The royal wedding is just hours away, and new details are emerging every minute!
In a statement Saturday, Kensington Palace announced, "Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle have chosen Cleave and Company to make their Wedding rings. Ms. Markle's ring has been fashioned from a piece of Welsh Gold, gifted by Her Majesty The Queen. Prince Harry's ring will be a Platinum Band with a textured finish. Both rings were crafted in the Cleave workshop." Prince William, Harry's best man, will carry both of the rings to St. George's Chapel in Windsor.
In aristocratic circles, few men wear wedding rings—William among them. But, just a few weeks ago, a source told E! News the redheaded prince "does want to wear a wedding band."
When Harry proposed in November 2017, he presented Meghan with a three-stone diamond engagement ring of his own design. The stunning sparkler is made up of three diamonds, with one large stone in the center flanked by two smaller stones on the sides. It, too, was crafted by Cleave and Company. Two stones come from his late mother Princess Diana's personal collection, while the other stone is from Botswana, an African country that is close to his heart.
The Queen mother started the tradition at her 1923 wedding, where wedding rings are fashioned out of Welsh gold from the Clogau St. David's Welsh mine in Dolgellau, North Wales. Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, Princess Anne and Diana wore Welsh wedding rings with gold from the same gold nugget, which had been kept a Buckingham Palace. After Diana's wedding, the Queen was presented with a new nugget of Welsh gold to continue the tradition. Sarah Ferguson's ring was the first made from the newer piece, followed by Camilla Parker-Bowles' ring. Kate Middleton's ring was made with Welsh gold the Queen had given William.
The general public will see Harry and Meghan's rings for the first time during the ceremony.