Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank announced their engagement on January 22, 2018, and eight years later, former royal butler Grant Harrold is sharing some especially sweet details about the couple.
Eugenie and Jack dated for seven years before he popped the question with a unique padparadscha sapphire surrounded by diamonds. Speaking on behalf of Slots Temple, Harrold says the story behind Eugenie's ring is "really sweet," as Brooksbank was inspired by Eugenie's mother, Sarah Ferguson's, ruby cluster ring.
"Jack went for a pink sapphire which is obviously quite a rare stone," the former butler to King Charles shares. "Jack has said that he was influenced by Eugenie’s mother’s engagement ring, which is a lovely nod to his mother-in-law."
"It’s certainly a very nice gesture—it’s very gentlemanly," Harrold continues. "It’s amazing how much effort and thought he’s put into the engagement ring."
Padparadscha sapphires feature a pinkish-coral hue, and Brooksbank told the BBC at the time of their engagement that he actually proposed without the ring in hand. "I found a ring in a jewelers and then proposed to Eugenie without it and came back and we designed the diamonds around this padparadscha sapphire," he said.
"And what's amazing about it is that it changes color from every different angle that you look at it, which is what I think of Eugenie," Brooksbank added. "That she changes colour and is just so amazing."
Along with resembling Sarah Ferguson's ruby and diamond ring from Andrew Mounbatten-Windsor, Eugenie's is a similar style to Princess Kate's blue sapphire ring, once owned by Princess Diana.
“We know there is a history of the Royal Family opting for sapphires," Harrold adds.
