While it is now common practice for both the bride and groom to give each other a ring as a sign of their eternal devotion, a royal aide explained that Prince William's decision not to wear a ring was 'simply down to personal preference'.
In fact, the new Prince of Wales has never worn a wedding ring - and never plans to do so. In March 2011, one month before the Royal Wedding, St James' Palace confirmed that William wouldn't be wearing a wedding band.
“Wearing a wedding ring used to be uncommon for men but now it is quite accepted practice,” he said, according to The Telegraph. “That said, it really is a matter of personal choice and members of the Royal Family often chose to wear it with a signet ring on the little finger of their left hand.”
According to engagement ring experts, the Princess of Wales removes her ring for "health and safety reasons." Lilly is the assistant editor at Brides. She joined the staff in 2021 and covers real weddings, wedding decor, wedding news, and more.
Royal men have traditionally chosen not to wear a wedding ring. While this is more preference than protocol, Prince Philip, Andrew and William all chose to opt out of having a ring. Prince Charles stacks his wedding ring to Camilla on top of his signet ring on his pinkie finger, rather than the ring finger.
Over the years, plenty of royals have shown off some nifty tattoos; including Princess Eugenie who showed off her subtle ink while stepping out to a royal event in 2022.
Royal women like Meghan and Kate often keep things casual at official events, wearing affordable brands and easy-to-wear styles, and that includes blue jeans. Here, 20 times royals have worn denim, from Prince Philip and Princess Alexandra in the 1950s to Meghan and Kate today. The Queen isn't one to wear denim.
Harry allegedly requested the engagement ring because "'that's the ring I remember from my childhood. '" On what happened next, Burrell said the brothers must have struck a deal. "Harry obviously gave up his treasure to his brother so that it could be on the ring finger of his wife who would one day be Queen."
William proposed during a holiday in Kenya last month and gave Kate the oval blue sapphire surrounded by diamonds, from the jeweller Garrard, that his mother, Princess Diana, once wore. William is second in line to the British throne after Charles, his father.
“The Queen Consort, really, gets first choice of the Queen's jewelry. And after that is Princess of Wales, of course, Kate.
Sit like a royal
One of the worst things a woman in the royal family can do—as far as etiquette rules go—is sit with her legs crossed at the knee. Legs and knees must be kept together, although crossing at the ankle is fine.
This large gold band is called a signet ring, or a gentleman's ring, and is often worn on the pinky of one's nondominant hand. Bloomberg reports that signet rings have been used since Old Testament times. They are engraved with a family crest or personal signature, which can reflect the owner's social status.
People aren't supposed to touch members of the royal family unless royals initiate contact. Celebrities like Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Allison Janney, and Roger Federer have slipped up. It's OK, though. Royals are forgiving and usually enjoy the change of pace.
Instead, Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan claimed the number one spot. According to the experts at Steven Stone, the monarch has the most expensive royal engagement ring, worth around $1.5 million. The jeweler also noted trends among the royal engagement rings.
Following Diana's death in August 1997, the sapphire ring was inherited by her son Prince Harry, who eventually offered it to his older brother Prince William before he proposed to Kate Middleton with it in 2010.
The engagement ring Camilla received from Prince Charles is an emerald-cut diamond ring surrounded by smaller diamonds, set in 18-karat gold. The design of the ring is said to be inspired by the engagement ring ofQueen Elizabeth. The Queen Mother owned Camilla's wedding band and frequently wore it in the 1980s.
How much did Kate Middleton inherit from Queen Elizabeth II? Radar Online reported in September 2022 that was Kate was expected to inherit $110 million in jewelry from the Queen after her death. The collection includes 300 personal pieces of jewelry that belonged just to the Queen and not the Crown.
If tradition prevails, most of the Queen's personal jewels will be passed on to King Charles III and Queen Camilla. It is speculated that Catherine, Princess of Wales will also receive some of the jewels as she will eventually be Queen.
In his book, Harry says it was William who received the precious jewel after Diana died, despite what the papers reported.
Meghan's yellow gold engagement ring band, which Harry said he had chosen because it was her favorite, had been replaced with a thin micro-pavé band.
The ring reportedly was found in the wreckage of the Mercedes and given to Diana's sisters when they came to Paris to accompany her body back to England.
After Meghan had her first child, she added a diamond band to her center three stones. It is rumored that she may have also added a scalloped hidden halo design to the center stones as well! It is believed that the royal couple upgraded the engagement ring's diamond band so that it matched Meghan's anniversary band.
The royal men, on the other hand, wear polos, blazers, and khakis or chinos. Etiquette expert William Hanson previously explained to Harper's Bazaar that wearing shorts is a class marker, as upper class boys usually graduate to trousers from shorts at about age eight.
Etiquette expert William Hanson previously told Harpers Bazaar: "Open-toed shoes are considered informal footwear and inappropriate for formal occasions."
As it turns out, royal etiquette outlines that the duchess must not remove her jacket in public, because it's regarded as "unladylike." Yes, you read that correctly: the act of removing her outermost layer of clothing in public, no matter the circumstance, is actually frowned upon by the crown.