Royal watchers may have already noticed that Kate Middleton is always wearing her 18k-gold wedding ring (alongside her sapphire engagement ring), while Prince William’s left hand is always bare.
A custom which will likely be carried out by Prince Harry when he marries Meghan Markle in May 2018 at St. George’s chapel. In 2011, Buckingham Palace explained that it was a matter of “personal preference.”
According to the sometimes bizarre etiquette of the British aristocracy, many blue bloods eschewed the trend because men don’t wear jewelry with the exception of a signet ring. The tradition became a symbol of societal status, for example Prince Phillip has never worn a wedding ring.
Peter York, coauthor of The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook, told The Telegraph. “It is code, like so many of these things . . . there is a group of upper-class people who think the less of that stuff you wear the better, less bling.”
The royal British family are not the first to buck the trend! Barack Obama never wore a ring while he was President of the U.S. due to the security risk. A video captured by the Washington Post revealed Obama discreetly slipping off his wedding ring and placing it in his pocket as he approached a small crowd to shake hands.
This article originally appeared on InStyle Australia.
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