Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge recently celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary. In recent months, the couple has appeared to commentators and royal fans equally more loved-up than ever by publicly displaying their affection or lightly mocking each other in front of the cameras. 

However, there is one symbol traditionally associated with marriage and love that Prince William has decided not to ever display – his wedding band.

Kate and Prince William married on April 29, 2011, in a televised ceremony watched by more than 26 million people in Britain alone.

But their wedding broke with tradition, as the Archbishop of Canterbury only blessed one ring instead of two and handed it to the Duke of Cambridge to put on Kate’s finger. 

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This key difference with traditional ceremonies came down to the desire of Prince William not to wear anything on his hands, as announced by the couple prior to their wedding.

Rather than being a snub to his future wife, Prince William’s decision has been dictated by his personal preference on rings and any other piece of jewellery.

A palace source said at the time: “He’s not one for jewellery. He’s never worn any.

“He decided he didn’t want to wear one now.

“It’s all down to personal preference”.

This decision mirrors the one taken more than 70 years ago by Prince Philip, who never wore his wedding band.

The Duke of Edinburgh married the Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, on November 20 1947. 

There isn’t a royal tradition dictating whether members of the Royal Family must or must not wear their royal rings, as explained by one royal historian.

Marlene Koenig told Glamour: “There is no royal tradition for men wearing or not wearing a wedding ring.”

However, only male members of the Royal Family appear to have chosen to skip the ring ceremony at their wedding.

Ms Koenig added: “I am unaware of any royal woman not wearing a wedding ring.”    

In 2018, another royal groom decided not to wear a ring – Jack Brooksbank.

Upon marrying Princess Eugenie, Jack received from the officiant the ring for his bride, but the young York didn’t reciprocate.

Other prominent members of the Royal Family have decided to display their wedding bands.

Prince Charles received a ring from Princess Diana during their wedding in 1981. 

Today, he is wearing a wedding band received from Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

However, he displays it on his left pinky finger, alongside with a gold signet ring.

Prince Harry, who in the past has shown off other pieces of jewellery such as beaded bracelets and bands, proudly displays on his ring finger the ring received from Meghan Markle on their wedding day in May 2018. 

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