King Charles who has never separated himself from his ring for more than half a century

The one with her ring for sure the longest and most stable relationship King Charles has ever had in his life. Worn on the sovereign’s little finger since the early 1970s, the signet ring with the coat of arms of the Prince of Wales is one of those details that characterize the style of reality for more than half a century.

An heirloom from which it cannot be separated even today despite the title having passed to Prince William upon the death of Queen Elizabeth. On the monarch’s 76th birthday, let’s look back at the history of the signet ring together.

That type of precious jewel is known by various names. One of these, in fact, is signet ringthat is to say signet ring. The seal in question would be a symbol of belonging as a family coat of arms which was used in ancient times to authenticate letters and documents after pressing it onto still hot sealing wax.

Also called chevalierthe ring refers to distant worlds like those of the knights who wore them from the moment of investiture until their death. Once the need to confirm one’s identity with sealing wax disappeared, the jewel was shown off by nobles and royals for a long time, becoming one of the favorite accessories of the aristocracy: that’s why the ring is also known as gentlemen ring. Finally, the last label attached to the ring is pinky ringvery simply “pinky ring” referring to the finger on which it was customary to put it.

King Charles with the signet ring as he attends the farewell ceremony on his recent visit to Samoa.

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Historians have found evidence in Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt of pinky rings used as seals. Instead, he speaks of it as confirmation of a privileged status Pliny the Elder in the Naturalis historia. In the Middle Ages and in the following centuries the signet ring was closely linked to the wearer, obviously becoming a sign of recognition for members of the nobility or for those in power.

The signet ring it became fashionable in the 19th century thanks to Queen Victoria’s children. The principles for imitating the mother began to follow the German custom of putting rings on the little fingerincluding the wedding ring. The trend quickly caught on among the higher classes of society so much so that aristocrats couldn’t wait to show off their family coat of arms on their finger.

Carlo in 1970 in one of the first photos showing him with the ring on his little finger.

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At that time the signet ring entered the custom of the British royal family as evidenced by Charles III. He was an admirer of it Edward VII but his heir, George V, did not love it. Both of the sovereign’s sons instead made use of it, both George VIfather of Queen Elizabeth, but above all Edward VIIIthe king who abdicated in 1936, derailing the course of events. And it is precisely here that the story, at least the known one, of the signet ring of King Charles.

The ring appeared on Charles’ little finger in the early 1970s, after his official investiture as Prince of Wales on 1 July 1969. There are not many details about the heirloom and we are obliged to use the conditional in several points. What is certain is the seal: the three ostrich feathers emerging from a golden crown with the motto “Ich Dien” (“I serve” in German) on the engraved ribbon represent the heraldic coat of arms of the Prince of Wales.

Carlo and his ring.

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Probably made of Welsh gold, it is said that the ring was given to Charles by his uncle, the Duke of Windsor, the last person to hold the title of Prince of Wales before him. However, there are those who maintain that the relic is more than 170 years old: in this case it would date back to the Victorian era.

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Impossible not to have noticed signet ring that Carlo has had on his little finger for so long. However, it was the series that consecrated the heirloom as one of the cornerstones of his style The Crown. In fact, we see Dominic West in the role of the then Prince of Wales often fiddling with the ring: the gold-plated replica of the necklace used for the fiction was sold at auction earlier this year for over 3 thousand pounds.

Carlo with the ring on the day of the announcement of his engagement to Diana.

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Carlo always wore it, both in his free time and in solemn moments. At polo matches or when he got engaged to Diana, on royal tours or in family portraits. It is in plain sight on the wedding day with Camilla so much so that we realize that he puts the wedding ring on the German style, on his little finger with his signet ring.

Carlo and Camilla on their wedding day: the groom’s signet ring can be clearly seen.

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The ring did not move from the finger even after the death of Elizabeth II. Many concentrated on his fingers to see what would become of that distinctive feature. It wasn’t too surprising to see him still in his place today when he didn’t even take it off for the coronation.

King Charles on his coronation day.

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What he established with the heirloom goes beyond the title, it is something of an identity. Let us remember that Charles was Prince of Wales from 1958, the year in which his mother appointed him as such, until 2022, the year in which he ascended the throne. I’m 64 years old and that’s truly a lifetime.

However, if we want to remove a bit of poetry we could simply say that if it were taken off, no one would wear it. Prince William doesn’t like jewelry so much so that he doesn’t even wear a wedding ring. Given that the signet ring locked in some chest it wouldn’t see the light of day, we might as well continue to let it air despite the title being outdated.