The Princess of Wales has decided not to wear the ornate sapphire wedding ring that once belonged to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, during her recent public appearances.
Kate Middleton, 42, is instead wearing a thin gold ring, which some have speculated is a new “eternity ring.”
Sparkling diamond rings were stacked as Kate was seen with Prince William for the royals’ latest outing in Southport yesterday.
Although his new stack doesn’t include Princess Diana’s engagement ring, he made sure to give a sweet nod to his mother-in-law by wearing an ‘eternity ring’ set with sapphires, the same gemstone in the famous ring.
Kate wore the new accessory, which matches Princess Diana’s 12-carat engagement ring, when she made a congratulatory video following Team GB’s success at the Paris Olympics and then during her heartfelt family video released last month. past.
Kate spoke to members of the emergency services during a visit to Southport with Prince William yesterday.
The mother of three opted for a thin gold ring, which some have speculated is a new ‘eternity ring’.
Princess Diana’s engagement ring features a 12-carat Ceylon sapphire surrounded by a cluster of 14 solitaire diamonds set in white gold.
It was designed by crown jeweler Garrard and was inspired by the sapphire and diamond brooch made for Prince Albert in 1840, which he gave to Queen Victoria as a wedding gift and which she wore as her ‘little blue’.
While Diana supposedly chose the jewel herself, others claim she chose it because it was the largest and reminded her of her mother’s engagement ring.
Princess Diana loved her engagement ring so much that she wore it after divorcing Prince Charles in 1996 and turned it into a bracelet.
She then began wearing an emerald-cut aquamarine ring instead, the same one Meghan Markle wore with her second wedding dress.
The aquamarine ring is thought to be worth around £75,000 due to the size, color and quality of the center diamond, and a diamond from one of her rings was also used in Meghan Markle’s engagement ring.
When Diana died in 1997, Prince William and Prince Harry inherited her jewelry collection, including her engagement ring, according to Good Housekeeping.
After Prince Charles and Diana Spencer announced their engagement at Buckingham Palace
Princess Diana loved her engagement ring and wore it even after her divorce.
The late princess wrote: ‘I want you to allocate all my jewels to my children, so that their wives may have them or wear them in due time. I leave the appropriate division of jewelry to your discretion.
It is rumored that when Harry chose the sapphire, after seeing William’s love for Kate Middleton, the Prince exchanged the engagement ring for his mother’s Cartier watch, so that the Duke of Cambridge could propose to the Duchess.
Prince William had the ring with him for three weeks while on holiday in Mount Kenya in 2010, and when he announced the engagement, he said: “It’s my mother’s engagement ring and it’s very special to me, because Kate is very special.” ”. Now me too.
‘The right thing was for the two to be together. It was my way of making sure mom didn’t miss out on today and the excitement.”
After some alterations, Kate’s ring became one of the most famous rings in the world and is now worth $500,000 (£393,000).
Prince William proposed to Catherine with his late mother’s sapphire ring in Kenya in 2010.
Kate Middleton’s engagement ring shown on the day of her engagement announcement in 2010
Here Meghan Markle is seen wearing Princess Diana’s aquamarine ring at her wedding reception.
Kate Middleton wore Diana’s sapphire ring to ICAP Charity Day in 2015
Arriving in Southport yesterday in the autumn afternoon sun, the princess was not wearing the sapphire ring.
Royal fans have speculated that the new ‘eternity ring’ she wore was a gift from William to mark the ‘next phase of her life’ after her cancer treatment ends.
Catherine, who underwent several months of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, looked gorgeous yesterday with a slice of berries.
William, in a nod to his wife, also wore a Berry sweater.
The mother-of-three wore a Whistles Margot polka dot dress from the high street store’s 2018 collection, which cost £159 at the time, and appeared to have added a bow detail to the neck.
Kate Middleton, 42, who made her first joint official visit with Prince William since completing her cancer chemotherapy treatment in the summer.
The Princess of Wales decided not to wear her engagement ring as she joined her husband on a surprise visit to meet the grieving families of the Southport stabbing victims.
Pictured: The Princess of Wales wore minimal jewelery and an £85 Ralph Lauren striped t-shirt for a congratulatory message to Team GB in August.
The princess was also seen wearing a new band on her wedding ring finger, which royal fans are speculating is an eternity ring (pictured).
The Princess of Wales once again swapped her engagement ring for her stunning eternity ring in a touching video shared in September.
She paired the dress with a structured peacoat from her favorite designer, Alexander McQueen. Kate accessorized with her Catherine Zoraida gold fern earrings, priced at £165.
Kate previously donned her structured peacoat at the Earthshot Awards in Boston during her visit to the US in December 2022 to support Prince William.
During Welles’ visit, the couple also spent time with dance teacher Leanne Lucas, 35, who was seriously injured while defending young people from a knife attack during a Taylor Swift-themed summer holiday class. .
The couple later spoke to the emergency services who attended and helped that day.
Prince William has promised the family and the local community that he will visit the country as soon as possible and his visit is scheduled well in advance.
But his wife’s decision to join him was more recent. It is understood he wanted to “show his support, sympathy and compassion for the local community”.
A smile that will warm the hearts of royal fans: The Princess of Wales smiled as she sat in Southport
The couple shared a personal message of grief and sympathy for the victims during the incident and, like her husband, the princess has been following the events closely.
It is understood that, three months on, it was important for them to go now to show the people of Southport that they have not been forgotten and will continue to support the community in the future.
The William and Catherine Royal Foundation has awarded a fundraising grant to the National Police and Welfare Service to help speed up the physical and mental rehabilitation of police and ambulance staff involved in the attack and subsequent riots.
