The Princess of Wales has found a way to "honour" her husband, the Prince of Wales, even when she is not wearing her engagement ring, a jewellery expert has claimed. Princess Kate has made various appearances without her engagement ring in the past year, opting for other poignant pieces of jewellery instead.

The future Queen was first spotted without her engagement ring last August when she appeared in a video alongside Prince William and praised Team GB at the Olympic Games as the sporting event in Paris came to a close. Kate's sapphire and diamond ring appeared after months last November when she wore it for the  Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall. Just this month alone, she wore it at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, went without it at the Six Nations rugby match, and then had it back on for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade at Wellington Barracks.

Now an engagement ring specialist has shared their insights into why the engagement ring may have been absent and how she honours Prince William without it.

Maxwell Stone, of jewellers Steven Stone, said: "With the exception of Queen Letizia, who hasn’t been seen wearing her elegant engagement ring since 2012, it’s incredibly rare for a royal to step out without their signature jewel."

This expert added that it's not the first time Kate went without her engagement ring as she had previously removed it during a visit to Liverpool in 2023.

He said: "As a keen sportswoman with an active lifestyle, it's understandable that Kate occasionally removes her iconic sapphire ring.

"While sapphires are incredibly durable, her ring carries both sentimental and monetary value, making it too precious to risk damaging.

"While it’s not entirely unusual for Kate to go without her engagement ring at certain events, she has been seen wearing it less frequently in recent months.

"Given its striking 12-carat sapphire in a halo setting, comfort could be a simple reason - it’s a sizeable piece that could easily catch on things."

But Mr Stone explained how Kate "continues to show her love and commitment to Prince William in other ways".

He explained: "She appears to have been regularly wearing the eternity ring he gifted her to celebrate Prince George’s birth. Crafted from 18ct white gold with a high-polish finish, the ring is adorned with 0.23ct of diamonds and retails for £1,500.

"Recently, the Princess has also been spotted wearing two additional eternity rings - a slim white diamond band and a mixed sapphire and diamond band.

"While the former remains unidentified, it's likely to be worth around £1,000, while the latter appears to be the Étincelle de Cartier wedding band. Featuring 19 brilliant-cut diamonds totalling 0.24 carats and 19 brilliant-cut sapphires totalling 0.34 carats, the exquisite piece retails at £4,700."