The diamond engagement ring with which Prince proposed to his ex-wife Mayte Garcia has gone up for auction. The actress has listed the 2.2-carat ring for sale with Los Angeles based auctioneers Nate D. Sanders, along with five handwritten notes which Prince used to lead her on a romantic treasure hunt to the ring.
Mayte's ring features one large diamond surrounded by eight channel set round diamonds in a gold band, and is expected to sell for between £70,000 and £105,000 when the auction ends on 17 March.
The engagement ring Prince gave to his ex-wife Mayte has gone up for auction
It is just one of 95 pieces of Prince memorabilia set to be sold by Mayte and Prince's manager Owen Husney. Other pieces that are listed for auction include a 1959 Gibson guitar which Prince used to compose and record early demo tracks.
Mayte was first introduced to Prince backstage at one of his shows after he had seen a video of her bellydancing. They stayed in touch and two years later she joined a band and their relationship developed, with Mayte being the inspiration for Prince's hit The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.
The couple married in 1996 when Mayte was just 22, but separated just four years later, and the dancer has since said her ex-husband is a tough act to follow for any prospective partners.
Prince and Mayte were married in 1996
"All the songs he wrote for me, that's a hard act to follow," Mayte told The Mirror in 2015. "I've dated a couple of guys, musicians who have written me poems or songs and I'm like, 'Seriously, don't even go there. You can't compete!'"
She added: "But I think I'm now screwed for life because my first relationship was the most bizarre relationship ever and I'm not normal any more. I've kind of been spoiled."