We may have won independence from Britain over 240 years ago, but Americans still love a royal wedding. Last year’s marriage of Prince Harry, currently sixth in line to the crown, to actress Meghan Markle was especially big news on this side of the pond given Markle’s American heritage.
Their union broke from history in a major way — marrying a biracial, American-born actress once would have required a royal of Harry’s stature to abdicate the throne. But, luckily for Harry and Meghan, the royal family has gotten significantly more woke in recent years. Just as the couple represents a fusion of the old guard and modern times, Markle’s engagement ring nods to both the past and the present.
Prince Harry designed the three-stone style himself, selecting a cushion-cut diamond from Botswana — a destination the couple had traveled to while dating — for the center stone, sandwiched between two smaller diamonds from the collection of Princess Diana, Harry’s late mother. And where diamond rings are traditionally set in platinum or white gold, Harry told the BBC: “The ring is obviously yellow gold, because that’s [Markle’s] favorite.” Even if you don’t want to attempt (or, more aptly, risk) designing your own ring, take a page from Harry’s book and go for a ring that shows you’ve been paying attention.
