Why Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle don’t always wear their engagement rings

(Image credit: 2021 Max Mumby/Indigo)

It's difficult to ignore the sheer size of our favourite royal women's engagement rings. We of course all recognise Kate Middleton's ring, the sapphire surrounded by diamonds that belonged to Princess Diana, as well as Meghan Markle's engagement ring, which features a central ethical diamond from Bostwana, flanked by two smaller diamonds which were also part of Diana's collection.

So it's pretty noticeable when they don't wear them, which does occasionally happen, but don't worry, there is always a good reason behind it.

Both Princess Diana and Meghan Markle stopped wearing their engagement rings during their pregnancies, likely due to swelling in their fingers, which would've made wearing them uncomfortable.

Kate also wore her ring less during the pandemic, especially when visiting schools or children's hospitals. This was due to health and safety, firstly as jewellery can carry germs, secondly so that her large ring wouldn't get caught in anything.

It's also thought she didn't wear it much at home, as she washed her hands so often that she didn't want the ring to get in the way.

It does sometimes depend on the nature of the engagement they are attending. Whilst visiting South Africa in 2019, the Duchess of Sussex opted to leave her ring at home, to look more approachable during her meets-and-greets with the public in poverty-stricken areas.

So there you have it, don't believe any headlines claiming marital issues when royals don't wear their rings.

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.