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As King Charles arrived in the United States today to begin his four-day State Visit, photographers zoomed in on his left hand.
They captured his favorite accessory: A pinky ring, also called a signet ring or a gentleman’s ring. King Charles wears the piece of jewelry stacked with his wedding ring, on his left pinky.
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Charles’s ring today. He stacks the pinky ring with his wedding band.
The signet ring has been a staple of Charles’s royal wardrobe, dating back to the 70s. As T&C’s Leena Kim wrote, pinky rings have a long royal history. “During the Victorian era pinky rings became fashionable among British nobility thanks to Queen Victoria’s sons, who took cues from the Germans and began stacking their wedding and signet rings on their left pinky, starting a long royal tradition that has continued to this day,” she explained.
For many decades, King Charles wore the same signet ring, which Queen Elizabeth gave him when he became Prince of Wales. That ring was engraved with a crown with feather, the heraldic badge of the Prince of Wales title, and the Prince of Wales motto, “ich dien,” which translates to “I serve.” However, now that his son Prince William is now the Prince of Wales, King Charles appears to have switched out his signet ring for a different one.
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Charles in 2024.
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Charles in 1993.
Some online have speculated that the King now wears his father Prince Philip’s signet ring, which features a version of the Greek monarchy’s coat of arms on the bezel. That ring was one that Philip inherited from his own father, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark. However, the Palace has not commented on Charles’s choice of jewelry.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Deputy Digital Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms.