What Royal Fans May Not Know About Princess Eugenie's Engagement Ring

Princess Eugenie, the daughter of Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, and Sarah Fergusson, the Duchess of York, got engaged to her now-husband Jack Brooksbank in January 2018, eight years after they first met while on a ski trip in Switzerland. "The Duke and Duchess of York are delighted to announce the engagement of Princess Eugenie to Mr. Jack Brooksbank. Her Royal Highness and Mr. Brooksbank became engaged in Nicaragua earlier this month," read a statement from Buckingham Palace following the couple's engagement. 

And while there was a great deal of media coverage when it came to the engagement ring that Eugenie's cousin Prince William presented to his now-wife, Kate Middleton, as the blue sapphire surrounded by diamonds once belonged to Princess Diana, less of a big deal was made about Eugenie's ring. This is the main reason that many royal watchers don't know the details of Eugenie's special bauble. According to Express, the center stone is actually a Padparadscha sapphire, which is "light to medium toned pink-orange to orange-pink" in color, the Gem Society explains. The outlet reports that the unique stone's name comes from the Sinhalese word meaning "lotus blossom."

Jewelry expert Max Stone of Steven Stone Jewelers described Princess Eugenie's center stone in her engagement ring to Express as "one of the rarest jewels." And, in an interview on "The One Show" following the engagement, Jack Brooksbank spoke about the unique ring he presented his bride. He said that he "went and found" the Padparadscha sapphire, and said that he loved the ring so much because it "changes color from every different angle that you look at it." Brooksbank went on to say that the ring reminded him of Eugenie, which he took as "an amazing sign."

The sapphire center stone is flanked by a circle of diamonds and is thought to be about three to four carats in size. According to a gem expert from Britain's "Posh Pawn," the ring is worth an estimated $140,000 (via The Sun). Meanwhile, gemologist Deborah Papas from Prestige Pawnbrokers told the outlet that the center stone is "surrounded by 10 brilliant cut diamonds and two pear cut diamonds to give an edge to the standard classic cluster." Papas added that the stone is "considered amongst the rarest and most valuable of all the corundum varieties." It's clear the ring has both considerable sentimental and monetary value! 

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank got married in October 2018, exchanging vows in front of family and friends — and 1,200 members of the public — at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, People magazine reports. In the years that followed, the princess and her husband have gone on to start their own family. In February 2021, the couple welcomed a baby boy they named August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, who was 11th in line to the throne at the time of his birth. In an interview with Reuters, Eugenie said that she fully expects that her son is going to be an activist before he even starts school as she's been intent on teaching her little boy about climate change.

In 2023, Eugenie gave birth to the couple's second son, Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank. Born on May 30, the little one was just over seven pounds at birth. "He is named after his great great great Grandfather George, his Grandpa George, and my Grandpa Ronald. Augie is loving being a big brother already," Eugenie captioned an Instagram post on June 5, announcing her newest family member's arrival.