Prince William is never seen wearing a wedding ring, which the most eagle-eyed of royal fans will already know.
But the Prince of Wales hasn't lost his wedding band, nor is he making any particular statement: He simply never owned one.
A month ahead of William's wedding to Kate Middleton, now Princess Kate, in 2011, the Palace announced that the prince would not be handed a ring during the exchanging of vows.
A royal insider claimed at the time (via the Mirror), "He’s not one for jewelry. He’s never worn any. He decided he didn’t want to wear one now. It’s all down to personal preference."
They added, "Catherine will wear a ring fashioned from a lump of Welsh gold owned by the Royal Family that has been smelted down. The couple have both had a hand in the design. This is the ring Prince Harry will carry and hand over in the traditional way."
By contrast, the Princess of Wales always wears her wedding ring, and sometimes also complements it with her iconic sapphire engagement ring, which she inherited from her late mother-in-law Princess Diana.
Back in 2018, royal commentator Eloise Parker shed some additional light on why William may have chosen not to wear a wedding ring.
"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," Parker told Marie Claire. "That's why Prince Philip and Prince William don't wear them. I think when you have a wedding watched by millions, everyone knows you're married!"
This is an incredibly fair point.
Meanwhile, William's younger brother and erstwhile best man does wear a platinum wedding band to signal his marriage to Meghan Markle. To each his own!
-
Sabrina Carpenter's Micro Shorts Are a Slice of Fashion HistoryShe was brave to trot it out at the height of winter.
-
Tom Parker Bowles Says Stepfather King Charles Could be "Fantastic" at Another Job if He Wasn't MonarchJust imagine.
-
Cartier Celebrates 100 Years of Trinity With a Miami Pop-UpA look inside the Art Basel event.
-
Every Time the Royal Family Broke Protocol in 2024, From Minor Rule Changes to Huge MistakesMeet the usual suspects: King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Kate Middleton.
-
Queen Camilla's Son Reveals He "Learned a Long Time Ago" to Stay Out of Prince William and Prince Harry's "World"Tom Parker Bowles said "it was appalling what they went through."
-
Royal Expert Says King Charles Finds it "Tough" to "Play Second Fiddle" to Prince William These Days"Time and again recently, William has grabbed the headlines."
-
Prince William Is Allegedly Still "Very, Very Angry" About Royal Rift, But Kate Middleton Is Pushing For "Reconciliation""Never give up hope, there's always a chance."
-
Prince William Reveals His Surprisingly Low-Key Royal Christmas PlansCount us in.
-
Prince William Declares He Has "Five Nostrils" in Hilarious Christmas Party InteractionThe Prince of Wales spread some holiday cheer to military families.
-
Kate Middleton's Family Played a "Pivotal" Role in the Royal Family's Most "Traumatic Year"Princess Kate's parents have reportedly been "very welcomed into the royal fold."
-
Prince William's Beard Has Inspired a New Cosmetic Surgery Trend Dubbed "the Prince William Effect""People are bringing in pictures of Prince William on their phones and saying, 'Make me look like that.'"
