Prince William Hasn’t Been Wearing a Wedding Ring During Zoom Calls (but It Dates Back Much Further than That)

Unlike his brother Prince Harry, Prince William hasn't worn a wedding band on any of his recent Zoom calls to charities and hospitals...or ever. We were alerted to this fact after seeing the recent slew of flashback photos of the Duke of Cambridge's wedding to Kate Middleton posted to social media in honor of the couple's ninth wedding anniversary.

So we had to know, with the duke being such a family man (dad jokes and all), why hasn't he worn a wedding ring since his marriage to Kate on April 29, 2011?

The answer is pretty simple really. It's a royal tradition (and Harry is the rebel here, not William).

It was officially announced by St. James's Palace before their wedding at Westminster Abbey that Prince William wouldn't wear a wedding ring. 

"It was something the couple discussed but Prince William isn't one for jewelry. He doesn't even wear a signet ring, and decided he didn't want to. It really is just down to personal preference," a royal source told The Daily Mail back in March 2011.

Quick history lesson: Wearing a wedding ring as a woman actually dates back to ancient Egypt. But men, including royals, didn't really wear wedding bands until World War II, when the trend took off, since the rings were comforting reminders of families back home, according to Metro UK.

Today, Prince William, and his grandfather, Prince Philip, both go the more traditional route of no wedding bands, while his father, Prince Charles, started wearing a gold band next to a signet ring on his pinkie finger after his marriage to Camilla. Always forward thinking, Chuck.

Prince Harry's wedding ring is made from a textured platinum, unlike Meghan Markle's wedding band, which is made from a nugget of Welsh gold that has been used for the wedding bands of royals since 1923. Harry's ring was expected to be made of the same rare piece of gold (the Welsh mines are currently exhausted, making this nugget of gold even more rare and valuable due to its historic significance). However, he opted for a more modern platinum one.

Unlike her husband, Middleton chooses to wear a wedding band as well. Hers is also made of 18K Welsh gold.

Her engagement ring, though, is another story...