Kate Middleton Stopped Wearing Her Engagement Ring—But It’s Not for the Reason You Think

It’s not what you think. Kate Middleton stopped wearing her engagement ring due to coronavirus, so don’t worry. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are still married. Kate and her husband, Prince William, took to their Instagram on Sunday, March 29, to share a series of photos of them working from home amid the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak.

“Self-isolation and social distancing can pose huge challenges to our mental health — in recent weeks The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been in regular contact with organisations and patronages to understand the issues they are facing during this difficult time,” the caption reads.

In one of the photos, Kate is seen in a pink suit as she sits at her desk on the phone with her elbow resting on the table and her other hand flipping through some notes. However, as fab as the Duchess of Cambridge looked on her work-from-home day, royal fans noticed she was missing one key accessory: her engagement ring. While Kate had her Welsh gold wedding band on, her diamond and sapphire engagement ring was missing from her hand. Why?

Source: Instagram

Well, as People explained, the Duchess of Cambridge likely removed her engagement ring because of the increase of hand-washing she’s had to do to protect herself and limit the spread of coronavirus. Several studies report that germs can still live under rings, which makes it almost impossible to wash one’s entire hand with a ring on. In one study referenced by People, rings provide a “protected area in which bacteria can flourish.” Experts have also encouraged people to avoid wearing rings amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In a situation where we are in extraordinary measures to limit Covid-19 transmission, I think removal of rings/jewellery when washing hands — or perhaps limiting their wear altogether right now — represents a wise move forward,” Rochelle Walensky, chief of the division of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, told USA Today.

As for why the Duchess of Cambridge is still wearing her wedding band despite the warnings to not wear any jewelry during the COVID-19 outbreak, that reason is unclear. Perhaps she takes it off and disinfects it each time she washes her hands before she puts it back on. Either way, we learned something new today about rings and the spread of germs.