T.iare, brooches and rings of the royal family British are back in the spotlight with the arrival on Netflix of the fifth season of The Crown, but it is difficult for us to dwell on accessories used by the men of the House of Windsor: these too, however, hide fascinating stories, family traditions and suggestive anecdotes. One above all, especially at this moment: thering of king Charles III, firmly on his left little finger for 64 years.
To joke about it, it could be said that the one with his favorite jewel is the sovereign’s longest relationship: it has been going on for even longer than that with his beloved wife Camilla.
The ring of King Charles III
King Charles III never separates from it; he wore it, for example, on the day of his engagement and then of his wedding with Lady Diana, he never left it at home during official visits around the world, nor in the emotionally strongest moments of his life, such as those experienced during the funeral of the parents. And it couldn’t be otherwise. He received it as a gift in 1969when at the age of 21 years he was officially invested by his mother as Prince of Wales. In addition to the ring, Elizabeth II bestowed on him five other insignias: a sword, a crown, a golden rod and the royal cloak. Not just any ring, in short, but a signet ring, namely a signet ring: above, the engraving of three feathers and a crownwhich symbolize Wales, and a motto that speaks volumes about the commitment that this role entails: “Ich Dien”: “I serve”.
Between history and legend, the origin of the symbol of the Prince of Wales
Charles and Diana in Seville in 1992. On the prince’s left little finger, the inseparable ring (Photo by Tim Graham / Getty Images).
The tradition of having feathers on royal seals goes back a long way, much older than the Windsor family. The first to choose them as his symbol was Edward, eldest son of Edward II of England, known as the Black Prince, who lived between 1330 and 1376. According to one of the many existing hypotheses, the Prince would have obtained the coat of arms from the Czech king John of Bohemia, against whom he fought in the battle of Crécy; after defeating him, took his helmet as a trophy: above, there would have been some ostrich feathers and a motto. Another version, on the other hand, would like the “Ich Dien” very similar to “Eich Dyn ”, which in Welsh means“ your man ”; by extension, he goes without saying, a representative of the institutions.
The Charles III ring in detail. The crown surmounted by three feathers is recognizable (Photo by Jan Woitas / picture alliance via Getty Images).
The first to wear it was Edward VIII
The story of the king’s jewel is just as fascinating as the legend behind its symbol. Made in Welsh gold, the same material that since 1923, the year of the marriage between the queen mother and the then Duke of York, is also used for wedding rings, according to jewelry experts Steven Stone should have an estimated value around 4600 euros. The curiosities, however, certainly did not end here. The ring wasn’t always Carlo’s, but it is 175 years old. It was Edward VIIIuncle of the current king, the first to wear it, until he ascended the throne in January 1936. After abdication, in December of that same year, to marry Wallis Simpson, the jewel remained in the family safe, until it was the grandson who got hold of it.
After the coronation and abdication, both in 1936, Edoardo no longer wore the ring on his left little finger, the same finger where his nephew would later put it (Photo by Ivan Dmitri / Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images).
Will Charles III ever give up his ring?
It is not yet clear what will happen to the Wales ring now. Charles officially became king on the death of his mother last September, but he never stopped wearing it. He could take it off on the occasion of his coronation, next May 6, to give it to his son William, the new prince, but also decide to keep it for himself. Not a question of affection for the object itself, but for Wales, a constant and symbol of his “old” life.
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