The Duke of Edinburgh, then Philip Mountbatten, proposed to Princess Elizabeth in 1946, but the announcement was delayed until after her 21st birthday. When it was finally announced on July 9, 1947, the world first saw its ring: a brilliant-cut three-carat diamond set in platinum, flanked by smaller paving stones.
The ring was made by London jeweler Philip Antrobus Ltd, who used diamonds that came from an ancient tiara belonging to Philip’s mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg. According to reports, the prince knew exactly what he wanted and participated in the custom design. A classic and timeless style, since then, the Queen wears the ring daily, combined with her Welsh gold wedding band.
Her grandson, Prince Harry, continued the tradition by assuring that Meghan Markle’s three-stone engagement ring contained diamonds extracted from jewelry that belonged to her mother, Princess Diana.
Diamond wedding bracelet
In addition to the engagement ring, the prince surprised his future bride with a diamond bracelet, also made with diamonds from his mother’s tiara. With a platinum decoration with geometric motifs decorated in the Art Deco style, the bracelet was also made by Antrobus Ltd and it is said that Prince Philip played an important role in its design.