There was much ado about nothing when Kate Middleton was photographed without her engagement ring in the rare instances she was seen in public during her cancer journey because she never takes it off. The jewelry made its comeback on Saturday’s Festival of Remembrance, but, according to a jewelry “expert,” this time it signified less her commitment to Prince William and was more of a subtle nod to estranged Royal Prince Harry.
The last time Kate wore her engagement ring was in December 2023. She had not worn it even when she returned to her public engagements following her cancer treatment in September. The mom-of-three surprised royal watchers when she ditched the band during a visit to Southport in October to meet bereaved family members of the stabbing victims.
Its absence in the past months had only spurred wild rumors about her cancer diagnosis and of trouble in her marriage to Prince William. Some piled on the ceaseless claims about the Prince of Wales’ alleged affair with Sarah Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley. Plus, Kate’s bad photo-editing skills of their family photo released to the public in March only led to rumors that she didn’t really have cancer but is hiding in shame because of her husband’s infidelity. But Hanbury, through her lawyers, has since said that “the rumors are completely false.”
While Kate remained mum about the whereabouts of her engagement ring before Saturday’s event honoring Britain’s veterans, and service men and women, fans still sighed in relief upon seeing it back on her finger. Tobias Kormind, the Managing Director of Europe’s largest online diamond jeweler 77 Diamonds, said her choice of jewelry for the night is significant because it pays homage to two Royal Family members.
First, to its previous owner, Princess Diana and second, to its widely believed successor, Prince Harry. She told GB News: “Kate’s jewellery choices include Diana’s engagement ring, which Diana famously wore even after her divorce.”
Kormind added: “The ring is significant not just in the context of when Diana wore it, but also in the context of the fact that Harry had originally inherited it, and gave it to William before he proposed to Kate in 2010. It therefore speaks to a strong sense of continuity and is perhaps a subtle nod to Kate’s appreciation for the Royal Family as a whole.”
But the Duke of Sussex has since denied the assumption that the ring belonged to him because he had asked for it after their mother died. He wrote in his memoir Spare: ” The papers published florid stories about the moment I realized Willy and Kate were well matched, the moment I appreciated the depth of their love and thus decided to gift Willy the ring I’d inherited from Mummy, the legendary sapphire.”
He continued: “A tender moment between brothers, a bonding moment for all three of us, and absolute rubbish. None of it ever happened.” Harry said he never gave his brother the ring because it wasn’t his to give in the first place. “He [William] already had it. He’d asked for it after Mummy died, and I’d been more than happy to let it go.”
Aside from her engagement ring, Kate also wore a pair of pearl earrings previously owned by Diana. She looked stunning as she arrived at the Festival of Remembrance in a black Alexander McQueen coat dress and with her hair let loose in waves.