Kate Middleton Takes Off Her Engagement Ring as She Self-Isolates With Family

published 30 March 2020

Royal fans recently spotted that a photo of Kate Middleton is missing her trademark sapphire engagement ring–she's just wearing her wedding band.
But this is likely either Kate's casual style at home, or Kate leaving her ring off with the rigorous hand-washing protocol in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
The ring, which originally belonged to Princess Diana, was actually quite controversial back in the day.

Kate Middleton's taken off her engagement ring, per a recent image posted by the Royal Family—but, lest we all freak out, it's for a super-relatable reason. According to HELLO!, she's not the only public figure who may have decided to take off their ring during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

There hasn't been an official directive about removal of jewelry, but experts say that with all the hand-washing to protect yourself from COVID-19, it makes sense to either take off the jewelry when you wash up or just leave them off altogether. Germs can live under rings, but it's unclear how it affects any kind of transmission. Kate has to meet and interact with so many people, this just makes intuitive sense to me.

In the image, Kate's wearing the same rose Marks & Spencer suit she wore when she and Prince William made a visit to an NHS call center earlier in March. Either this is a rewear, or the pics were taken the same day as that event. The blazer's still available in select styles, if that's something you're into! The pants have just a few sizes left, so go quick.

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Also, real talk: I have to take my engagement ring off when I get home anyways. Since mine is raised like hers, the potential for it to whack into things (the dishes, a coffee mug, my face) is huge. So this might also just be a cute little detail of Kate at home, as casual as we'll probably ever see her.

And to be fair, there have been royal events in which Kate leaves the chunkier ring at home and favors her simple wedding band, like this one in January at the National Portrait Gallery:

And, for context, here's the Duchess on March 9 with her trademark sapphire:

So chances are it'll make a reappearance soon, whenever they start doing royal engagements again.

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Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award.

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.