Prince William Won't Wear Wedding Ring

LONDON -- Prince William is giving up his bachelor status to take a bride, but a palace official said Thursday that he will not be wearing a wedding ring.

His fiancee, Kate Middleton, plans to wear a wedding ring made of rare Welsh gold, a long-standing royal family tradition dating back nearly 90 years, after the couple marry on April 29 at Westminster Abbey.

A spokeswoman for Prince William who spoke on condition of anonymity because of palace policy said these decisions represent the royal couple's personal wishes.

She said details about the design of Middleton's wedding ring, and the source of the actual Welsh gold used to fashion it, will be released before the wedding.

Welsh gold, prized for its quality and scarcity, had been used in royal weddings since 1923 and has been worn by Queen Elizabeth II, and the late Princess Diana.

Traditionally gold from a nugget from the Clogau Gold mine was used, but the mine has been closed and only a sliver remains.

However, the British Royal Legion gave the queen a small quantity of Welsh gold in the 1980s for incorporation into wedding rings, and it is possible this may be used, as it was for the 2005 wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla.

Charles wears his ring under his larger signet ring, so many casual observers believe he does not wear a wedding band.

There is still no word about the design of Middleton's wedding dress, or about the menus and wine selection for the two receptions that will follow the ceremony.

Comments

[Whistlejackett]

01:16 AM on 04/07/2011

Kudos for the Royals!!!

[MissingAmerica]

08:29 PM on 04/05/2011

I firmly believe that ones actions speak louder than a ring! I know a wonderful young couple in which the husband, who is totally devoted to his wife, doesn't wear a ring because it could create problems in his work by getting caught in machinery. On the other hand, I know men who wear a ring and might as well just have it through their nose, since they seem to act more like raging bulls than loving husbands. In the whole scheme of things, a ring means little.

[DrakeUnlimited]

05:11 PM on 04/05/2011

BREAKING NEWS: we don't care!

[saskatoonie]

03:38 AM on 04/07/2011

Don't post here then, many of us do.

[DrakeUnlimited]

05:04 AM on 04/08/2011

How can you talk with a mouthful of tea and crumpets?

Time to wake up princess.

The royals have robbed
the people of the world
for long enough.

DOWN WITH THE
MONARCHY.

[miesque]

11:37 AM on 04/05/2011

Can't help but wonder, how many men who don't wear wedding rings, would be perfectly fine with their WIFE not wearing one?

[saskatoonie]

03:39 AM on 04/07/2011

My husband of almost thirty years is fine with it. Some days it bothers me and I have a habit of losing them, it's easier not to wear one.

[miesque]

11:34 AM on 04/05/2011

Considering the number of men who wear wedding rings and still screw around on their wives, I don't think wearing a wedding ring would stop him if he was going to cheat on Kate. It didn't stop his father, did it?

[miesque]

11:32 AM on 04/05/2011

Not like his not wearing a wedding would fool any female into thinking he wasn't married. Duh!

[Tina Iyer]

09:16 AM on 04/05/2011

Well it is just his wish. I hope they are not serious about it.

http://www.ekhichdi.com/b/Kate-Middleton-catwalking-in-the-dress-back-in-2002-238.html

[mamacat]

04:49 AM on 04/05/2011

Glad to hear that I am not the only person on the face of the earth who doesn't like to wear jewelry.

Besides, it's not as if he is going to wander around all by himself, unguarded, looking for babes to pick up. "Oh, look! That fellow looks remarkably like the future king of England, and he's not wearing a wedding ring. I wonder if he wants to hook up?"

[slowdownsonny]

07:26 PM on 04/05/2011

I would hope that he would be a better example of fidelity than his father was. Hopefully he will not cheat on Kate.

[Truley]

11:17 PM on 04/03/2011

WTF!! Poor Kate I feel sorry for her already, she is getting in over her head.

[Truley]

11:13 PM on 04/03/2011

Just like his father. Watch Out Kate!!!!

[AggieReal]

10:53 PM on 04/03/2011

What a crock of nonsense..royalty is a completely out-of-date concept. Send them home with a cash settlement and turn the palaces into museums..before the next scandal arises.. Apparently the boys are only half brothers and the father is gay according to the tabloids.. only the scandal sheets have that much to lose in the end..

[Truley]

11:15 PM on 04/03/2011

AggieReal, that royal family is messed up and england can do without them.

[mamacat]

04:52 AM on 04/05/2011

America has royalty...they are called billionaires. At least with European royalty, they are expected to behave with decorum, and when they don't they get soundly criticized. When was the last time the Koch brothers, or Rubert Murcoch, got criticized for anything? They can do almost anything they want to, and all the while they hide behind the walls that they erect with their money.

[Vatican Assassin Warlock]

07:14 PM on 04/03/2011

Yeah, Bill, they're still going to know you're married. Nice try, though.

[eden4barack08]

05:25 PM on 04/03/2011

So the headline says "Why William won't wear a wedding ring", then article doesn't give the because. Weird.

[slowdownsonny]

08:20 PM on 04/04/2011

I was just going to say the same thing. What's his reason for not wanting to wear one? Anyone know?

[samantha818]

11:13 AM on 04/05/2011

Yes, it's bad journalism. I guess he doesn't need to wear a wedding ring because everyone in the free world will know he's married.