Kate Middleton has become the subject of speculation after visiting the Royal Marsden Hospital, where she was treated for cancer, without wearing her engagement ring.
On Tuesday (January 14), the Princess of Wales made a rare public outing at the specialist center in London to express her gratitude to the medical staff and support patients and their families.
During the visit, Kate was seen speaking with patients undergoing chemotherapy and hugging one mother whose daughter was in the intensive care unit.
Kate Middleton wore a glittering eternity band instead of her sapphire engagement ring during her visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital
Image credits: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
“There is light at the end of that tunnel. Very nice to meet you and best of luck. You are in the best of hands,” she reassured her.
When asked how she was feeling, Kate said she was doing well but added, “Sometimes from the outside, we all think you’ve finished treatment and you go back to things. But it’s hard to get back to normal,” as per the BBC.
In a message posted on social media following the outing, she revealed that she was in remission with cancer.
However, one detail did not go unnoticed during the visit, which marked the princess’ first significant solo royal engagement since completing her treatment—the absence of her wedding ring.
Though some people speculated that she didn’t wear the ring for hygienic reasons, she was seen wearing it in 2023 when she visited Evelina London’s children’s surgery unit
While one possibility is that she left her sapphire engagement ring at home for hygienic reasons, Kate was photographed with it in 2023 when she visited Evelina London’s children’s day surgery unit, where she met with patients and staff, as per news.com.au.
That same year, she wore her ring when she and Prince William visited the Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
In 2022, the mom of three visited the maternity unit at Royal Surrey County Hospital and was pictured with her ring on while meeting mothers and cradling a newborn, according to the outlet.
Last year, Kate opted to wear her engagement ring to some events but not to others. For instance, she wore it in June for the Trooping the Colour celebrations, also known as the King’s Birthday Parade, and in July while attending a Wimbledon match with Princess Charlotte.
Still, the ring was nowhere to be seen when she appeared in a video to celebrate the Olympics in August or in September during the highly personal video with her family where she announced the end of her chemotherapy treatment.
In 2022, she wore it to the Royal Surrey County Hospital while meeting mothers and cradling a newborn
Other instances when the ring was absent included her widely discussed Mother’s Day family portrait in March—which the princess revealed had been edited—and in October, when Kate and William met the parents of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, the three children tragically murdered during a Taylor Swift dance class.
Netizens were also intrigued by William’s absence at the outing, given that he and Kate are joint patrons of the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, as was announced after her visit.
Kate also mentioned William in her social media post following the outing, thanking “those who have quietly walked alongside William and me as we have navigated everything.”
However, she didn’t wear it during the video in which she announced the end of her chemotherapy, posted in September 2024, or in her Mother’s Day photo
In the post, the princess said she was looking forward to a “fulfilling year ahead” and expressed gratitude to the hospital staff for their “exceptional” care.
“In my new role as Joint Patron of The Royal Marsden, my hope is that by supporting groundbreaking research and clinical excellence, as well as promoting patient and family wellbeing, we might save many more lives and transform the experience of all those impacted by cancer,” she wrote.
“It is a relief to now be in remission and I remain focused on recovery. As anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis will know, it takes time to adjust to a new normal. I am however looking forward to a fulfilling year ahead. There is much to look forward to.”
In 2021, the princess wore it during a visit to the Royal London Hospital Whitechapel
According to Cancer Research UK, “remission” means that there is no sign of cancer in a person’s body. If there are any cancer cells left, there are too few to find or to cause any symptoms, or they are in an inactive state and are not growing.
In March 2024, Kate announced she had been diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer. The announcement followed a planned abdominal surgery, which she had undergone two months earlier.
Last September, the princess revealed she had completed chemotherapy, saying her focus was on “doing what I can to stay cancer-free.”
People suggested their theories as to why the princess has been pictured with and without her engagement ring
