King Charles is switching things up when it comes to his style, if a new portrait is anything to go by.
In a new royal picture unveiled this week at the Scottish Parliament by his sister, Princess Anne, the monarch poses in the Sunken Gardens of his Balmoral Estate. As he often does for images taken in the Highlands, Charles wears a kilt – in the design of his own tartan – and holds a handcrafted walking stick. Noticeably missing, however, is one of his most recognisable pieces of jewellery (more on that in a moment).
“It was a pleasure to welcome Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal, to the Scottish Parliament, to unveil this portrait of His Majesty The King,” Alison Johnstone, the presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament, said of the portrait’s reveal. “The portrait will hang in the Parliament’s Main Hall, greeting the many thousands of visitors who come through our doors every year.”
Everyone’s clicking on…
WPA Pool//Getty Images
She went on: “It’s a striking image which is a reminder of His Majesty’s love of Scotland and the affectionate connection he has with the country and its people.”
And it’s those same people who have noticed the signet ring, which he’s worn for more than five decades, is missing from the portrait. While the King is wearing a gold signet ring on his little finger in the new image, it features a different coat of arms and is not the Prince of Wales signet ring he is known to wear.
Perhaps this is because, being the King, Charles is no longer the Prince of Wales. He inherited the ring from his uncle, Prince Edward, who was the Prince of Wales until 1936, so it’s likely that the ring will now pass on to Prince William.
Speaking about the ring, which is more than 175 years old, jewellery historian Helen Dimmick told HELLO! magazine that Charles has been spotted wearing it since the mid-1970s.
“For the then-Prince of Wales, this was a very personal and symbolic jewel,” she went on, describing it as a precious yellow gold, engraved with “his heraldic badge of three ostrich feathers emerging from a gold coronet”. Also on the engraving is a ribbon “bearing the motto ‘Ich Dien'” – meaning, ‘I serve’.
Tim Graham//Getty Images
“Historically, the signet ring has played an important role in authenticating documents, as the carved out individual crest left a permanent mark in any soft wax or clay,” the expert added. “Sometimes known as ‘the gentlemen’s ring’, in recent decades, women are just as likely to adopt the style.”
The historian continued on to explain that signet rings are “still seen as a symbol of social standing” and the typical etiquette is to gift one on a child’s 21st birthday as they will have “come of age and have authority to use the [family] crest”.
Related Stories
Jade Biggs (she/her) is one of Cosmopolitan UK’s freelance writers, working across all sections including entertainment, beauty, body, and sex and relationships. She previously held the position of Features Writer, covering everything from breaking news and the latest royal gossip, to the health and fitness trends taking over your TikTok feed. Jade has a degree in journalism and has been a journalist and content editor for ten years, interviewing leading researchers, high-profile influencers, and industry experts in that time. She is a cat mom to four fur babies and is obsessed with Drag Race, bottomless brunches, and wearing clothes only suitable for Bratz dolls. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.