Why the ring in Prince Harry’s Father’s Day post is so meaningful
In honor of the Duke of Sussex's first Father's Day, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Instagram account, @SussexRoyal, posted a brand-new photo of Harry holding their royal baby, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.
This is the third photo set of baby Archie since his birth announcement. The first photos of Archie were taken in Windsor Castle for his official photo call, and the second photo, which didn't show Archie's face, was posted in honor of Meghan Markle's first Mother's Day and featured baby Archie's little feet and toes.
A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Jun 16, 2019 at 5:01am PDT
But it isn't just the fact that it was one of the first photos of baby Archie released to the public that has us freaking out. Prince Harry's wedding ring, which is featured prominently in the photo, is a very significant call-out for the little royal family of three. See, Prince Harry is the only royal who wears an actual wedding band on his ring finger.
Prince William and Prince Philip don't wear wedding bands at all, and Prince Charles has worn a signet ring on his pinky finger ever since his wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles.
Fun-fact time: Most men (including royals) didn't really wear wedding bands until World War II, when the trend took off—the rings were comforting reminders of families back home, according to Metro UK. Prince William decided to keep with the royal family tradition of not wearing a wedding ring, just like his grandfather Prince Philip. Prince Charles also never wore a wedding ring during his marriage to Princess Diana.
Prince Harry, however, decided to buck tradition and wear a platinum wedding ring. Call it a sign of the times, or perhaps because his wife the duchess had some say in the matter. The Sussexes have been very open about wanting to appear as normal as possible, especially by foregoing a royal ancestral name for their son, Archie, so maybe this is another way of appearing more "of the people," if you will.
These royals' sartorial choices are never an afterthought so, believe us, there's definitely a deeper meaning than just a wedding ring here.
Although, was it also planned for Harry's hairy knuckles to fake the appearance of a baby mustache on Archie? We'd guess not.
