Kate Middleton and Prince William have been happily married for a long time. The future king proposed to his then-girlfriend on a trip to Kenya, and the ring was indeed something else.
The Princess of Wales has been both praised and actually even criticized for her taste in jewelry. The royal jewelry collection is vast, but Kate Middleton has proven herself to not only wear those million-dollar pieces but also jewelry that doesn’t have to cost too much.
Kate Middleton – royal jewelry collection
The royal family members don’t all wear the same jewelry, but some pieces are personal, as many have been handed down from generation to generation and have great sentimental value.
Like the rest of the royal family, Kate Middleton has a huge jewelry collection, but she hasn’t always been praised for the jewelry she wears.
Over the years, Kate MIddleton has worn much of Queen Elizabeth II’s jewelry. Her collection includes fine jewelry and gorgeous pieces, which will most likely be handed down to her and William’s daughter, Princess Charlotte.
Some years ago, leading diamond expert Maxwell Stone commented on Kate’s jewelry collection – and he didn’t spare any words.
“Kate Middleton’s immaculate style is always complete with a set of pristine accessories. From her 12ct sapphire engagement ring and the £1 million tiara that originally belonged to Princess Diana, to the pearl drop earrings that she wore to the funerals of both Prince Phillip and Queen Elizabeth II, a large number of her pieces have sentimentality attached to them – making it highly likely that Princess Charlotte will inherit them in the future,” he said.
Kate Middleton didn’t touch any royal jewelry until she and Prince William got engaged.
Kate Middleton’s engagement ring
The future king proposed to his beloved girlfriend during a holiday in Kenya, and he was said to have carried the ring in a bag for three weeks. Kate Middleton had considered the idea that William might propose, but it came as a “total shock” even so.
“It was very romantic,” Kate said. “There’s a true romantic in there.”
William added, “As every guy out there will know, it takes a certain amount of motivation to get yourself going. So I was planning it and then it just felt really right out in Africa. It was beautiful.”
In January 2020, Prince William elaborated on the proposal.
“The African continent holds a very special place in my heart,” he said. “It is the place my father took my brother and me shortly after our mother died. And when deciding where best to propose to Catherine, I could think of no more fitting place than Kenya to get down on one knee.”
While the engagement ring, of course, was incredible, it was actually not the first ring Kate Middleton received from William. Prince William gave her another ring in the early 2000s when they were still dating and studying at the University of St. Andrews.
Per the site Dress Like a Duchess, the future king handed Kate a pearl and garnet rose gold promise ring. The pearl symbolized William’s June birthday, and the garnet symbolized Kate’s birthday in January.
“This particular piece is priceless”
According to the site, Kate wore the ring on her Graduation day in June 2005. She “wore the ring on her middle finger during her youth,” according to Dress Like a Duchess.
Today, Kate Middleton has rarely been seen wearing it; however, she sometimes brings it out of her jewelry box.
The ring signified “commitment and fidelity as well as a pledge for lifelong love and loyalty,” as per Dress Like a Duchess.
Leading diamond expert Maxwell Stone commented on the unique ring Prince William gave Kate during their student days, saying it “reveals” a lot about the Prince and Princess of Wales’s relationship and personalities.
“Gifted to Kate by William during their time at University, it’s no doubt very sentimental and while Kate has a very high value jewellery collection, this particular piece is priceless,” Stone explained.
“Design wise, it looks to be from the Victorian era, from the late 1800’s and is most likely set on a 15ct gold band, which is what they used at the time.”
The diamond expert added, “Though it’s probably worth no more than £2,000, it’s one of our favourite pieces from Kate’s collection thanks to the beautiful symbolism that it holds. Representing the start of a new chapter in the royal couple’s lives, the sentimental ring is likely to be passed down to the royal couple’s daughter, Princess Charlotte.”
Fans notice Kate Middleton ‘ditched’ her engagement ring in new video
As mentioned, Kate has been wearing the lovely ring she received from William a few times in public. It was that specific ring that initially left royal fans in shock when Kate made a rare appearance a short while ago while still recovering from the cancer she was diagnosed with in February.
On Sunday, Kensington Palace posted a video in which Prince William and Kate Middleton and other celebrities congratulated Team Great Britain on its achievements during the Olympics.
“From all of us watching at home, congratulations to Team GB,” Kate said.
“Well done on all you’ve achieved, you’ve been an inspiration to us all,” William added.
While the future king’s beard was indeed spectacular for fans to see, what Kate didn’t wear on her hand left people turning their heads. Many noticed Kate wasn’t wearing her engagement ring—but the ring William got her while at the university.
“Oh? Catherine was clearly wearing her wedding ring in the video, but not her engagement ring. Instead, she was wearing one that looks new or that we hadn’t seen before;” one fan wrote, as per OK!.
“For those asking about her ring. I may be wrong but it looks to be the promise ring that William gave Catherine many (many, many) years ago. The Promise Ring is a rose gold ring designed with pearls (William’s birthstone in June) and multiple garnets (Kate’s January birthstone),” another said.
The challenges of maintaining the royal rings
“That sapphire band sure looks far more practical for daily living, and it sure is pretty,” a third added.
The idea that engagement rings are not practical for daily living is actually a good one. In an interview with Hello! Magazine in February earlier this year, Ben Roberts, managing director of Clogau, the brand responsible for the Welsh gold that often comprises British royals’ engagement rings, revealed details about the royal rings and what it takes to maintain them.
“Most people don’t know the level of upkeep that wearing an heirloom day to day can entail,” Roberts said. “Even without any alterations, caring for an heirloom of such value comes with its own challenges. Kate and her team will need to employ careful maintenance with regular inspections and in-depth evaluations, gentle cleaning to restore sheen, and if necessary, expert repairs to ensure its longevity.”
While Kate Middleton wears a lot of remarkable jewelry pieces, everyone isn’t impressed with her style. On her podcast Creative Conversations, fashion journalist Suzy Menkes criticized Kate for not caring about the collection of jewels she had access to.
Moreover, Menkes, who was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth in 2014 for her contribution to fashion journalism, argued that the Princess of Wales doesn’t seem passionate about wearing jewelry.
Kate Middleton was labeled a “disappointment” for her jewelry
“The Princess of Wales is a bit of a disappointment about jewelry. She gives the impression that she only puts it on when she absolutely has to. I imagine her looking beautiful in one of those gowns behind the scenes and then pulling a face as if to say, ‘Do I have to wear this?’” Suzy Menkes said on her podcast, as per the Daily Mail.
“‘She doesn’t give any sense of adoring jewellery and being pleased to put it on.”
Menkes continued, “She doesn’t seem to have Camilla’s joy at wearing jewellery,” adding that Kate’s attitude towards jewelry might change as she edges closer to becoming queen.
“We now have a new Queen, so presumably, she has a first opportunity to look at the jewels. We can imagine that the next in line to the throne’s wife would be something that was very special, so will we see Catherine wearing jewelry that is more dramatic, that is more personal to her?”
“I don’t know. I can’t help feeling with things of beauty – you either love it or you don’t,” Menkes concluded.
However, everyone wasn’t having Suzy Menkes’s take on Kate’s jewelry. The Daily Mail’s royal editor Rebecca English posted on X in Kate’s defense, saying that Menkes’ opinion is far from the truth.
“I’m quite surprised by this, tbh. I love the way the Princess of Wales mixes priceless royal gems with High Street finds. Equally, I think Queen Camilla rocks the late Queen’s bigger jewels (and I often see her wearing charming, less pricey pieces given to her by family),” English argued.
“She is just like the rest of us”
Meanwhile, fashion expert Miranda Holder told Newsweek that Kate mixes her style because it’s more “accessible and relatable.”
“Kate does indeed wear a mixture of expensive high-end and more accessible brands, both in terms of clothes and, of course, her accessories, and this is for a number of reasons,” she said.
“Firstly, it makes the princess’s style more accessible and relatable, which in turn increases her popularity, reminding us all that underneath all the pomp and circumstance, she is just like the rest of us.”
Holder continued, “Secondly, it’s also absolutely about the aesthetic. Kate is just as keen on fashion as the next 40-something-year-old, and limiting her style repertoire to purely heirloom and pricey pieces would feel far too austere. She would lose much of the fashion fun that we know she enjoys.”
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