Why Prince Harry's wedding ring is different to other royal mens'

This is lovely.

prince harry wedding ring
(Image credit: 2018 Max Mumby/Indigo)

This is lovely.

Prince Harry's wedding ring is just another example of how the royal makes his own rules, in a good way. You see his ring differs to other royal men's in several subtle but meaningful ways.

First off, he's opted for a brushed platinum ring, a modern band that is simple and has a slight matte finish to it. This is a bit of a departure from royal tradition, as both brides and grooms usually opt for wedding rings made from Welsh gold.

This tradition reportedly started with the Queen's parents, and since then most royals have had bands made from the same nugget of gold from the Clogau St. David Gold Mine, Dolgellau, Wales.

He may well have paved the way for this cousin, as Princess Beatrice's wedding ring was also created from a different metal.

prince harry wedding ring

(Image credit: 2018 Max Mumby/Indigo)

Another reason Prince Harry's wedding ring differs from other royal men's, is that he actually wears one. Indeed, Prince William doesn't wear a wedding ring, and neither does Prince Charles, who prefers to wear a signet ring on his pinky finger.

A palace aide at the time said of William, 'He’s not one for jewellery. He’s never worn any. He decided he didn’t want to wear one now. It’s all down to personal preference.'

And when you look at pictures of his brother Harry, you do notice he is often fiddling with his ring, a sign perhaps that he isn't quite used to the band sitting there.

It's thought he wanted to break with this tradition as a show of support and love to his wife, Meghan Markle, which we have to admit is very romantic indeed.

The Prince is partial to a bit of jewellery, always wearing his favourite bracelet, which he's been photographed wearing as far back as 2001.

Though it hasn't been confirmed, it's thought he either bought it or received it as a gift during a trip to Africa with his brother and father, shortly after he lost his mother, Princess Diana.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.