When a young Princess Elizabeth fell in love with handsome naval officer, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, it seemed to be the perfect royal romance. But the groom's royal family had been forced into exile and his salary wasn't enough to buy a ring fit for a future queen.
So Philip's mother, Princess Alice of Greece, had one of her tiaras broken up to provide her only son with the heirloom jewels he needed to create an historic engagement ring. The result was designed by Philip himself alongside London jewellers, Philip Antrobus.
The Queen's engagement ring features a large, round diamond with five smaller diamonds on each side of it. The band is made of platinum, but Elizabeth still chose the traditional Welsh gold wedding band for her marriage in November 1947.