The Queen's Wedding Ring Has a Secret Message Engraved Inside

published 12 November 2020

Queen Elizabeth II's wedding ring has a secret inscription, and only three people know what it says: the Queen, Prince Philip, and the jeweler who engraved it.
The Queen reportedly never takes her wedding ring off—so the chances of anyone else glimpsing the secret message are pretty low.
The ring is made from Welsh gold—as are Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton, and Princess Diana's wedding rings.

Well, this is intriguing: The Queen's wedding has a hidden message engraved on the inside, Town & Country reports, and exactly what it says is a closely guarded secret. According to royal biographer Ingrid Seward, in new book Prince Philip: Revealed, "No one knows what it says, other than the engraver, the Queen and her husband." What's more, the monarch "never takes it off," Seward writes—so there's no chance of any fellow palace dweller sneaking into her room while she sleeps and snatching the ring from her nightstand to solve the mystery.

Seward writes that Prince Philip, in keeping with royal tradition, had the ring made from Welsh gold, after "the people of Wales supplied a nugget" of the rare metal.

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The royals upheld the tradition for 21st century royal brides Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton. After Meghan and Prince Harry's wedding in 2018, Kensington Palace confirmed in a statement that Meghan's ring was "fashioned from a piece of Welsh gold, gifted by Her Majesty The Queen," as Hello! reports.

Seven years prior, when Kate and Prince William got married, St James's Palace said in a statement, "The wedding ring that Catherine Middleton will wear will be made of Welsh gold. The gold was given to Prince William by the Queen shortly after the couple were engaged. It has been in the family's possession for some years and has been in the care of the royal jewellers."

Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.

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