Meghan Markle Not Afraid To Do This, But Kate Middleton Is

She gets a lot of criticism for how she often breaks royal protocol and seems to disregard some of the rules that are preferred by Queen Elizabeth. However, Meghan Markle is also surprising those same critics with a recent bold move that her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, notably hasn’t made.

According to Express UK, during her current tour of Africa with her husband, Prince Harry, and son Archie Harrison, the Duchess of Sussex surprised many as she went to meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu—sans engagement ring. The diamond band had been removed, and her Welsh gold wedding band was paired instead with a smaller turquoise ring instead.

A royal aide told the publication that the move was something the Duchess did in order to appear more “low key.”

The decision comes after Markle initially received criticism for changing the band in her ring a year after her wedding, replacing the plain gold band Prince Harry initially put on the ring with three stones with a diamond micro-pavé band.

However, regardless of the criticism she received for changing the ring, the decision to leave it off while she’s been in Africa is remarkable, as her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, has never been spotted without her own engagement ring from Prince William, and even only took it off during a visit to a hospital in 2018 where she was volunteering, and health regulations forced her to remove it.

Of course, it’s notable that Middleton may not like removing the ring because of how iconic it is being that it is the same ring Prince William’s mother, Princess Diana, received during her own engagement to Prince Charles.

The significance of the heirloom ring could play into her decision to always keep it firmly on her finger while in public.