Kate Middleton Didn’t Wear Her Engagement Ring and the Internet Is Freaking Out

That’s exactly why the internet was aflutter this week after Kate Middleton stepped out at the Commonwealth Games with hubby Prince William and Princess Charlotte, too. Sure, she was dressed to the nines in a white Alexander McQueen suit, but her ring finger was noticeably less blingy, adorned with only her gold wedding band vs. the sapphire and diamond sparkler that once belonged to Princess Diana and was passed down to her upon her engagement to William in 2010.

So, where was the ring? My co-host Roberta Fiorito and I discuss a zillion reasons for its absence on this week’s episode of the Royally Obsessed podcast (listen to it here!). No, it has nothing to do with marital troubles. Our main take: It was likely getting cleaned or had a stone in need of repair. But also, Kate has only been pictured without it a handful of times (for example, on this hospital visit in 2020 and again in 2018), which is why it always makes headlines when she’s pictured without it on.

On the flip side, Kate’s engagement ring was the subject of recent conversations for a very different reason: The risk she took while wearing it scuba diving in Belize during her royal tour of the Caribbean with Prince William. (For the record, the value of the ring is currently set at approximately half a million dollars.)

Shout-out to the royal sleuths who were so quick to notice its absence, but also a quick thought: Maybe the most famous engagement ring in the world needs it’s own IG account or something so we can track its whereabouts at all times? Inquiring royal minds want to know.

For more about the royals, listen to the Royally Obsessed podcast with co-hosts Rachel Bowie and Roberta Fiorito. Subscribe now or follow us on Instagram @royallyobsessedpodcast.