Princess Catherine decided to leave her engagement ring at home during a surprise royal engagement with Prince William. Yesterday, the Princess of Wales made an unannounced appearance and joined her husband to visit Charing Cross Hospital in west London.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are joint patrons of NHS Charities Together and spoke to NHS staff and volunteers, who are working hard to meet an increased demand on services during the winter months. Princess Catherine beamed during her visit wearing a tailored maroon suit with a burgundy blouse, but her iconic sapphire and diamond engagement ring was missing.
Instead, the Princess wore only her Welsh gold wedding band and kept accessories simple. There is likely a practical reason behind why Catherine wore just one ring for the hospital visit. The royal may have been adhering to common hospital policy to keep jewellery to a minimum to reduce bacteria and viral spreading.
The jewellery rule isn’t ironclad, however, as Catherine wore a stack of rings while touring The Royal Marsden Hospital in London in January 2025.
Princess Kate has previously left her engagement ring at home during hospital visits. The ring is a 12-carat sapphire surrounded by diamonds, and has a rich history dating back to 1840, and previously belonged to the late Princess Diana of Wales.
On November 16, 2010, the Princess of Wales debuted the rock for the first time when the couple announced their engagement at St. James’ Palace.
The Princess of Wales’s engagement ring is a 12-carat, oval-cut Ceylon blue sapphire from Sri Lanka, surrounded by 14 round-cut solitaire diamonds and set in 18-karat white gold.
When Charles proposed to Diana with the original design in 1981, it had an estimated value that fell between £28,000 to £45,000. Now, however, due to inflation and its meaningful history, Catherine’s ring is said to be worth between £300,000 and £500,000.
After chatting to staff during the event, William and Catherine took part in a roundtable conversation with NHS charity CEOs and Trustees, clinicians, patients and volunteers to discuss the benefits of giving to the NHS as part of the healing journey.
After their visit, Prince William and Princess Kate’s joint Instagram page shared photos from the outing and wrote, “A huge thank you to NHS staff and volunteers at Charing Cross Hospital, and across the U.K., whose tireless efforts continue to change lives, every single day. Proud to be Joint Patrons of @nhscharitiestogether and see how it [makes] a difference to the workforce and patients.”
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