Royal Sources Expose When Princes William & Harry's Relationship 'Quietly Snapped'
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Just when you think you know everything about and ‘s feud, a royal insider sheds new light on when the rift began.
The royal siblings’ relationship reportedly began to break down at a crucial point in the Prince of Wales’ life, and at a time when Meghan Markle hadn’t even entered the picture. After Princess Diana’s death in 1997, Harry reportedly inherited her stunning 12-carat Ceylon sapphire engagement ring that was given to her by the then-Prince Charles in 1981.
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The lore goes that Harry gave it to his brother ahead of his engagement to Kate Middleton in 2010, per Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell. But in Prince Harry’s 2023 memoir, Spare, he called the story “nonsense” because he was never gifted the priceless piece of jewelry in the first place. It was William who asked for it after her death, and that request was honored. Still, according to Rob Shuter’s Naughty But Nice Substack, the Duke of Sussex had “regrets” about not fighting harder for his mother’s ring.
A close up of Kate Middleton’s engagement ring as she poses for photographs in the State Apartments with her fiance Prince William of St James Palace on November 16, 2010 in London, England.
Arthur Edwards – WPA Pool/Getty Images.
“Harry realized the ring represented more than jewelry — it represented Diana, legacy, and symbolism,” a royal source alleged to Shuter. “He even raised the idea that William should compensate him for half of its $75,000 value. It didn’t go over well.”
A second palace insider claimed that Princess Diana’s ring is the brothers’ feud origin story. “If you trace the feud back to its true beginning, it’s the ring. That’s where everything quietly snapped,” they said.
The rift doesn’t appear to have any end, but Kate has given the coveted ring a rest in her jewelry rotation. The Daily Mail reported in June that she has benched the beloved sapphire in favor of a stack of eternity bands.
“Kate’s choice of rings suggests that she values subtlety and meaning over grandeur, while still maintaining an air of elegance and sophistication,” a jewelry expert at Steven Stone told the media outlet.
After the couple’s engagement while on vacation in Africa, William shared in a TV interview with ITV why he was so honored to carry on the family legacy through his mother’s ring.
“It’s my mother’s engagement ring,” he explained. “So, I thought it was quite nice because obviously, she’s not going to be around to share any of the fun and excitement of it all — this was my way of keeping her sort of close to it all.”
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