All the Details on Queen Letizia of Spain’s Rarely-Seen Engagement Ring

NEED TO KNOW

• King Felipe of Spain and Queen Letizia announced their engagement on Nov. 1, 2003

• The royal’s engagement ring features 16 baguette-cut diamonds set on a white gold band

• The couple wed at the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid, Spain, on May 22, 2004

King Felipe of Spain presented Queen Letizia with a unique engagement ring when the royal proposed back in 2003.

Letizia, who was working as a broadcast journalist at the time, met the then-Prince of Asturias when they were introduced by friends at a dinner party.

The couple dated in secret before their surprise engagement announcement on Nov. 1, 2003. They wed roughly six months later, on May 22, 2004.

Letizia is the first person with a non-aristocratic background to marry into the Spanish royal family and become queen, according to TIME. Fittingly, her engagement ring also defies convention. Instead of a traditional solitaire stone, the ring features 16 baguette-cut diamonds set on a white gold band.

Here’s everything to know about Letizia’s one-of-a-kind engagement ring.

Felipe proposed to Letizia in 2003

Felipe and Letizia were introduced by friends at a dinner party. Though it is not known exactly when they began dating, the couple announced their engagement from the gardens of El Pardo Palace on Nov. 1, 2003.

Her custom engagement ring features 16 diamonds

Felipe proposed with a custom engagement ring designed by Suárez. Instead of a solitaire stone, the one-of-a-kind piece features 16 baguette-cut diamonds set on a white gold band.

She debuted the ring at an official engagement ceremony

Felipe and Letizia celebrated the news of their engagement with an official ceremony at El Pardo Palace on Nov. 6, 2003.

Letizia donned a white Armani pantsuit for the special occasion. The happy couple posed for photos with members of the Spanish royal family, including Felipe’s father, then-King Juan Carlos, and his mother, then-Queen Sofía.

Felipe and Letizia tied the knot in 2004

Following their surprise engagement, Felipe and Letizia tied the knot on May 22, 2004. The couple wed in a traditional Roman Catholic ceremony at the Almudena Cathedral at the Royal Palace in Madrid, Spain.

It was Spain’s first royal wedding in almost a century, and also the first wedding to be held in the Almudena Cathedral, which was consecrated 11 years prior in 1993.

The bride’s wedding dress was fashioned by Spanish designer Manuel Pertegaz. Featuring a high-neck collar, gold embroidery and a 14-foot train, the gown cost approximately $10.7 million and holds the Guinness World Record for the most expensive royal wedding dress.

Letizia accessorized the look with diamond earrings and an heirloom tiara that Sofía, her soon-to-be mother-in-law, also wore on her wedding day.

After they said “I do,” Felipe and Letizia took to the balcony of the Royal Palace to mark the occasion with a celebratory kiss.

Letizia also has a simple gold wedding band

Letizia added a simple gold wedding band to her ring stack after saying “I do.” The royal rarely wears either ring in public, however.

Read the original article on People