Since last weekend’s much-discussed Mother’s Day photo featuring a particular detail that stood out, Princess Catherine has been the focus of many eyes. The 42-year-old Princess of Wales decided not to wear her famous sapphire and diamond wedding band or her gold engagement ring.
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Concerns regarding the Princess’s absence of rings were addressed by her delegates; the Mirror stated that “Catherine’s office simply responded to questions about her ring by stating the royal was ‘at home’ when the photo was taken.”
The royal never appears in public without her ring, but her husband does not always wear one. A lot of people have questioned why Prince William chooses not to wear his ring when his brother, Prince Harry, is constantly wearing one.
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The Prince of Wales has always disliked jewellery of any kind, so the answer is straightforward. St. James’ Palace declared a month prior to William and his bride’s 2011 wedding that William would not receive a ring during their vow-exchange ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
The Mirror was informed at the time by a palace insider that William’s decision had to do with his own sense of style. They said, “He’s not one for jewellery.” “He has never had any on. He made the decision not to wear one at this time. Everything comes down to personal taste.”
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In an interview with Marie Claire in 2018, royal analyst Eloise Parker offered her perspective on the discussion. “Although it’s traditional for royal women to wear both an engagement ring and a wedding ring after they get married, it’s never been traditional for royal men to wear one,” the royal expert stated. “Prince Philip and Prince William don’t wear them because of this. Everyone knows you’re married, in my opinion, when millions of people watch your wedding.”
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Prince Philip was married to the Queen for more than 70 years, but he never wore a wedding band. King Charles, the father of William, does, in contrast, have a signet ring on the little finger of his left hand.
Harry is believed to have preferred a sleek platinum design for the special piece of jewellery over the traditional gold band worn by the King. In a statement released by the palace shortly before the royal wedding, Harry and Meghan stated that they had chosen court jewellers Cleave and Company to design their wedding bands.
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“Her Majesty the Queen gave Ms. Markle a piece of Welsh gold to craft her ring. The platinum band that Prince Harry will wear will have a textured finish. The notice stated that both rings were made in the Cleave workshop.
Ancient Egypt is where the custom of women wearing wedding rings originated, but only a small percentage of grooms began following suit in the last century. Many Western men fighting overseas chose to wear bands as a reminder of their wives and families back home, which is thought to have been the catalyst for a seismic shift brought about by World War II.
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Due to an old belief that a vein named “vena amoris,” or “vein of love,” ran straight from the fourth finger of the left hand to the heart, wedding bands are typically worn on that finger.
The gold used to create Princess Catherine’s ring came from the Clogau St David’s mine in Bontddu, north Wales.
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Numerous royal wedding bands, including those for the late Queen, Queen Mother, and late Diana, Princess of Wales, were made of gold from the Clogau St David’s mine. The mine gave the late Queen a new batch of gold in 1986, which is what was used to make Catherine’s ring.
