Princess Kate has been choosing not to wear Princess Diana’s iconic engagement ring on certain engagements.
Since the royal announced her engagement to Prince William in November 2010, the priceless sapphire and diamond jewel has adorned her finger at almost every public appearance.
However, since returning to royal duties earlier this year, the Princess of Wales appears to have adopted a new approach to her ring finger styling.
Kate has been alternating between her famous engagement ring and a different sapphire and diamond band.
Princess Kate has been choosing not to wear Princess Diana’s iconic engagement ring on certain engagements
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Royal watchers claim the princess now seems to make deliberate choices about which ring to wear for specific engagements, creating a pattern that suggests a more flexible approach to her royal accessories.
The new sapphire and diamond eternity-style ring first caught attention in August last year when Kate appeared in a video congratulating Team GB athletes.
Initially thought to be a one-off choice, the ring reappeared in her cancer recovery announcement video last September.
When returning to public duties, Kate wore this alternative ring during her visit to meet Southport attack victims in October.
Princess Kate wearing her engagement ring with her wedding ring last yearPAThis year, she has chosen the eternity band for several engagements including visits to the Royal Marsden, the National Portrait Gallery, a prison mother and baby unit, and Pontypridd.
For other occasions, Kate has reverted to her engagement ring.
These include Remembrance events, last year’s State Visit and carol concert, Holocaust Memorial Day, and her visit to Tŷ Hasan hospice in Wales.
Kensington Palace has not commented on the new ring, though speculation suggests it may be a gift from Prince William.
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Princess Kate wore her sapphire and diamond replacement ring during her trip to WalesPARoyal expert Christine Ross suggests this change reflects a broader shift in Kate’s approach to royal life. She told Town & Country: “We have already seen a more relaxed approach to fashion from the Princess, and this may be an example of that perspective shift.
“While she may have scrutinised and analysed every fashion decision in the past, one could assume that she is funnelling less energy into minute details and more energy into how she feels day to day.
“Some days she feels like wearing a more relaxed stack of rings, and other days she dons the iconic and historic sapphire engagement ring.
“We noticed a slim eternity band joining her wedding band and engagement ring around 2013,” Ross noted.
Her current preference features “a sapphire and diamond eternity band and a second slim eternity ring alongside her wedding band and existing eternity ring.”
The princess has a history of mixing her ring styles but this combination has “only recently become the Princess’s go-to styling,” according to Ross.