In her first public appearance of 2025, Kate Middleton was seen without her engagement ring as she made a visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital in London where she underwent treatment for cancer.
The Princess of Wales, who recently shared on Instagram that she has gone into remission, opted not to wear her engagement ring for the outing, instead wearing a twinkling sapphire and diamond band which many have speculated in recent months could be an ‘eternity ring’.
Since her cancer diagnosis in March 2024, the Princess of Wales’ engagement ring has been missing from a number of her public appearances, including her home videos at Anmer Hall and engagements in Windsor Castle.
Kate’s engagement ring, which Prince William used to propose in 2010 on a trip to Kenya, is the exact ring that King Charles gave to Princess Diana to commemorate their engagement in 1981. The ring was crafted by Garrard, a London-based jewellery house that has maintained a close relationship with the British royal family since 1843, when Queen Victoria appointed Garrard as the Crown Jeweller.
Inspired by a sapphire brooch given by Prince Albert to Queen Victoria, the design of Kate’s engagement ring features a halo of 14 solitaire diamonds, set in 18K white gold, that encircles a 12-carat oval-cut Ceylon sapphire. At the time it was purchased, the ring cost £47,000. Today, the ring is estimated to be worth about £300,000.
In the latter half of 2024, many noticed that Kate seemed to have replaced Diana’s engagement ring with a new band.
First making an appearance in the video from Anmer Hall that Kate and Prince William recorded to congratulate Team GB for their success at the Paris Olympics, the new eternity ring appears to be a gold band set with diamonds and sapphires.
Since it first appeared, Kate has worn the eternity band on a number of occasions, including the announcement of the end of her chemotherapy treatment and the royal couple’s most recent trip to Southport.
During her visit to the Royal Marsden, Kate paired the eternity band with a brown check coat, a red polo neck with a matching skirt, and a handbag from British heritage brand, Asprey, as she spoke openly about how the hospital had played host to her cancer treatment over the past 12 months: ‘I was just saying, coming in the front entrance here, having made so many quiet, private visits, actually it’s quite nice.’
Like this? Discover the Princess of Wales’ best jewellery moments
Want more? Sign up to our newsletter
