Guest Blog by Jack Jahan @ Ramsdens Jewellery.
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The royal family have had their fair share of memorable proposals from the low-key to the scandalous, all of which have been of great public interest.
Due to the popularity of The Crown and royal stories continuing to dominate the press, search trends around the royal family have risen: SEOMonitor shows that searches for ‘Princess Diana sapphire ring’ have risen by 90% compared to last year, and ‘Royal family latest news’ has shot up by 29%
SEOMonitor has also shown that searches around marriage proposals have shot up in 2020: ‘Proposing tips’ has risen by 120% and, perhaps as a result of UK lockdown restrictions, ‘outdoor proposal ideas’ has risen by 100%.
With the eagerly anticipated new series of The Crown captivating audiences and increasing interest in the royals, Ramsdens Jewellery have put together a compilation of the top royal proposals for you to take inspiration from:
1. Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson
The King’s proposal to an American socialite and divorcee in 1936 caused a royal crisis and ultimately caused the abdication of the monarch. This controversial proposal will go down in history but proved the strength of the couples love for each other.
Slogarie House in Mossdale, Dumfries and Galloway features a secret garden and is said to be the location where King Edward asked for Wallis Simpson’s hand in marriage during a party.
Simpson was given a huge 19.77 carat emerald engagement ring with the engraving ‘We are ours now 27.X.36’ representing the couple’s engagement date (and the date Simpson’s divorce was granted). The ring was sold at auction in 1987 after Simpson’s death along with the rest of her jewellery collection for a record-breaking £31 million, according to The Crown Chronicles.
2. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
Prince Philip proposed at Balmoral Castle in the summer of 1946 after a secretive courtship which had the young Prince regularly visiting Buckingham Palace.
While walking in the grounds together, he presented the soon-to-be Queen with a brilliant-cut diamond engagement ring surrounded by diamond side stones pave-
set into platinum. The diamonds came from a tiara belonging to Philip’s mother, the Princess of Greece, and by re-using the materials it helped mitigate an extravagant appearance during a time of rationing and recovery. The engagement news, kept secret until after the Queen’s 21st birthday, sent post-war Britain into a flurry of excitement and a hope for better things to come.
3. Kate Middleton and Prince William
The proposal, announced on the 16th November 2010, took place while the couple holidayed in Kenya with friends. Prince William chose his moment carefully while they were staying a secluded cabin, away from paparazzi, in the foothills of Mount Kenya.
Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton with the iconic sapphire and diamond engagement ring he had inherited from his mother, Princess Diana. The ring design was influenced by a sapphire brooch passed down from Queen Victoria, who was especially fond of sapphires.
Kate’s wedding ring also has family sentimental value and was fashioned from a piece of Welsh gold gifted to Prince William by his grandmother, the Queen, shortly after the engagement was announced.
4. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry
Possibly the most understated of all royal proposals, it has been revealed that Prince Harry chose to pop the question in the comfort of the home he shared with then girlfriend Meghan Markle. Prince Harry romantically got down on bended knee in the kitchen of Nottingham Cottage in Kensington Palace after the pair had enjoyed a home-cooked meal of roast chicken.
Prince Harry designed the ring personally and selected diamonds from his mother’s collection set into a simple and classic gold band. The larger brilliant-cut diamond has two smaller diamonds at either side with the three stones said to romantically represent the couple’s past, present and future.
5. Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank
Jack Brooksbank chose the festive season as the ideal opportunity to propose to Princess Eugenie on a trip to Nicaragua on New Year’s Day 2018. Described as the ‘perfect moment’ by the Princess, the proposal was a romantic affair at sunset looking out upon a beautiful landscape.
Eugenie’s engagement ring is one of the most unusual and comprises of diamonds set around a rare padparadscha sapphire. The padparadscha is a pink-orange hue named after the colour of a lotus-blossom usually found in Sri Lanka. The ring is reminiscent of her mother, Sarah Ferguson Duchess of York’s in terms of shape and design but which had a ruby as the central stone.
“2020 has been an unprecedented and turbulent year for many therefore it is no surprise that searches around marriage proposals have risen as people choose to celebrate the good aspects of life rather than focus on the negatives.
The new series of The Crown on Netflix has been highly anticipated as it follows the love story between Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. It also features some of the best and most iconic royal jewellery moments including Princess Diana’s sapphire and diamond engagement ring which is such a memorable piece.
The royal family is of course very influential in many ways, and their sartorial choices inspire many designer’s collections both in clothing and jewellery. I would expect to see many opting for engagement rings reminiscent of Princess Diana’s sapphire ring this year and next as a result whether it be in terms of style, design, or colour.”
- Jack Jahan, Marketing Manager at Ramsdens Jewellery.
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Established in 1987, Ramsdens Jewellery are well known on the high street with over 150 stores throughout the UK, they are experts in both new and second-hand jewellery, gold, luxury watches and diamonds.
Jack Jahan is the Ecommerce Marketing Manager at Ramsdens Jewellery, he has worked there for over 7 years, so he has plenty of experience within this fast-moving industry — which includes keeping up to date with latest luxury watch and jewellery trends.
