Queen Elizabeth's Wedding Ring Had a Secret Message — Known Only to 3 People
(L) Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth at Broadlands in Hampshire in Nov 1947; (R) Queen Elizabeth wearing her engagement ring.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip spent over seven decades together before their passing. The couple also had a well-kept secret. Like the wedding rings of Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton, the Queen’s engagement ring was also crafted from Welsh gold. However, what made it truly unique is that it bore an inscription chosen by Philip in 1947—a secret message that even those closest to the monarch never knew. Royal biographer, Ingrid Seward, in her book Prince Philip: A Portrait of the Duke of Edinburgh, revealed the engraving has remained a secret as the Queen never took off her cherished ring.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip on the day of their coronation at Buckingham Palace.
As reported by People magazine, Seward wrote, "At least Philip didn't have the expense of a wedding ring, as the people of Wales supplied a nugget of Welsh gold from which the ring is made. She never takes it off, and inside the ring is an inscription. No one knows what it says, other than the engraver, the Queen, and her husband." Philip followed the royal custom of choosing Welsh gold for their wedding bands and designed the Queen's with diamonds he inherited from his mother.
It was reportedly made from a tiara belonging to his mother, Princess Alice. The tiara had been a wedding gift from Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra of Russia, along with other valuable gems. Before even proposing to Elizabeth, Philip had carefully preserved the diamonds from the crown, intending to create a ring with them. The resulting piece featured a stunning three-carat solitaire surrounded by five smaller diamonds on each side.
Philip and Elizabeth's love story was dramatized in the first season of the hit Netflix series The Crown. Executive producer, Suzanne Mackie, said, "One of Elizabeth's greatest achievements is being allowed to marry the love of her life. Like any marriage, it would undertake endless recalibration and navigation and re-negotiation." Sally Bedell Smith, the author of Elizabeth the Queen, shared that the monarch fell in love at 18 and never looked at anyone else, as reported by People magazine. In 1997, Elizabeth surprised her husband with a heartfelt tribute on their golden wedding anniversary. She said, "He is someone who doesn't take easily to compliments, but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years. And I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim or we shall ever know."
The couple marked their final wedding anniversary together, their 73rd, on November 20, 2020, as reported by ABC News. The Duke’s death left a profound emptiness in the Queen’s life, yet the symbolic gifts he gave her continued to provide comfort. Apart from the engagement ring, Philip had gifted her a stunning diamond bracelet made from his mother’s tiara. For their fifth anniversary, Philip broke royal tradition and also gifted Elizabeth a second bracelet—this time commissioned from the renowned French jeweler, Boucheron.