Prince Charlotte joins William and Kate at Commonwealth games
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Kate Middleton, 40, stepped out with her seven-year-old daughter Princess Charlotte and her husband Prince William on Tuesday at the Commonwealth Games. However, the Duchess of Cambridge was spotted without her iconic sapphire engagement ring which she is rarely without. William, Kate and Charlotte looked to be having a great time as they watched the swimming, the hockey and the gymnastics alongside Prince Edward, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn.
While the Duchess looked incredibly elegant in a white tailored suit by Alexander McQueen, many fans couldn’t help but point out that her sapphire engagement ring was missing from the ensemble.
Instead of the ring, the Duchess wore an understated yellow gold Welsh wedding band.
While this decision puzzled many fans, it would appear that there is a very good reason for the choice.
Kate typically removes her engagement ring whenever she is taking part in physical activities and sports or when there is a greater risk that the ring could become damaged or lost. It is likely this was her reason for ditching the ring this week.
She has also been known to remove it when visiting hospitals so as to reduce the spread of germs.
What does the ring look like?
The Duchess’ iconic ring once belonged to Princess Diana and was passed down to Prince William.
The stunning jewel is a 12-carat oval sapphire surrounded by 14 round diamonds set in 18-carat white gold.
It is estimated to be worth around £390,000.
William proposed to Kate with the ring during a personal trip to Kenya in 2010 and they married on April 29, 2011.
Steven Stone experts previously told Express.co.uk: “Rather than a traditional diamond at its centre, Kate’s iconic engagement ring holds a stunning 12-carat oval blue sapphire, which is surrounded by 14 smaller solitaire diamonds.
“The sapphire and diamonds are set in a slim 18-carat white gold band, which accentuates the central piece and draws the eye into the precious stones.
“A family heirloom, Kate’s ring once belonged to Prince William’s mother, Princess Diana, and has incredible sentimental value to the Prince.
“Kate’s historic ring is estimated to be worth around the £390,000 mark.”
The ring is a very sentimental piece, with Prince William explaining why he chose to use his late mother’s ring during his engagement interview in 2010.
He said that it was a “way of making sure my mother didn’t miss out”.
He explained: “I had been carrying it around with me in my rucksack for about three weeks before that and I literally would not let it go, everywhere I went I was keeping hold of it because I knew this thing if it disappeared I would be in a lot of trouble and because I’d planned it, it went fine.
“You hear a lot of horror stories about proposing and things going horribly wrong – it went really, really well and I was really pleased she said yes.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Kate referred to the ring as “very special”.
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