The Real Reason Why Prince William Does Not Wear a Wedding Ring But Prince Harry Does

The heir apparent, Prince William, has often drawn criticism for not wearing off his wedding band in public since he and the Princess of Wales got married in 2011. Foreseeing that the public would be quick to take notice, St. James' Palace announced a month before Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding that the Prince of Wales has always disliked jewelry and hence would not get a ring during their vow exchange ceremony at Westminster Abbey. "He’s not one for jewelry,” a palace source exclusively told The UK Mirror. "He's never worn any. He decided he didn’t want to wear one now. It's all down to personal preference." Much like his grandson, the late Prince Phillip also opted not to wear a ring during his 73-year-long marriage to the Queen. On the other hand, Prince Harry loves to flaunt his wedding ring, and in doing so, he also does not follow royal traditions. 

In contrast to his family's custom of wearing traditional Welsh gold wedding bands, the Duke of Sussex chose a contemporary platinum design for his band. The wedding ring of King Charles is fashioned from traditional royal Welsh gold. The 75-year-old, however, wanted to wear his band on his pinkie finger in addition to his cherished signet ring. As per Marie Claire, a gold nugget from the Clogau St. David Gold Mine in Dolgellau, Wales, has been used to make bands for the majority of royals. 

In another interview with Marie Claire from 2018, royal analyst Eloise Parker offered her perspective on the controversy surrounding Prince William's decision to forgo wearing his wedding band. "Although it’s traditional for royal women to wear both an engagement ring and a wedding ring after they get married, it’s never been traditional for royal men to wear one," the royal expert said. "That’s why Prince Philip and Prince William don’t wear them. I think when you have a wedding watched by millions, everyone knows you’re married." 

Body language specialists claim that Prince Harry's repeated sightings of himself tinkering with his ring since the royal wedding indicate that he is missing and thinking about his wife, Meghan Markle. Judi James, a body language expert, told The Express: "Men are often seen fiddling with their wedding rings. In Harry’s case, this looks like a self-comfort ritual performed for two reasons: when he's feeling under pressure or lonely. It allows him to create a barrier with his arms but by seeking out his wedding ring to touch and play with it suggests he's missing the back-up and support of his wife here," James added. “The ritual would take on a different meaning if the ring were being pulled up and down the finger or even on and off when it would be much more likely to signal a rift or potential divorce!”