Princess Kate has long had a talent for infusing her royal wardrobe with meaning - and her jewellery often carries across the most poignant message. While the Princess's fashion choices are admired worldwide, it is her accessories that quietly speak of love, resilience, and family. 

At the late Duchess of Kent’s funeral last week, the Princess of Wales offered a deeply personal tribute through the rings she wore. On her left hand, she stacked five bands on her engagement finger - each one charting a different chapter in her and Prince William’s journey together. 

Collectively, each individual ring tells a story of young love, marriage, motherhood, duty, and endurance through adversity.

At the centre is the most iconic jewel of all, Kate’s sapphire and diamond engagement ring, once worn by her late mother-in-law, Diana, Princess of Wales. 

It is a piece that connects past and present, symbolising continuity and William’s enduring bond with his late mother. Flanking it is her simple Welsh gold wedding band. Alongside these, Kate wore her diamond eternity ring, gifted by William to mark the birth of their first child, Prince George. 

It celebrates the beginning of their family, which has now been completed with Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. 

More recently, she has been seen wearing a second eternity band - a sapphire and diamond design given by William last year after she completed chemotherapy. 

This new ring is believed to symbolise renewal, resilience, and the strength they found together during her health battle. Perhaps the most touching detail of all is the fifth ring - her pearl and garnet promise ring from her university days. 

First spotted on her finger during their graduation from St Andrews, it carries the couple’s birthstones: garnet for William and pearl for Kate.

She wore it throughout the early days of their relationship, and though it disappeared from public view for years, she has reintroduced it, quietly signalling their unbreakable bond.

This thoughtful stack of jewels is more than a display of style; it is Kate’s intimate way of keeping her family close after what William described as the “hardest year” of his life.

Every sparkle on her hand tells a story: of young love blossoming at during their university days, of motherhood, of loss, of survival, and of hope.

It is a living tribute to William, their children, and the life they continue to build together, even in the most testing of times.