Why Meghan Markle Isn't Wearing Her Engagement Ring During Her Tour

Chris Jackson/PA Wire

Meghan Markle wasn’t wearing a certain special accessory during her tour of Africa this week.

Eagle-eyed royal admirers noticed the Duchess of Sussex’s engagement ring was missing from her left hand. In fact, it seemed like the royal had decided to forgo wearing the sentimental item for both the first and second day of her 10-day trip.

Fans first picked up on the absent accessory during her visit to Monwabisi Beach on Tuesday. The new mom kept it cute and casual for the outing by wearing a Madewell denim jacket, a white blouse and a pair of black pants. However, her shiny sparkler was nowhere to be seen.

After looking back at few other photos, fans noticed Meghan wasn’t wearing the ring on the first day of the tour either.

Still, fans shouldn’t jump to conclusions. After all, Meghan was still photographed wearing her wedding band. As for the reasoning behind ditching the engagement ring, a source told Hello! the royal decided to forgo wearing the diamond stunner because she wanted to be “low key” during her meet-and-greets with the public. Considering the item also holds such special meaning—Prince Harry designed the ring himself using a center stone from Botswana and two outside diamonds from his mother’s personal collection—it would also make sense if Meghan just wanted to avoid losing the item during her travels.

This wasn’t the first time the duchess had stepped out without the ring. As royal admirers will recall, Meghan didn’t wear the item during her Canada House engagement in London earlier this year. Some royals, in fact, don’t wear a wedding ring at all. 

The engagement ring, which Meghan recently updated, wasn’t the only jewelry item she decided to go without. According to Hello!, she also didn’t wear her eternity band.

Chris Jackson/PA Wire

Either way, the royal has more important things to think about than the public’s thoughts on her accessories. During their visit to the Monwabisi Beach, for instance, Meghan and Harry learned about Waves of Change—a NGO that uses surfing and therapy to provide mental health services to young people living in challenging communities. They also visited the Lunchbox Fund, which is an organization that provides nutritious meals to those involved in the Waves for Change programs and attend schools in South Africa. In addition, they met with surf mentors for a welcome Kilo and later chatted with Dr. Thomas Maes, director of the Commonwealth Litter Programme, and Loyiso Dunga, a marine biologist from the Sea Change Project, to discuss the impact of plastic in the ocean. Furthermore, they took part in a Power Hand activity, which promotes positive thinking.

After their visit, they headed to the Auwal Mosque in Bo-Kaap, where they met with faith leaders.

It certainly has been a busy trip for the couple. Yesterday, they visited the Nyanga township, where they met with local schoolchildren. Meghan also gave a powerful speech.

The two are traveling with their son, Archie Harrison, and it looks like they’ve been able to share several memorable moments together. In fact, Harry said his son has enjoyed looking at Table Mountain. 

We can’t wait to see what these next few days will bring!

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