Why Harry Gave Up Diana's Engagement Ring So William Could Propose To Kate
Harry gave up the only thing he kept from his mother to William.
LINGTREN.COM | Featureflash Photo Agency | Shutterstock | Wikimedia Commons Prince Harry's selfless act for his brother, Prince William, made it possible for William to propose to Kate Middleton with their mother's ring.
In October 2010, William took Kate on a trip to Kenya where he proposed after roughly eight years of dating.
However, the moment might have gone a bit differently — or at least with a different ring — if Harry hadn't decided to give up his and William's mother's engagement ring.
Harry gave up Princess Diana's engagement ring so William could propose to Kate.
In April 2021, Princess Diana's former butler, Paul Burrell recalled how Harry came into possession of his mother's engagement ring, according to Express.
In the Amazon Prime three-part documentary, "The Diana Story," Burrell recalled King Charles allowing his sons, William and Harry, to choose items from their mother's jewelry collection after her death in 1997.
William opted for "mummy's Cartier watch," which had been a gift from her father, John Spencer, for Diana's 21st birthday.
Harry, on the other hand, specifically requested the engagement ring Diana had selected when she'd married Charles.
Burrell remembered Harry having strong memories of seeing the ring on his mother's finger.
"I remember when I held mummy's hand when I was a small boy and that ring always hurt me because it was so big," Burrell recalled the younger prince saying.
When William told Harry that he was planning on proposing to Kate in 2010, it had been Harry's idea to offer up Diana's engagement ring.
"Harry said to him, 'Wouldn't it be fitting if she had mummy's ring?'" Burrell said. “'Then one day that ring will be sat on the throne of England.'"
"Harry gave up his precious treasure. His one thing he kept from his mother, he gave to his brother. That’s selfless, kind, and exactly who Diana was.”
After giving his brother their mother's engagement ring, when it came time for Harry to propose to Meghan Markle in 2017, Harry managed to still incorporate a piece of Diana in the ring.
In Harry and Meghan's first interview after their engagement, he told the BBC that two stones from Diana's collection were used to design his fiancée’s custom-made engagement ring.
"The little diamonds on either side are from my mother's jewelry collection to make sure she's with us on this crazy journey together," he told the BBC.
"Obviously not being able to meet his mom, it's so important to me to know that she's a part of this with us," Meghan added.
Harry and William's relationship has turned sour after the release of Harry's memoir.
Following the recent release of Harry's memoir, "Spare," and the subsequent press tour, Harry and William's relationship has quickly turned sour.
In the autobiographical novel, Harry detailed personal moments that happened between him and William, including recounting a physical altercation between the two of them.
Harry also opened up about feeling as if his brother was "gone forever" after marrying Kate.
"The brother I'd escorted into Westminster Abbey that morning was gone — forever," Harry reportedly wrote, according to PEOPLE.
"We'd never again ride together across the Lesotho countryside with capes blowing behind us. We'd never again share a horsey-smelling cottage while learning to fly. Who shall separate us? Life, that's who."
Harry recalled watching his brother walk Kate "back up the aisle" once their ceremony was over, and having to say "goodbye" to his brother.
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.