Why Prince William Doesn’t Wear a Wedding Ring

William decided to forego a wedding band when he married Kate Middleton in 2011, but he wasn’t the first royal to eschew the tradition

Chris Jackson/Getty

Much ado has been made of Kate Middleton’s ring on that finger as of late — but what about Prince William’s wedding band (or lack thereof)?

The Princess of Wales, 42, has opted to forego her iconic sapphire and diamond engagement ring lately, a piece that once belonged to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana. But when it comes to her husband, Prince William, also 42, he has actually never worn a wedding band — a decision which continues to the present day.

Ahead of the couple’s April 29, 2011 wedding day, a palace spokesperson told PEOPLE, “There is only going to be one ring, in accordance with the couple’s wishes.”

Chris Jackson/Getty

That ring belonged to Kate, who, in addition to her sapphire and diamond engagement ring that William gave her in 2010 upon proposing, was given a Welsh gold wedding band on her wedding day as she became the Duchess of Cambridge. (Following Queen Elizabeth’s death at 96 on Sept. 8, 2022, she became the Princess of Wales.)

Getty

When it came to crafting Kate’s wedding band, a tiny amount of gold mined from the Welsh mountains was kept in the royal vaults since it was originally presented to William’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, PEOPLE reported in 2011. According to a palace source, the Queen has “given a piece of the gold that has been in the family for many years to Prince William as a gift.” Wartski was tasked with fashioning the nugget into a piece for Kate.

Prince William isn’t completely bucking royal tradition by not wearing a wedding band — his grandfather Prince Philip, married to Queen Elizabeth for 73 years before his death in April 2021, didn’t wear a wedding band. That said, William’s father, King Charles does wear a wedding band, sometimes spotted underneath his signet ring.

So too does Prince Harry, who has worn a platinum wedding band with a textured finish since marrying Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018. His band is also made from Welsh gold; as PEOPLE previously reported, the royal family has used Welsh gold ever since the Queen Mother’s wedding over a century ago in 1923.

Meghan, too, has a wedding band made from a piece of Welsh gold given to her as a gift from Queen Elizabeth. Harry and Meghan chose London’s Cleave & Company to create their rings, and the company also made Meghan’s engagement ring, which Harry designed himself. Her engagement ring is comprised of three diamonds, with a large stone in the center and two smaller stones on each side. Two of the stones are from Princess Diana’s personal collection, and the other stone is from Botswana, a country close to his heart and where the newly-dating couple visited early in their courtship in 2016.

WPA Pool / Pool / Getty Images

As for Prince William’s choice to not wear a wedding band, a source speaking to the Mirror said the decision all came down to the future king’s style. “He’s not one for jewelry,” the source explained. “He’s never worn any. He decided he didn’t want to wear one now. It’s all down to personal preference.”

Speaking in 2018 to Marie Claire, royal commentator Eloise Parker added more context: “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,” she said. “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.”

Getty Images

When Prince William chose to give Kate the ring his mother made so popular during her marriage to the former Prince Charles, he explained during a post-engagement interview with ITV News, “It’s my mother’s engagement ring, so I thought it was quite nice because, obviously, she’s not going to be around to share in any of the fun and excitement of all this."

“This is my way of keeping her sort of close to it all,” he added.

Princess Diana died on Aug. 31, 1997, following a car accident in Paris. She was just 36 years old; William was 15, and Harry, 12.

Although Kate has spent much of 2024 away from the spotlight, she showcased the dazzling sparkler that Prince William used to propose in 2010 during her two official summer outings — Trooping the Colour in June and Wimbledon in July — but she didn’t wear her engagement ring during subsequent appearances, including a visit with William to Southport, England on Oct. 10, her first public royal engagement of the year.

The Prince and Princess of Wales/YouTube

In her Sept. 9 video announcing she’d completed chemotherapy treatment, Kate wore what appears to be a new eternity band again, after it was seen on her hand in an Aug. 11 video message alongside William congratulating Team Great Britain on their performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The Princess of Wales styled the eternity band the same way across both the August and September videos, stacking it with what looks like her Welsh gold wedding band and the white gold and diamond Annoushka ring she started wearing shortly after the birth of their first child, Prince George, in 2013, widely believed to be a gift from Prince William.

Danny Lawson - WPA Pool/Getty

“Many of these eternity bands reflect family relationships. Given that her children's birthstones are rubies, emeralds and diamonds, it wouldn't surprise me if the gems set in the new ring are linked to George, Charlotte and Louis,” Lauren Kiehna of The Court Jeweller said about what the accessory’s deeper meaning may be.

Giving context around why Princess Kate may have removed her megawatt engagement ring, Kiehna noted that “royal women wear their engagement rings in different ways, just like the rest of us.”

“Some, like Queen Elizabeth, wear their engagement rings daily for their entire lives. Others, like Queen Mathilde and Queen Mary, switch out their engagement rings for other rings on a regular basis. And some, like Queen Letizia, haven't been spotted wearing their engagement rings for years,” she added.

Press Association via AP

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

While out in Southport on Oct. 10, Princess Kate stacked the same multicolored eternity ring with what looked like her Welsh gold wedding band, her white gold and diamond Annoushka ring and what appears to be a second new diamond band.