Timeless: Prince William’s Dh22,000 gift to Kate

It is the gift that says William and Kate’s love is timeless. The Duke and Duchess may not celebrate their third wedding anniversary until Tuesday, but romantic Wills is well ahead of the curve: he presented Kate with a stunning wristwatch weeks before they went on tour.

Kate adores the stylish stainless steel £3,600 (Dh22,282) Ballon Bleu de Cartier watch, which is embedded with a sapphire stone to match her Princess Diana engagement ring, and made sure she wore it every day of the tour.

The brand carries a special significance for the couple. Princess Diana wore a yellow gold Cartier watch and had one engraved for William as a birthday gift, which remains one of his most treasured possessions. The Queen also has a long-standing affiliation with the French jewellers and is encouraging Kate to build up her own collection of Cartier items.

The watch is not just a love token though; it was particularly useful for keeping Kate to time. She is notorious for chatting so much during walkabouts that the Duke is left waiting for her to catch up — a fact he does not let her forget.

And the watch was not the only intimate gift to make an appearance on the tour. Kate also revealed an elegant yet discreet diamond eternity band on her wedding finger, understood to be a present from William following Prince George’s birth.