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Kate Middleton's Pictured Without Her Engagement Ring as She Self-Isolates With Her Family

By Katherine J Igoe

Mar 30, 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.

View this post on Instagram

Via @kensingtonroyal: . Self-isolation and social distancing can pose huge challenges to our mental health — in recent weeks The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been in regular contact with organisations and patronages to understand the issues they are facing during this difficult time. . ☎️Last week, The Duke spoke to MIND CEO Paul Farmer, and The Duchess spoke to Catherine Roache, CEO of Place2Be. . In recognition of the unprecedented challenges which the outbreak and extended periods of self-isolation can pose, Public Health England has published new guidance to help support people during the COVID-19 outbreak — visit the link in @kensingtonroyal’s bio to find out more. . On the new guidance, The Duke and Duchess said: • “It is great to see the mental health sector working together with the NHS to help people keep on top of their mental well-being. • By pulling together and taking simple steps each day, we can all be better prepared for the times ahead”. • The Government has also announced a grant for MIND to help fund their services for people struggling with their mental wellbeing during this time. . Public Health England has also updated its world-leading Every Mind Matters platform, with specific advice on maintaining good mental wellbeing during the outbreak. People can also complete a ‘Mind Plan’, a quick and free tool that has already been completed over 1.8 million times.

A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily) on Mar 29, 2020 at 12:51am PDT

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:

The Duchess Of Cambridge Visits The National Portrait Gallery Workshop At Evelina London Children's Hospital

Samir HusseinGetty Images

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

Max Mumby/IndigoGetty Images

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

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