King Charles was reportedly surprised and somewhat irritated when Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton using the engagement ring that had once belonged to Princess Diana.
William announced his engagement to Kate in November 2010, ahead of their wedding at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011. At the time, Charles was still the Prince of Wales.
In his book The Windsor Legacy: A Royal Dynasty of Secrets, Scandal, and Survival, royal biographer Robert Jobson claims Charles had reservations about William’s decision to give Kate the same sapphire and diamond ring he had presented to Diana in 1981.
The famous Garrard ring features a 12-carat Ceylon sapphire surrounded by diamonds. According to Jobson, Charles was privately “a little irritated” that the ring had been chosen for William’s proposal.
The author also writes that William kept his plans secret from both his father and Queen Elizabeth II. He reportedly called the Queen on November 16, 2010, to tell her that he and Kate were officially engaged.
The Queen was said to be delighted by the news. Charles later responded publicly with humour, joking that the couple had been “practising long enough.”
William and Kate married the following year in a ceremony that became one of the most celebrated royal events in recent history.
