when the divorce was finalised.

So she essentially wore them for four years more than she needed to, and it was for a very touching reason: it was out of respect for her sons, according to Mail Online.

Prince William and Prince Harry were only 10 and 9 at the time of the separation, and so she tried to keep appearances up a little, especially during public events.

She even wore them to a visit at Eton college with the boys after the Decree Nisi was finalised, as she knew she would be photographed.

However, two days later, she took them off for a film premiere in London, and made sure she had eye-catching red nails to draw attention to her hands.