In the latter half of 2024, however, many noticed that the princess seemed to have replaced Diana’s engagement ring with something different. First making an appearance in the video from Anmer Hall that Catherine and Prince William recorded to congratulate Team GB for their success at the Paris Olympics this summer, the new ring appeared to be a gold band set with diamonds and sapphires, which commentators presumed to be an eternity ring.
Suddenly, it was everywhere. Be it the highly personal video of the Wales family that Catherine shared to announce the end of her chemotherapy treatment (where viewers were quick to note the engagement ring was missing when she changed gears in her Land Rover), or this most recent trip to Southport, the Princess’s switching out of that conic sapphire piece has lasted much of the year.
But now, at her deeply poignant engagement at the Royal Marsden, the iconic sapphire ring is certainly notable by its absence. What could be behind the change? Well, as certain experts have pointed out, it may be a matter of simple practicality. “Royal women wear their engagement rings in different ways, just like the rest of us,” said Lauren Kiehna, founder of The Court Jeweller blog, to People magazine. Indeed, Queen Letizia, Meghan Markle, and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, have all been known to take off their engagement ring for protracted periods of time. Perhaps, with its 12-carat sapphire and 18-carat white gold band, the engagement ring is simply too heavy for day-to-day wear.
Or, Kiehna noted, the dazzling jewel may not be seen as suitable for a royal’s more “intimate” engagements. Indeed, the princess has been making her return to public duties with some quieter, more personal events, and she may feel that the grandiose ring is unsuitable for, say, meeting fellow cancer patients at the Royal Marsden or offering a compassionate ear to the families of the Southport attacks.
