Why Prince William Doesn’t Put on a Wedding ceremony Ring

A lot ado has been product of Kate Middleton’s ring on that finger as of late — however what about Prince William’s marriage ceremony band (or lack thereof)?

The Princess of Wales, 42, has opted to forego her iconic sapphire and diamond engagement ring these days, a chunk that when belonged to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana. However on the subject of her husband, Prince William, additionally 42, he has really by no means worn a marriage band — a call which continues to the current day.

Forward of the couple’s April 29, 2011 marriage ceremony day, a palace spokesperson instructed PEOPLE, “There’s solely going to be one ring, in accordance with the couple’s needs.”

That ring belonged to Kate, who, along with her sapphire and diamond engagement ring that William gave her in 2010 upon proposing, was given a Welsh gold marriage ceremony band on her marriage ceremony day as she grew to become the Duchess of Cambridge. (Following Queen Elizabeth’s demise at 96 on Sept. 8, 2022, she grew to become the Princess of Wales.)

When it got here to crafting Kate’s marriage ceremony band, a tiny quantity of gold mined from the Welsh mountains was saved within the royal vaults because it was initially offered to William’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, PEOPLE reported in 2011. In accordance with a palace supply, the Queen has “given a chunk of the gold that has been within the household for a few years to Prince William as a present.” Wartski was tasked with fashioning the nugget into a chunk for Kate.

Prince William isn’t utterly bucking royal custom by not carrying a marriage band — his grandfather Prince Philip, married to Queen Elizabeth for 73 years earlier than his demise in April 2021, didn’t put on a marriage band. That mentioned, William’s father, King Charles does put on a marriage band, generally noticed beneath his signet ring.

So too does Prince Harry, who has worn a platinum marriage ceremony band with a textured end since marrying Meghan Markle on Might 19, 2018. His band can be made out of Welsh gold; as PEOPLE beforehand reported, the royal household has used Welsh gold ever for the reason that Queen Mom’s marriage ceremony over a century in the past in 1923.

Meghan, too, has a marriage band made out of a chunk of Welsh gold given to her as a present from Queen Elizabeth. Harry and Meghan selected London’s Cleave & Firm to create their rings, and the corporate additionally made Meghan’s engagement ring, which Harry designed himself. Her engagement ring is comprised of three diamonds, with a big stone within the middle and two smaller stones on either side. Two of the stones are from Princess Diana’s private assortment, and the opposite stone is from Botswana, a rustic near his coronary heart and the place the newly-dating couple visited early of their courtship in 2016.

As for Prince William’s option to not put on a marriage band, a supply chatting with the Mirror mentioned the choice all got here all the way down to the long run king’s type. “He’s not one for jewellery,” the supply defined. “He’s by no means worn any. He determined he didn’t need to put on one now. It’s all down to non-public desire.”

Talking in 2018 to Marie Claire, royal commentator Eloise Parker added extra context: “Though it’s conventional for royal girls to put on each an engagement ring and a marriage ring after they get married, it’s by no means been conventional for royal males to put on one,” she mentioned. “That’s why Prince Philip and Prince William don’t put on them. I believe when you have got a marriage watched by thousands and thousands, everybody is aware of you are married.”

When Prince William selected to present Kate the ring his mom made so well-liked throughout her marriage to the previous Prince Charles, he defined throughout a post-engagement interview with ITV Information, “It’s my mom’s engagement ring, so I assumed it was fairly good as a result of, clearly, she’s not going to be round to share in any of the enjoyable and pleasure of all this.”

“That is my method of conserving her form of near all of it,” he added.

Princess Diana died on Aug. 31, 1997, following a automobile accident in Paris. She was simply 36 years outdated; William was 15, and Harry, 12.

Though Kate has spent a lot of 2024 away from the highlight, she showcased the dazzling sparkler that Prince William used to suggest in 2010 throughout her two official summer season outings — Trooping the Color in June and Wimbledon in July — however she didn’t put on her engagement ring throughout subsequent appearances, together with a go to with William to Southport, England on Oct. 10, her first public royal engagement of the 12 months.

In her Sept. 9 video saying she’d accomplished chemotherapy remedy, Kate wore what seems to be a brand new eternity band once more, after it was seen on her hand in an Aug. 11 video message alongside William congratulating Group Nice Britain on their efficiency on the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The Princess of Wales styled the eternity band the identical method throughout each the August and September movies, stacking it with what appears like her Welsh gold marriage ceremony band and the white gold and diamond Annoushka ring she began carrying shortly after the delivery of their first baby, Prince George, in 2013, extensively believed to be a present from Prince William.

“Many of those eternity bands replicate household relationships. Provided that her kids’s birthstones are rubies, emeralds and diamonds, it would not shock me if the gems set within the new ring are linked to George, Charlotte and Louis,” Lauren Kiehna of The Court docket Jeweller mentioned about what the accent’s deeper which means could also be.

Giving context round why Princess Kate could have eliminated her megawatt engagement ring, Kiehna famous that “royal girls put on their engagement rings in numerous methods, identical to the remainder of us.”

“Some, like Queen Elizabeth, put on their engagement rings every day for his or her total lives. Others, like Queen Mathilde and Queen Mary, swap out their engagement rings for different rings regularly. And a few, like Queen Letizia, have not been noticed carrying their engagement rings for years,” she added.

Cannot get sufficient of PEOPLE’s Royals protection? Join our free Royals e-newsletter to get the newest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and extra!

Whereas out in Southport on Oct. 10, Princess Kate stacked the identical multicolored eternity ring with what appeared like her Welsh gold marriage ceremony band, her white gold and diamond Annoushka ring and what seems to be a second new diamond band.