Queen Camilla’s engagement ring’s mysterious history and past as a royal push present revealed

Queen Camilla's engagement ring is shrouded in mystery as only one royal owner before King Charles gave it to her is known for sure...

Queen Camilla's engagement ring details explained. Seen here the Queen is at the Big Jubilee Lunch At The Oval
(Image credit: Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage via Getty)

Queen Camilla’s engagement ring’s mysterious history and past as a royal push present revealed ahead of her 18th wedding anniversary. 


Plenty of the best celebrity engagement rings catch fans’ attention, but those that belong to the Royal Family are perhaps especially iconic and full of history. From Kate Middleton’s stunning sapphire that once belonged to the late Princess Diana to Meghan Markle’s engagement ring with its diamonds from Botswana where she and Prince Harry vacationed, the special details behind these pieces tell unique stories. Though Queen Camilla’s engagement ring has a much more mysterious history and is even rumored to have been a royal push present…

Camilla's engagement ring in close-up as she arrived for a party at Windsor Castle

(Image credit: ARTHUR EDWARDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Whilst other royals have colorful gems like the blush pink stone at the center of Princess Eugenie’s engagement ring, the Queen Consort’s ring features just diamonds. The Art Deco design exudes classic elegance with an emerald-cut diamond estimated to be around five carats and baguette-cut diamonds either side. It’s reported to be worth around $254,527/£212,000.

King Charles gave his wife of almost 18 years this fabulous ring before their wedding day back in April 2005. And it’s got a deeply personal past as Queen Camilla’s engagement ring once belonged to the late Queen Mother. She was pictured wearing it a lot in the 1980s particularly and although she wore it on her ring finger, it wasn't her own engagement ring.

Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, and his wife Camilla, the Duchess Of Cornwall, attend a Service of Prayer and Dedication

(Image credit: Photo by Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)

King Charles is understood to have been incredibly close to his grandmother, who according to The Telegraph, reportedly urged her daughter Queen Elizabeth not to send him away to boarding school at Gordonstoun. The King and Queen also still live at Clarence House, which was once the Queen Mother’s London home. In light of their special relationship, His Majesty’s choice to gift his grandmother’s ring to his wife-to-be was an especially significant one. 

Though the history of Queen Camilla’s engagement ring before the Queen Mother owned it is shrouded in mystery and uncertainty. Over the years it’s been speculated and reported that the Queen Mother received the Art Deco ring after she gave birth to Queen Elizabeth in 1926, potentially making Queen Camilla’s engagement ring a royal push present. 

The Queen Mother at an evening engagement wearing the ring later given to Camilla Parker-Bowles

(Image credit: Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

However, it’s not known for certain who it belonged to before and who crafted the magnificent jewelry piece in the first place. This is unusual amongst royal jewelry items as the provenance is generally very well known - such as with another of the Queen Mother’s pieces that Queen Camilla loves to wear. 

The Greville Tiara is one of the late Queen Elizabeth’s tiaras that was inherited from the Queen Mother and has been loaned to Queen Camilla over the years. Also known as the Boucheron Honeycomb Tiara, this once belonged to Margaret Greville and was left to the Queen Mother in her will. 

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales arrive at the CHOGM Dinner at the Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel

(Image credit: Photo by Arthur Edwards - Pool/Getty Images)

She was reportedly the mastermind behind the decision to add the iconic raised sections and rows of graduated diamonds. The ring that went on to become Queen Camilla’s engagement ring is perhaps all the more intriguing and stand-out because of its mysterious past and the heartfelt connection to the grandmother King Charles was so close to.  

Emma Shacklock

Emma is a Royal Editor with eight years experience working in publishing. Her specialist areas include the British Royal Family, ranging from protocol to outfits. Alongside putting her royal knowledge to good use, Emma knows all there is to know about the latest TV shows on the BBC, ITV and more. When she’s not writing about the next unmissable show to add to your to-watch list or delving into royal protocol, Emma enjoys cooking, long walks and watching yet more crime dramas!