Queen Elizabeth II’s engagement ring

On 9 July 1947, the engagement between Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten was announced. From Buckingham Palace came the announcement, “It is with the greatest pleasure that the King and Queen announce the betrothal of their dearly beloved daughter the Princess Elizabeth to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, RN.”¹

Elizabeth’s engagement ring consisted of diamonds taken from a tiara that had been deposited in a bank in Paris in 1930 by Philip’s father. The tiara had belonged to Philip’s mother Alice, and she had been taken to a clinic at Kreuzlingen around that time.² The ring was made by the jeweller Philip Antrobus using a 3-carat brilliant and smaller stones. A craftsman named George Taubl made the ring, while Hary Marchant set the stones.³ It was Alice who had taken the diamonds to the jeweller and had these designed as a platinum engagement ring with a large centre stone, with a cluster of five smaller stones “as Philip dare not show his face at jewellers, for fear of being recognized.” The jeweller later stated that he had no idea for whom the ring was intended.⁴ Alice later wrote, “I think the ring is a great success.”⁴

The tiara the diamonds came from had been given to Alice as a wedding present from Emperor Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna.⁵

Elizabeth first wore the ring in public the day after the announcement when she posed for photos with her future husband.

1. Royal: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Robert Lacey p.154
2. Young Prince Philip: his turbulent early life by Philip Eade p.253
3. The Queen’s Diamonds by Hugh Roberts p.276
4. Alice: Princess Andrew of Greece by Hugo Vickers p.326
5. The Court Jeweller