Has Kate Middleton offered the clearest view of her mysterious eternity band yet?

Suddenly, it was everywhere. Be it the highly personal video of the Wales family that Catherine shared to announce the end of her chemotherapy treatment (where viewers were quick to note the engagement ring was missing when she changed gears in her Land Rover), her deeply moving trip to Southport in October, or the visit to the Royal Marsden in January when she announced that her cancer was in remission – that iconic sapphire has been absent for many of Catherine’s milestone engagements. The engagement ring was, though, present when Kate Middleton journey to South Wales last week for her first ‘away day’ since her cancer diagnosis.

And at this joyous school trip to the National Portrait Gallery, the ring was certainly notable by its absence. What could be behind the change? Well, as certain experts have pointed out, it may be a matter of simple practicality. ‘Royal women wear their engagement rings in different ways, just like the rest of us,’ said Lauren Kiehna, founder of The Court Jeweller blog, to People magazine. Indeed, Queen Letizia, Meghan Markle, and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, have all been known to take off their engagement ring for protracted periods of time. Perhaps, with its 12-carat sapphire and 18-carat white gold band, the engagement ring is simply too heavy for day-to-day wear.

Or, Kiehna noted, the dazzling jewel may not be seen as suitable for a royal’s more ‘intimate’ engagements. Indeed, the Princess has been making her return to public duties with some quieter, more personal events, and she may feel that the grandiose ring is unsuitable for, say, meeting fellow cancer patients at the Royal Marsden or offering a compassionate ear to the families of the Southport attacks.