Queen Elizabeth II

When a young Princess Elizabeth fell in love with handsome naval officer, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark [5], 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.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex

Meghan's ring famously features diamonds from the collection of Diana, Princess of Wales [6]. Prince Harry had these precious family heirlooms set on either side of a large, square diamond that he personally sourced in Botswana.

In fact, this is a Duke of Sussex production all round as Harry helped design the overall look of the ring in conjunction with Cleave and Company. The prince spoke touchingly of how he planned the gem in the couple's engagement interview [7].

Recently, Meghan had the yellow gold setting made even more sparkly with the addition of smaller diamonds [8] around the band, adding her own style touch to a ring that's already a royal classic.

Sophie, Countess of Wessex

She might be known as one of the more discreet members of the Royal Family [9] but when Sophie Rhys Jones got engaged to the Queen's youngest son, Prince Edward, she literally wore her heart on her hand. Sophie's all-diamond ring features heart shaped diamonds.

It also follows a very familiar design for British royal brides with a central stone flanked by two smaller gems. The star of Sophie's ring is a 2 carat oval diamond but what makes it stand out are the pair of stones carved into hearts that support the main jewel.

Sophie, now Countess of Wessex, became engaged to Edward in January 1999 and they married in June that same year. They have two children, Lady Louise Windsor, and James, Viscount Severn.

Zara Tindall

The Queen's eldest granddaughter [10] might have challenged royal rules with her tongue piercing but Zara Phillips kept things very traditional when she got engaged to rugby star, Mike Tindall [11], in 2010.

Zara's ring is a large, cushion shape diamond set on a double platinum band packed with more gems. It's a custom design for Zara and she's worn it proudly ever since.

The couple said 'I do' in July 2011, just months after William and Kate's huge royal wedding [12], and they now live happily with their two daughters, five year old Mia and baby Lena [13].

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall

She waited decades to finally marry her handsome prince [14] and when Camilla Parker Bowles became a royal bride, she received a diamond ring with quite the history to it.

Camilla's engagement present from Charles was a gem that once belonged to his beloved grandmother Elizabeth, who we know as the Queen Mother. It was a romantic and personal choice from the prince, linking his long time love to the granny who had such a major influence on him as he grew up.

The ring features a huge, emerald cut diamond with rows of baguette diamonds on either side of the central stone. Camilla wears it with the Welsh gold wedding band she received from the future king when the couple wed in Windsor in April 2005.

Autumn Phillips

The first of Queen Eliazbeth's grandchildren to marry was Peter Phillips, son of Princess Anne, and he took inspiration from his granny when choosing a ring for his fiancee, Autumn Kelly [15]. Just like the Queen's own engagement ring, it features a large central diamond which is flanked on either side by smaller stones.

Peter and Autumn married in May 2008 and are now parents to Savannah, 9, and Isla, 7, who so famously stole the show at Trooping the Colour [16], and as cheeky attendants when Princess Eugenie married Jack Brooksbank in 2018 [17].

Princess Grace of Monaco

When Grace Kelly became the most famous royal fiancee in the world, at the start of 1956, she received not one, but two engagement rings. Her first was shown off to the press when she announced her forthcoming marriage to Prince Rainier III of Monaco. Her second took a starring role in her last and perhaps most famous movie role.

Grace's huge diamond creation, with a central stone over 10 carats in weight, also doubled as the engagement ring worn by her character, Tracy Samantha Lord, in High Society. It also became one of the most photographed pieces of jewellery in the world as Grace's every move was followed in the run up to her wedding.

The first ring given to Grace by her royal love was a more discrete ruby and diamond band, reflecting the colours of Monaco's flag. But it was the Cartier creation, with baguettes on either side of the huge central diamond, that became Princess Grace's best known engagement ring.

Princess Charlene of Monaco

Her wedding to Prince Albert II of Monaco was a star studded event that lasted for days and the path to the altar for Charlene Wittstock began with a truly spectacular diamond engagement ring. The 3 carat pear-shaped main stone sits on a platinum band with sparkling shoulders of smaller diamonds setting it off to sparkling perfection.

It's one of the bigger royal engagement rings of recent times and Charlene, who is now mum to four-year-old twins Jacques and Gabriella, is rarely seen wearing it.

Queen Letizia of Spain

When TV presenter, Letizia Ortiz, said "I do" to Felipe of Spain, she received a very modern diamond ring. Fittingly for a woman who went on to become a style queen [18], it's a unique and very chic take on the royal engagement ring. And like the family she married into, it's become quite controversial.

Let's start with the diamonds. Letizia's ring was an eternity style creation featuring a yellow gold band filled with stunning baguette cut diamonds. Her handsome prince, Felipe, said he wanted something modern and unusual and this ring fits the bill to perfection.

However, Felipe was so determined to keep his impending engagement secret from the press that he called in his family to help collect the ring. His brother-in-law, Inaki Urdangarin, actually picked up the gem from the jewellers and paid for it using a credit card belonging to the Noos Institute. Just a few years later, Inaki came under investigation for embezzling public funds through that institute. He's now in prison and Letizia's ring hasn't been seen in years.

Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg

When Belgian countess, Stephanie de Lannoy, accepted the proposal of the heir to the throne of Luxembourg in 2012, she was presented with an elegant diamond ring by her fiancé, Guillaume. He was the last of his generation of heirs to get married so the ring had to be as spectacular as the wedding itself.

Stephanie's engagement ring features a large rectangular diamond, surrounded by two rows of smaller, sparkling stones. It's all set on a diamond encrusted band. She alternates it now with her mother's engagement ring as she sadly lost her mum just days before her October 2012 wedding.

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

Denmark's Queen Margrethe has a sense of style all of her own and her huge diamond engagement ring reflects all the charisma that she and her late husband, Prince Henrik, shared.

Margrethe got engaged in 1966 while she was still heir to the Danish throne and her husband-to-be was still a diplomat. They chose a "toi et moi" ring, a design made up of two stones, one each for the bride and groom. The square cut diamonds are set in a diagonal design on a yellow gold band.

Margrethe and Henrik were a notoriously happy royal couple and their romance lasted until 2018 when the prince sadly passed away after a short illness. Margrethe still wears the stunning ring he gave to her at the start of their royal love story.

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden

If you want an heir to the throne who seems just like the girl next door, then Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden is your royal. And the engagement ring of this future queen is about as close to one you'd find on your best friend's hand as any worn by royalty.

Victoria announced her engagement to her former personal trainer, Daniel Westling, in 2009 and showed off a sparkling diamond solitaire on the third finger of her left hand. Daniel added a diamond encrusted wedding band to that at their royal wedding in 2010. The groom has ended up as popular as his much loved wife while the couple's two children, Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar, are the darlings of Sweden.

Princess Madeleine of Sweden

All of Sweden's royal ladies have stuck to diamonds for their marriages and Princess Madeleine is no exception. The beautiful youngest daughter of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia wears a sparkling Asscher cut diamond in her engagement ring. It was presented to her in Fall 2012 by her US financier love, Chris O'Neill. The ring also features a diamond set band.

The couple wed in Stockholm in June 2013 and they now live in Florida with their three children, Leonore, Nicolas and Adrienne.

Princess Sofia of Sweden

Sofia Hellqvist was the last of Sweden's royal brides of her generation but her diamond engagement ring was first class. Prince Carl Philip chose a round diamond set in a ring of smaller diamonds for his girlfriend when they finally announced their engagement in the summer of 2014. Sofia, like Carl Philip's sisters Victoria and Madeleine, received a diamond encrusted wedding ring at her marriage in June 2015.

Sofia was a controversial royal bride as she'd previously been famous as a model and reality TV star. But since becoming a princess, she's taken on a range of charities and causes and is now one of the country's most popular royals as well as mum to super cute Prince Alexander, 3, and Prince Gabriel, 2.

Princess Beatrice of York

The newest royal bride in town, Princess Beatrice, is keeping it regally traditional with her engagement ring. The all-diamond creation presented to her by Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi is rather reminiscent of the gem given to her grandmother, the Queen, by her grandfather, Prince Philip, when they announced their own wedding plans over seven decades ago.

Beatrice's 2019 take on royal tradition was created by her future husband alongside jewellers Shaun Leane. The central, round diamond is about 3 carats and sits between sparkling shoulder flanks of baguette stones. Beatrice and Edoardo, who have been dating for over a year, got engaged in Italy and their royal wedding will take place in 2020.