Skip to main content

Kate Middleton is known for her poise, royal flair, and stunning jewels. When the Duchess of Cambridge married into the royal family, Prince William gifted his college sweetheart several jewels from his late mother, Princess Diana’s collection. Middleton’s sapphire engagement ring once belonged to the late princess.

Unless she was very far along in her pregnancies with either one of her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, or Prince Louis –Middleton has always worn the gorgeous 12-carat oval blue Ceylon sapphire ring. However, we bet you didn’t know that the Duchess of Cambridge also wears two other rings on her ring finger.

Why does Kate Middleton wear three rings on her ring finger?

In addition to her massive engagement ring, the Duchess of Cambridge also wears a slim wedding band made of 18-karat Welsh gold. The elegantly understated band is a royal tradition (Meghan Markle’s wedding band is very similar.) For the past century, all wedding bands in the royal family have been made from nuggets of rare, pure Welsh gold from a specific mine: the Clogau St. David’s gold mine. According to the company’s website, “this tradition was founded by The Queen Mother, then Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, on her marriage to the Duke of York on 26th April,1923.”

Middleton wears her engagement ring and wedding band side by side. However, because of the sheer size of her sapphire engagement ring, the duchess needs another band on her finger to support it. If you take a close look, you can see the third ring which sits snug next to her separate wedding band.

How much is Kate Middleton’s engagement ring worth?

When Princess Diana picked the ring out for herself in a Garrard catalog in 1981 –Prince Charles paid $37,000 for the 12-carat oval blue Ceylon sapphire ring that has 14 solitaire diamonds surrounding the sapphire. It’s all set in 18-karat white gold.

At the time, the ring was seen as tacky and controversial. Most people were horrified that the 20-year-old princess would choose something out of a catalog. Over the years, however, the ring has become iconic.

Prince William chose his mother’s ring to propose to Kate Middleton in 2010 during a romantic trip exploring Mount Kenya. Now the ring is reportedly worth an astounding $500,000.

Why doesn’t Prince William wear a wedding band?

Kate Middleton’s ring finger might be quite crowded with her three rings, but her husband, Prince William, never wears his wedding band –opting instead to keep his ring finger bare.

According to The Telegraph, “upper-class men, especially royals and aristocrats from old families, often won’t wear jewelry, looking on it as something that simply isn’t done. Prince William follows in the footsteps of his grandfather, Prince Philip, who also does not wear a wedding ring.”

Still, wearing a wedding band is a pwronal preference, Prince Harry wears his band and so does Prince Charles.

Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook!