So I read this report from People Magazine, and my immediate reaction was “Prince William is a balding ball of sketch.” I emailed it to CB and she thinks it’s weird too, and she pays way more attention to stuff like this. According to People Magazine (quoting palace sources), Prince William isn’t going to wear a wedding ring. Like, he doesn’t want people to know that he’s married? I get that some men don’t like jewelry of any kind, and some men simply are bothered by ring-wearing, but isn’t it the kind of thing where most of those men simply eat it and wear the ring?
For her, a band of royal gold. For him … a bare ring finger! Prince William is going to eschew the modern-day tradition of men wearing wedding bands.
A spokeswoman at the palace tells PEOPLE, “There is only going to be one ring, in accordance with the couple’s wishes.”
Not to worry, royal watchers: Kate Middleton will have a wedding band, and it will be made from Welsh gold.
A tiny amount of gold mined from the Welsh mountains (not far from where the couple will start their married life on Anglesey,) has been kept in the royal vaults since it was originally presented to William’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.
The Queen has “given a piece of the gold that has been in the family for many years to Prince William as a gift,” a palace source says.
An expert craftsman, unnamed by the palace but likely to be the Crown Jeweler Harry Collins, has been tasked with fashioning the nugget into a piece for Kate.
[From People]
So after nine long WAITY years, our little Waity finally gets the ring, but William won’t wear one. I wonder what his reasoning is? Is it something to do with his military service, I wonder? If it is, I might understand not wanting to wear a ring while you’re on duty or whatever, but I don’t understand putting up a fight about not even having a ring on your wedding day.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Well it’s not like the world doesn’t already know they’re going to be husband and wife. That being said, my future husband will wear a damn ring.
I don’t think any of the Royal men in that immediate family (like Prince Charles or his father) wear wedding bands. I just think it’s not the custom. It’s not like noone would know they’re not married. Maybe he’d rather have the finger free for some sort of family or military crest ring.
Whatever.
It’s not like he’s going to be going bar hopping and pretending he’s not married so he can pick up side pieces. I’m sure he has his own reasons and it’s no one’s business.
Women can be so weird about traditions. A ring doesn’t mean anything in the end.
It’s not like he needs one. Everyone in the world will know he’s taken. It’s certainly not going to stop anyone from trying something with him. Anyway, he looks like his uncle. Not as handsome as he once was. Too bad.
I don’t really think it’s sketchy, but it does seem odd. Does he ever wear other rings? Like one of those frou-frou pinky rings? IDK. Maybe he just doesn’t want all the drama to rain down on them if he forgets to wear it one day.
My dad has never worn a wedding ring, although he has one. When they first got married, he was in a job where he wasn’t allowed to wear one (you can get it caught and rip your finger off), and so he just didn’t wear it ever. Mom said it bothered her at first but she got over it. It never occurred to me that it was odd until I got older. My husband wears one, but it took him a long time to get used to it.
All I know is that my husband would be sleeping in the shed if he refused to wear his ring.
@Jackson: The frou-frou pinky rings are often worn by engineers. I don’t know a single man that wears those by choice.
But the only part of the ceremony that I like is when people exchange rings. I’m surprised he can’t even be bothered to wear it for his wedding day.
his reasoning, like the reasoning of too many alpha males is, the laws of ordinary (beta) men don’t apply to him…
that was snarky of me…
Ring shming….in that one pic it looks like he realized he’s going bald!
Oh Honestly! It isn’t like one of the world’s most recognizable faces is going to be drinking at the bar at the Hilton in Paramus and macking on the ladies!
Is he a lefty?
My father never wore a ring. Him and my mother have been married for over 30 years. When I got married I didn’t care if either of us wore a ring or not – in fact I don’t. I hate wearing rings.
His wife will wear two ring and he won’t have a simple band?
The strange part is he does not need to wear it ALL the time, but as long as he HAS one.
It’s a sign of commitment after all.
@amanda Thanks for that awesome mental image. You made me laugh so loud!
Good FOR YOU, Penguen!!! I agree w/Penguen. The fact that Wills is refusing to wear a ring seems RATHER TRIFLING to me. I don’t know what “protocol” is in the Royal Family…do all the men not wear their wedding rings? Nonetheless, I think it’d be a NICE GESTURE, even if the Royal men ARE RINGLESS, for Wills to wear the dang ring…a nice gesture for his wife-to-be. Again…a TRIFLING and seemingly selfish decision on Wills’ part.
It’s traditional for his upbringing that a man would not have a wedding ring. The tradition of men wearing wedding rings came from Catholic counties.
My husband has two wedding rings (we were married twice once at the justice of the peace anda second renewal ceremony on our one year anniversary at our church) and rarely wears either of them on his finger because of his job. He does have his original on his chain with his cross (which he also doesnt wear to work, but generally wears the rest of the time), but his fingers are normally too swollen to fit them on his hands. It bothered me at first, but I am over it now. Although if he was a prince he would for damn sure have it on. So yeah, I think it is weird the prince isnt going to wear one.
Forget Wills. Harry is the better catch. He looks fun, and like he’d be a wildman in the sack.
Men traditionally DIDN’T wear wedding rings. I know my grandfather never wore a wedding ring and he and my grandmother were married for sixty years. It’s no longer common in the United States but I can see it in a culture as traditional as the Royal Family.
My wedding ring broke more than a year and a half ago and I still haven’t had it fixed, so I never wear a ring. My husband wears his sometimes. It’s just not anything either one of us thinks is a big deal.
As much as I have no use for these inbred welfare recipients the “royal family”, I don’t fault him for not wanting to wear a ring. Some people just hate wearing rings, me among them (and my siblings). If my fiance wouldn’t be hurt, I’d not wear my ring. I don’t like having anything on my fingers.
My ex-stepfather refused to wear a ring, too.
When my husband was in the police academy he wasn’t allowed to wear his ring and I hated that but got used to it. So basically for 8 months he wore it only on the weekends. I am so glad he wears his ring all the time now because there are a lot of woman out there who love to flirt with cops.
Maybe he just finds wearing rings annoying? Or he thinks they’ve been together for so long and they’re going to have a big fat royal wedding that it’s not necessary, or he has other ways of showing his commitment, like a secret tattoo of her pet name on his royal bum or something.
Or maybe he’s just being snooty. I dunno. I hope it’s nothing sketchy, that’d be sad.
I don’t really believe in the rings. My fiance and I have already agreed that there will be no rings for us in the future. He was relieved that I didn’t want to wear one because he didn’t want to either and had he known, he wouldn’t have spent so much on the engagement ring he bought me….which I don’t wear because I just can’t be bothered with diamonds.
Uber happily married for 10 years, my husband and I don’t wear or have wedding rings. My engagement ring that set him back as much as a car suffices:)
(I would have been fine with paste, but he wanted my engagement ring to ‘always make me happy’.)
So, rock on, happy royals!
The wedding ring won’t make the man/woman more married. My husband and I regularly displace our rings and I can’t be bothered to wear my every day and I don’t care whether he wears his as long as he’s a proper husband.
I think it’s great! Expectations are made to be broken. 🙂
My father never wore a wedding ring or any other jewellery, not even a watch.
Some people don’t like rings (myself included) and there’s nothing weird or wrong about it.
“It’s a sign of commitment after all.”
No it’s not. The only sign of commitment that exists is….being committed. A round piece of metal doesn’t signify jack squat.
Wedding rings for men is a pretty new concept. I remember watching some movie from the 1950s where the engaged couple is asked if they will be getting one ring or two, as in just one for the bride, or rings for both.
I think that rings, and other jewelry, worn by the King of England has all kinds of symbolism. Maybe William just doesn’t want to get into that.
My dad served with a guy in the navy who had his finger yanked off when something got caught in his ring while on duty. So I can see him forgoing that. . . all the royal guys seem to be very psychologically staked on their military service.
Considering Prince William has such a fondness for tradition, it surprises me that he is not going with the tradition that was started in 1923, with King George VI
If my husband didn’t wear his band, I’d freak. I said that before we got married and I’m still saying almost 4 years later. He initially didn’t want to wear one but when I told him how important it was to me he agreed. Now he cannot bear to part with it. He feels weird without it and loves that everyone knows that he’s taken.
I agree that everyone is going to know that he’s married, but his father wears a ring so I doubt it’s custom. Is he going to have nothing to exchange when they get married?
A ring is just a ring is just a ring… 😉
I honestly don’t get why for some people this is so important. If he (or she) wants to cheat or isn’t a good partner – wearing a ring will not change it.
A ring doesn’t make you married or committed. It’s only a sign of commitment to some people, to other it’s clearly just a piece of jewelry. If you personally would be upset if your spouse didn’t wear a ring-then they should respect that. But some random stranger? Meh-that’s their marriage not mine.
I hate wearing rings on my hands, so I don’t have a engagement ring (I got a engagement bike-sweet!). I think it’s something that every couple needs to work out for themselves. Maybe he doesn’t want to wear it because of Army stuff, maybe it’s a family tradition-who really cares? That’s something for them to work out-I really don’t think it’s that big of a deal (or that unusual, it’s on plenty of indie wedding blogs)
@Ben “It’s traditional for his upbringing that a man would not have a wedding ring. The tradition of men wearing wedding rings came from Catholic counties.”
I came to ask if may be it’s something like this, some ancient british tradition that is only remebered in royal family.
TMI info moment – neither my husband nor I wear wedding ring. We almost haven’t bought them at all only at the last moment we decided that they would become a good first deposit in our savings-for-rainy-day fund. That and to please our parents who were shellshocked enough as it was 🙂
English men don’t tend to wear wedding bands, I believe (yes, there’s always an exception or two, but I mean in general). My ILs are all from/in England, and none of the men wear wedding rings. My FIL wears an engagement ring, mind you (a signet ring), but no wedding band. I got the impression that it just wasn’t culturally done over there.
(And yes, before someone asks, my husband does wear a ring – he has an engagement band and a wedding ring – but it was entirely his choice.)
Also, it’s not like anyone in the western world isn’t going to know that William Wales is married.
When I lived in England (decades ago) it was not traditional for men to wear wedding rings. Some did, but most didn’t. Traditions change.
I remember the Cary Grant movie “The Grass is Greener” back in 1960, where he plays an Earl who has an affair with his wife’s best friend. His character makes a point of mentioning that there’s a reason men don’t wear wedding bands.
@Mollyb-Just a question since when is it common for men not to wear wedding rings in the U.S.? I can understand how men take them off when golfing or doing work where wearing the ring risks danger but several of my friends find it odd when a husband doesn’t wear his ring because all of the husbands we know wear their rings.This is just a personal observation.I am curious has anyone seen Prince Charles’ and Princess Diana’s wedding? Did they exchange rings during the actual ceremony? Isn’t the exchange of rings a traditional part of the Church of England’s wedding ceremony? Just curious.
It is royal tradition for the men to not wear wedding rings, at least the ones exchanged at the ceremony. I believe that Charles does wear one, only on his pinky with his signet ring, not on the fourth finger. I think he even wore one when he was married to Diana.
I think this is William’s way of saying to Katie, you’re married to me but I will do whatever I want. BTW, I was in a US Navy helicopter squadron, and plenty of the married pilots wore wedding rings. That’s not the reason he doesn’t want to wear one.
I had a friend in the Marines say that you CAN NOT wear wedding bands or any ring because of this little incident where (kinda gross! Don’t read it if you get grossed out!) this guy was jumping off the back of a truck while in training and his ring got caught and peeled away the flesh from the bone.
Why would it make you upset if your husband didn’t wear one? Do you think he’ll cheat if he doesn’t? If so, you have way bigger problems to worry about. Like, oh, trust issues and jealousy issues and much more.
One of my brothers doesn’t wear a ring ever. He watched a buddy rip the skin off his finger from wearing a wedding ring to work on a vehicle.
Another brother doesn’t wear his very often. Probably because of his job, possibly because it looks like it just doesn’t fit.
My father occasionally doesn’t wear his ring though that is rare since he has so many. The man loves his bling.
My husband doesn’t like going without his ring. He hates if I have forgotten to put mine back on after doing the dishes or putting on lotion.
Each to his own.
It is royal tradition for the men to not wear wedding rings, at least the one exchanged at the ceremony. I believe that Charles does wear one, only on his pinky with his signet ring. Not on the fourth finger. I think he even wore one when he was married to Diana.
I think this is William’s way of saying to Katie, you’re married to me but I will do whatever I want. BTW, I was in a US Navy helicopter squadron, and plenty of the married pilots wore wedding rings. That’s not the reason he doesn’t want to wear one.
@garvels–Sorry, my phrasing was clumsy. I meant that a man skipping the wedding band was no longer common in the US (i.e. it IS common now for a man to wear a wedding ring in the US). My point was that a man wearing a wedding band is a relatively new custom.
In William’s case, everyone is going to know he’s married, so that is no big deal. My ex-husband wouldn’t wear a wedding ring despite my begging, and I was very hurt by that. I found out after he encouraged a separation why he didn’t want to wear the ring, he was F’ing around the whole time we were dating and married. Recently I saw him at a funeral and he was wearing a wedding ring that he was trying to hide. Good riddance!
I don’t see the problem. Neither my mom or dad ever worn theirs and they are celebrating their 46th wedding anniversary soon. My and my hubby didn’t even get rings for our wedding. Neither of us likes jewellery so there was no chance we were gonna wear any.
SKETCHY. he didn’t marry her for so many years and they broke up along the way and now he doesn’t wanna wear a ring?? no, WAIT – he doesn’t want to EVEN HAVE a ring! many people (both sexes) have wedding rings which they don’t usually wear just because wearing a ring 24/7 is f-cked up (imho). he doesn’t love her.
Male wedding rings are just new on the marriage scene. It was not a common fact before the XXth century for men to wear one (in Europe).
It became fashionable right after the first World War. It’s a bit of a new myth (although some cultures or social classes from particular cultures have been perpetuating the wedding band for bride and groom for much longer).
If Prince Willy goes for sans-ring, he’s merely doing it the traditional way of his own culture.
Perhaps simply because he can’t be bothered with a ring.
@ Kayleigh – Not true. Men in the military are certainly able to wear wedding rings if they so choose. My Dad always did.
My (now) ex-husband, however, chose not: He was a comm chief in a recon unit, and if he wore his ring while working with some of that equipment and there was a mishap, it would have been an ugly scene.
@Ben
Are you sure about that? There is a long catholic history in England. They just didn’t “win” for lack of a better word. The Church of England or The Episcopal Church is diet Catholic. I know because I have gone every Sunday for years. It was formed when
Henry VIII wanted his divorce. Over simplified I know, but this is a comment in a blog. 🙂 Anyway I don’t mean to call you out I just don’t see how that applies. I know alot of people in the Latin community, specifically Mexican, and there are many men in that culture who don’t wear their rings and its extremely Catholic.
@Gecko i’m English still living in England and its actually more of an exception for men not to wear wedding rings. 50 years ago it mightnot have been so common but i’m married and i can’t think of a single one of my married friends where the man doesn’t wear a wedding ring. In general it very common and part of the Church of England ceremony to both exchange rings (the ones i’ve been to, my wedding was a civil ceremony only)
As long as Kate’s ok with it, who cares?
She’s the only one whose opinion matters re this.
(Of course MY husband has to wear that damn ring! And so do I or else HE gets irked.)
It is Anglican tradition for only one ring to be exchanged in the marriage ceremony. I married an Anglican. I was told if my husband decided to wear a ring it wouldn’t be included in the ceremony and I would have to give it to him afterwards. (In the end we didn’t decide on a church ceremony. Too religious for is) William’s grandmother is the Head of the Anglician church so I assume they will have the strictest Anglican ceremony that they can. And I’ll be really surprise if Kate leaves out the obey part of her vow!!! Kaiser will be all upset about that next.
I will probably get attacked for this, but here goes: if your husband refusing to wear a wedding band is a deal-breaker, you have some bigger problems in your relationship. It’s a damn piece of metal.
And for the record, lots of people think I’m “waity” because I have been in a relationship for 6+ years, and have no plans to marry. I happen to hate weddings and all of the drama and ridiculousness that goes into it (and I’m a girl). Maybe Kate knew that the royal wedding would be extra dramatic, and wanted to put it off? Who knows?
/end rant (sorry if I sound extra bitchy, this just gets to me)
It’s the norm now for British men to wear wedding rings – my husband is English.
However the Royals are not average people and they have their own particular customs.
Prince William as an heir to the throne does not wear a wedding ring, he will wear a SIGNET ring on the little finger of his left hand instead.
The reason for that is that during the coronation ceremony, they receive the crown, that symbolizes their reign, their breast is touched with consecrated oil to symbolize their relation to divinity, a ring is placed on their ring finger, to symbolize their devotion to their kingdom, and they are given the scepter and orb that symbolize power.
Reigning monarchs are already wed, in a sense, so their physical union with another person is superceded by their union with their country, and for the private wedding ceremony, with a mere mortal, the ring is placed on the little finger.
“refuses”…. “putting up a fight”…. me thinks slightly overblowing the situation. It probably went like this:
Kate: So what sort of ring are you going to choose?
Wills: Um, no, I’m not going to wear one…. not really a ring guy.
Kate: Okay darling, whatever you like.
It’s between the couple. I prefer my husband wears one because if he expects me to then he can as well. But generally not really fussed about guys wearing a band, my dad didn’t, mainly for practical reasons but I don’t think he ever wore a piece of jewellery in his life either.
I think it’s interesting that many of you feel completely comfortable applying middle class American morals and traditions when committing on the marriage and personal choices of a future King of England.
If Prince William is the gentleman I hope him to be, he has chosen not to wear a ring by tradition and/ or with the approval of his future wife.
Doesn’t sound sketchy to me at all. My dad positively refused a wedding ring. He and my mom were very happily married for 35 years until he passed away.
A ring is a public sign of commitment, a formal declaration and symbolic of a formal bond. So, yeah, it has cultural meaning and significance. Besides, considering all the ceremonial ersatz medals and chains they all wear at times, what’s one more piece of gold?
My guess is that wearing a wedding ring is considered too common for the likes of the upper crust.
His father only ever wore a pinky ring, but even that is unusual for a British man, especially a British royal man, they just don’t wear them.
Tempest in a teapot, this.
i was going to say “who cares” then i realized i read the stupid story. And most of the comments.
I don’t think it’s possible for Wills to go anywhere in the world have have some random think, “Wow, is he married?”
My Dad didn’t wear a ring. Whatever.
incidentally like most of these peeps, my dad (who was in construction) only wore his when he wore a suit. he passed away after 51 years of marriage, and he has it on now – and always will.
I think that’s committment enough. 🙂
In unrelated news i work for divorce judges for a living. Believe me girls, if he’s interested in straying it will happen. it’s a removable circle, not a chastity belt.
Neither me or my husband wear ours. We just don’t like jewelry. We’ve been married almost 13 years, and we have no reason to doubt our love or trust for each other. A ring is just a ring. Our marriage is just as happy without them as they would be with them.
Wear the damn ring.
I can hear it now.. instead of “with this ring I thee wed” is “with this KING I thee wed”
I think he is sketchy, but that being said, I hate wearing rings too, and haven’t worn my wedding ring in a long time. I hate getting it caught on things, it is dangerous so the fear of losing a finger or hand is great with me. Also, I am just too darn lazy to get it resized.
my dad never and still doesn’t wear a ring – going on 50 years with my mother. it’s not sketchy, it’s personal preference.
Who cares, its totally up to them.
My grandfather was a master machinist at the Navy Yard for 50 years & he never wore his ring because he could loose a finger or worse if it got caught in something. He had the ring, he just didn’t wear it; none of his co-workers wore theirs either. My dad, my husband & my FIL all wear their rings, but they don’t have jobs where they could potentially lose limbs becuase of it.
But if my husband didn’t want to wear his, I wouldn’t make a big deal about it. I didn’t change my last name when we got married (& I’m still not gonna just becuase we have a kid on the way!) & it wasn’t a deal breaker for him.
I think that each couple has to make these decisions together & one their own. Things that are big damn deals to some people (like the last name thing) really don’t matter to others. And yeah, I have gotten loads of crap about keeping my name (its really rare to do so in the South) & I just tell people that I didn’t want to & if it bothers them, its their problem, not mine. We get cards & stuff addressed to “Mr & Mrs. –” & I get called Mrs. –, but most of time I don’t bother correcting people, unless it really matters or they piss me off 😀
My dad has one, has never worn it. I have a very good male friend who’s been married for zillions of years and he doesn’t wear one. He’s not English either. Half the time I forget mine. I was told I’m hard on jewellery and shouldn’t wear it all the time so I take my rings and watch off, then I forget to put the damned things on. My husband wears his sometimes; he works with his hands so he doesn’t want to lose a finger.
So, who cares. The only thing I want to know is how they do the service with only one ring. What does she say? WIth this nothing, I thee wed?
I couldn’t care less if he wears the ring or not. Kate is the only one who’s opinion on the subject matters (apart from Willls himself obviously).
It’s not a trust issue with me and my husband, it’s more of a traditional thing that I feel is important. As was me taking his last name when we married. I originally intended to keep my last name but he told me how important it was to him so I changed it.
My husband (Yes, he’s English) doesn’t wear his wedding ring. He tried to, for the first few months. He doesn’t wear jewelery of any kind, or watches, ever. They just make him uncomfortable, and I have no problem with that. Hell, I only remember to put mine on about 1 in 4 times I leave the house. I used to wear it constantly, but my fingers get fat if I retain water or put on like, a pound, so half the time it’s too damn tight anyway. He used to carry his in his wallet, but there’s a hole in it now, so he keeps it at home. I don’t feel like he needs a mark on him to signify that he’s taken. I trust him. So, this whole thing is pretty meh to me.
As we were driving into work this morning, I realized that I’d forgotten to put on my ring. Mr. Nonymous said, “Well, do you still feel married?” I said, “Yes,” and he said, “So what’s the problem?”
My husband said whe nhe wore his wedding band that he got all kinds of come ons as opposed to when he didnt wear one , he thought some women want what others have so a wedding ring can be a turn on to those just seeking affairs.He wore his ring all the time lol
Hubs has one, but doesn’t wear it & I’m perfectly fine with it. 🙂
love all the comments….i agree that the band itself doesn’t make the commitment, but it is important to me. before we were even engaged, my now (very dear) husband of over 8 years said he couldn’t wear one because it would get scratched, etc (was in construction then)…I told him i guess he didn’t want to be married then. the only time he didn’t wear it, was at our reception (on a later date after private ceremony)…hahahahah!!
I think that is the only time he has taken it off ever…and certainly not since.
I don’t see a controversy here. Mind you, I don’t wear a ring–but my husband does.
I agree with people who think a ring doesn’t guarantee fidelity or commitment. However, why, then, does SHE need one? The funny thing about the article is that it is the “couple’s wishes” (not HIS wish) that only she wear a ring. Why is that? Is the ring important (then he should wear one), or it’s not (why should one be made especially for her)? It just seems like mixed messages. But in the big scheme of life, who gives a crap.
Benny, I think you are being a little illogical.
So he doesn’t want to wear a ring. Who cares? I’ve been married 22 years and my DH doesn’t wear one. He dislikes wearing jewelry of any sort. I couldn’t care less-that’s his choice.
I, on the other hand, like jewelry and I like the symbolism of the wedding ring. So, for that reason, I have one (and a pretty nice engagement ring, as well).
It’s just a matter of personal preference. Evidently William prefers to not wear a ring, and Kate does. I really doubt that it’s any more complicated than that.
I’ve seen Prince Charles wear a wedding ring in pics (no, not his signet ring, an actual wedding ring), so at least one royal man wears one.
But I agree with Kaiser — literally my first thought when I saw the headline at People.com was that not wearing a ring is seriously sketchy, even though, as others have pointed out, everyone in the world will know he’s married. (My second though was, “I need to head over to CB and see what Kaiser has to say about this!”)
I agree with another poster that wearing a ring during military duty might not be a great idea — my dad didn’t wear a ring when I was a kid because, given the nature of his job at the time, he was worried the ring would catch on something and damage or actually rip off his finger. But now that he’s older and retired, he wears a ring every day.
William is a lefty. Has anyone ever seen him wear a ring before?
Wedding-ring customs have changed. Now couples can afford to buy two wedding bands, plus an engagement ring with large diamonds.
I was at an antique shop last week, and was amazed at how tiny the diamonds are in the old engagement rings — 1/4 carat was standard. Many women did not get engagement rings at all then. Neither of my grandmothers had them.
Debra: Good point!
My husband also got a lot of come-ons after he started wearing a wedding band. Before we were married, women thought he was a loser. After we were married, they thought, “OH, he’s the marrying kind! Must get to know him.”
First off he’s GLOBALLY known, it’s not like he CAN hide the fact that he’s married. The WORLD will see it. Second off he’s royalty, he’s not gonna be filandering the way commoners do. Third off it’s a tradition that people don’t have to stick to. A ring is only a ring if that person doesn’t view it to be something more. Most people place value on material things instead of the PRICELESS ones.
I read that traditionally men didn’t wear bands, it didn’t start up until WWII and even then I don’t think all Christians did it. Perhaps more Catholic as someone else has mentioned?
Also, women regardless are sort of marked as a man’s “property” by the nature of what matrimony is (historically) so it makes sense that they have always had to wear the bands but not the men.
http://www.slate.com/id/2167870/
My uncle doesn’t wear one. He originally did, but then jammed his finger playing basketball, and it almost had to be cut off.
The ring, not the finger.
Anyways, he doesn’t wear it anymore because he’s so active he’s afraid it’s going to happen again.
Maybe Wills doesn’t like jewelry, or has embarrassingly fat fingers (the reason my dad doesn’t wear one).
Call me old fashioned, but my hubby wears his wedding ring and every time I see it on him, I feel a little jolt of pride becasue he is proud to be married – at least that is how I see it. And based on the info in the story about the saved gold, I think it would be extra special if he wore it. Maybe he will wear a nose ring or an earring instead or a tattoo on his ring finger! ha ha
Here’s something from the Daily Mail:
‘Prince William isn’t one for jewellery – he doesn’t even wear a signet ring – and decided he didn’t want to. It really is just down to personal preference,’ a St. James’s Palace aide said.
Another source added: ‘It is quite common for men in that strata of society not to wear a traditional wedding band. If they do, they tend to wear it with their family signet ring but William doesn’t have one of those.’
I don’t blame him for doing it this way. If he’s not planning to wear the ring, its way better to not get one in the first place. At least the tabloids won’t be constantly speculating why he doesn’t have his wedding ring on.
in a lot of countries men don’t wear wedding rings. it’s a relatively new custom and has become more universal in the last twenty years. I think he’s not going to wear a ring because his old-skool family tradition has it so, not because he’s sketchy. not that he’s not sketchy.
Sketchy? Are you fricking kidding me? The royal family lives in a different world – they don’t do things that are common or tacky. Jewelry for men (unless it’s your family crest) is common and tacky. Sorry.
my husband is an electrican and so cannot wear his ring at work. I did sometimes ask him to wear it if we were going out somewhere special, but now his fingers are so swollen his ring doesn’t fit.
Am I alone in not being able to tolerate this Waity Katie? I honestly cannot stand her. She just strikes me as lazy and conniving.
I didn’t have a wedding ring for my husband when we married. I don’t remember what we said in our vows.
My husband was married before me and he never wore a wedding band. She also didn’t take his last name.
After we got married I figured he wouldn’t wear a ring. He never had a class ring or wore jewelry of any kind. About a year after my daughter was born he started talking about getting one so we got him one. Now his finger feels naked without it, same with me. It was also important to him for me to take his last name. I never considered not doing it, but now I kind of wish I had kept my maiden name because then at least people could say one part of my name correctly!
Anyway, I’ve always heard that a ring can attract just as much as it can fend off. Mine certainly doesn’t help. But a ring can also be taken off quite easily. I think it’s not a big deal. Most men aren’t used to wearing jewelry so it’s an adjustment. If Will has a preference and Kate is okay with it then good for them.
Bodhi–Just curious, whose name are you giving Baby Bodhi? Are you going to hyphenate?
@guesty…he is left handed.
My dad doesn’t wear his ring, and my parents are still happily married after 28 years. They still hold hands when they’re out walking, which I think is the cutest thing ever.
@ Isa ~ The baby will have his daddy’s last name. I thought about hyphenating it, but my hub’s last name is fairly long. My mom didn’t change her names when she married my dad & I have his last name. I’m an only child & my only male cousin with my last name probably won’t have any kids so it was important to me to keep it. Hopefully I can give a future kiddo my last name as a middle name 🙂
Something may happen later down the road that my make me change it, but for right now I’m good with what I was born with 🙂
As a single gal, it pisses me off ‘royally’ (hehe) when married men don’t wear their wedding rings. How are we supposed to know who is fair game and who is taken?!
My husband loves his wedding ring. He is an electrical engineer and licensed contractor and has never taken off his ring (thank goodness he has never had an accident). I like that he wears his ring but if he didn’t for safety reasons that would be ok. I wear my rings.
My father is a music teacher and never took off his ring and you would hear click clack click clack on the piano keys as he was playing (like me, too).
Not a big deal at all. Why do most people wear rings anyway? It’s a signal that you’re taken so the opposite sex will back off. William obviously won’t have that problem. Like everyone else said, it’s not like he can go around anonymously picking up girls in bars. My Dad never wore his wedding ring and he and my mother didn’t have a problem with it. He didn’t like jewelry as well and was a helicopter pilot in the Air Force. He had to keep taking his ring off before flying and it was just cumbersome dealing with it all the time and running the risk of losing it.
Everyone in the world knows who is wife is. It doesn’t matter if he wears one or not. The more important question is, what happened to him? He isn’t as handsome as he once was.
Reading comments on the Brit papers and it seems like it’s an American thing for a man to wear a wedding ring and he’s shady if he isn’t. Apparently in Britain it’s normal not to wear one.
Frankly I like when men wear wedding rings, not only because it shows that he’s happy with the world knowing he’s taken, but it also helps single girls who either don’t want to waste their time flirting with a married man, and/or don’t want to home wreck.
And to the above poster, Charles does wear a ring. He had a proper band from Diana, that he wore up until the day he got engaged to Camilla, and with Camilla he wears a band on his signet finger (the signet kind of covers it up but if you look closely it’s there). Apparently the only Royal not to have any kind of ring is Prince Philip.
@N – you’re not the only one. There’s something very shady about her.
When my husband and I got married 32 years ago he told me then he would not rather wear a wedding band (only ever wore a watch, or occasion cuff links.)
Prince William and my husband then (now longer flies) had the same occupation – CHOPPER PILOTS.
I have been at the controls of a chopper (on the ground) and can see why a wedding ring could pose a safety hazard). I am not sure if this applies to fixed wings pilots, I tend to think so. Aviation mechanics as well.
CYCLIC STICK & COLLECTIVE CONTROL
I am back, couldn’t recall those helicopter control names. Hubby has not flown a chopper for nearly decades. But it was the reason he and most of his fellow rotor-craft pilots did not wear wedding bands.
Because of the all the tools involved in helicopter maintenance if I recall most of the helicopter engineers in Abu Dhabi in the thirteen years we were there didn’t wear wedding bands either.
wedding bands are not hard to take off when you want to roll in the hay with someone who is not your spouse, as a matter of fact i have heard some men say having sex with their wedding band with a random is so hot………..
@slim27: Oh yes, this would be your favorite subject, wouldn’t it? 🙂
How does one put these things tactfully? They are, well, a little bit common. Certainly when sported on the fourth finger of the left hand. None of his family wear them in such a fashion. As such, I think that tells you all you need to know. If, of course, you are so grand that you consider the royal family to be common, well, that is another matter all together.
that is really bad although everyone knows him.i think he is still the cute one even if he is bald.harry is funny looking
@Crash..Exactly!!!
As a fellow single gal I agree!
the origin of the wedding ring was to bind the woman to the man. In other words to show that she was no longer her father’s responsibility, but her husbands
My husband has a ring but doesn’t wear it – I don’t care, the ring doesn’t mean fidelity, the marriage does. Mind you, I didn’t take his name and I only wear one because I like jewelry. Most married guys I know don’t wear them either. Maybe it’s an American thing?
Who cares if he wears one or not? It won’t stop some women from hitting on him because of who he is.
And ladies, lot of married men take off their rings when out with the guys. Many don’t want to cheat, but see if they still “got it” and see if a woman approaches them.
Hello, I don’t think there is anything sketchy about it. I think it might be because he is still in the military, and there are lots of things he is doing where a ring might get caught on something, or another scenario such as might present itself with his present career.
Don’t listen to any of the nuggets up there…simple fact, in Western culture, grooms wearing a ring is fairly new…It came about during wartime when men heading out to fight would wear one as a reminder of their loved-one back home. TBH if a woman doesn’t want to wear one what’s stopping her..?
Really,…What is Stopping her ?
Don’t be a sheep,…do what you want to do and stop letting people think on your behalf !
I don’t wear a lot of jewelry and take my wedding ring off when I get home in the afternoon. I love my husband, but have never gotten used to having my ring on all the time. I wear it when I go out of the house, though.
I also agree with the others … Prince william had one of the most public weddings ever, so i don’t think wearing or not wearing a ring will make much difference in the big scheme of things.
My husband wears a signet ring on his left pinky finger.Hes never worn a wedding band and that doesnt bother me.I have not worn my wedding always because of my job,it catches on things,so I leave it at home.I decided to buy myself a signet ring with my family name that I also wear on left pinky finger.I do get alot of comments on it ,mostly positive.
Prince William (and his father) are essentially married to the country — by virtue of one day becoming King. I wonder if part of the reluctance to wear a ring is the idea of “divided loyalty”. Obviously, William seems committed and in love with Kate. I also don’t think there is ANY doubt that he is a married man (anyone with half a pulse knows this). So, perhaps wearing a ring JUST for Kate would feel wrong to a man who must also feel equally (or perhaps even MORE committed) to his country. That is the role he was born into and that his people expect him to prioritize above all else. Consider how vilified King Edward was for putting his wife above country…William may just not want to draw attention to the idea of divided loyalty by wearing a wedding ring.