It has a deep meaning for the monarch

ing Charles is known for wearing a signet ring on his pinky finger – but what is the meaning behind the piece of jewellery?

King Charles, 76, has sported a signet ring on his pinky finger for over 50 years.

The ring has often been discussed as Charles is almost always seen wearing the ring. But what is the symbolic meaning behind it?
King Charles wearing a signet ring at the Mey Highland Games (Credit: Cover Images)

What is a signet ring?

Signet rings are popularly known as pinky rings due to the finger they’re frequently worn on. They were popular with aristocratic English men in the Victorian era. Men would traditionally wear a signet ring with a family crest on the pinky finger.

For the then Prince of Wales, this was a very personal and symbolic jewel.

The rings helped them show off their heritage, a tradition Charles has given a nod to. His own pinky ring has the crest of the Prince of Wales, the title held by the king from 1969 until 2022, when he passed the title onto his son and heir to the throne, Prince William. It’s likely made with Welsh gold. It’s thought it was inherited from King Edward VIII, his great-uncle. He held the title of Prince of Wales himself before becoming king.

However, it was Queen Victoria who started the trend of royals wearing a pinky finger. The long-serving queen defied gender conventions by wearing one. And Prince Philip wore the ring of his father, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, too.
Charles has worn a signet ring for many years (Credit: Photo by Nils Jorgensen/Shutterstock)

Meaning behind King Charles’ ring

Jewellery historian Helen Dimmick previously told HELLO! of Charles’ ring: “Since the mid-1970s, King Charles III has been photographed wearing a signet ring on the smallest finger of his left hand.

“For the then Prince of Wales, this was a very personal and symbolic jewel – the precious yellow gold oval bezel is engraved with his heraldic badge of three ostrich feathers emerging from a gold coronet, with the ribbon below bearing the motto ‘Ich Dien’, or ‘I serve’.”

She added: “We understand this very signet ring was a gift for King Charles from his Uncle, Prince Edward the Duke of Windsor, the previous Prince of Wales.”

Charles reportedly wears his wedding ring from Queen Camilla underneath his signet ring (Credit: Cover Images)

The king wears his wedding ring underneath

Interestingly, at the same time as signet rings became popular with the English aristocracy, some men in the country began to adopt the tradition of wearing a wedding band on their left pinky finger too. This trend was adopted both by married men and men not looking to get married. It showed potential suitors that they weren’t interested.

The king, meanwhile, reportedly wears his own wedding ring underneath his signet ring. He apparently did the same when he married his first wife, Princess Diana, in 1981.

He now wears the ring from Queen Camilla in the same place, according to reports.

Prince William, on the other hand, doesn’t wear a wedding ring. It’s believed that the current Prince of Wales simply isn’t a fan of jewellery to begin with. But, he also might find wearing one impractical given his duties as a busy working royal.

Read more: King Charles ‘saddened’ over Prince Harry’s ‘sabotage’ claim following their reunion