Prince William will not wear a wedding ring following his marriage to Kate Middleton later this month, a senior palace source has claimed.
The St James’s Palace aide said only one ring will be exchanged at William and Kate’s wedding ceremony in London’s Westminster Abbey on April 29, due to “personal preference”.
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William will give his bride a “simple band” made of Welsh gold, but she will not give him anything in return because he doesn’t like jewellery.
“It was something the couple discussed but Prince William isn’t one for jewellery — he doesn’t even wear a signet ring — and decided he didn’t want to. It really is just down to personal preference,” the unnamed source told the UK’s Daily Mail.
“Catherine will wear a ring fashioned from a lump of Welsh gold owned by the royal family that has been smelted down. The couple have both had a hand in the design. This is the ring Prince Harry will carry and hand over in the traditional way.”
Most male royals wear some sort of wedding ring. William’s father, Prince Charles, wore a ring given to him by Princess Diana from the day of their wedding in 1981 until the day he announced his engagement to his current wife, Camilla. Charles now wears a wedding ring given to him by Camilla next to his signet ring on the pinkie finger of his left hand, as is the tradition in aristocratic circles.
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The Queen’s husband, Prince Philip, is the only exception in the modern royal family, declining to wear any sort of ring.
Kate’s ring will be crafted from a large gold nugget that has been in the royal family for years. It came from the now-closed Clogau Gold Mine in Wales, and has been used to make jewellery for several royals, including the Queen.
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