Royal Watchers Think They Spotted Something Fake During Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Scuba Dive
In late March, Prince William and Kate Middleton embarked on their first royal tour since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic began. The couple visited Belize, Jamaica, and the Bahamas during their eight-day Caribbean tour to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee year.
There were quite a few memorable moments during their tour including a video of William and Kate scuba diving which was shared on social media. The clip had a few royal watchers doing a double take and asking if something the prince’s wife had on was fake.
Prince William and Kate went scuba diving in Belize
Early on in their tour the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge went scuba diving to see the effects climate change has had on the Belize Barrier Reef, which is one of the largest in the world behind only Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
William and Kate documented their dive on Twitter and Instgram writing: “We were lucky enough to spend time diving at South Water Caye, directly above the spectacular Belize Barrier Reef. It was a privilege to see for ourselves the world-leading ocean conservation work being done here. While the effects of climate change are evident, the Government of Belize and communities across the country deserve huge recognition for their efforts to restore this incredible marine environment — with a commitment to protect 30% of it by 2030.”
Royal watchers spot what could be a fake engagement ring on Kate’s finger
Fans gushed over the clip and praised the Cambridges for bringing more attention to conservation. But some royal commentators were stuck on something else about the dive.
Speaking on the Royally Obsessed podcast hosts Rachel Bowie and Roberta Fiorito discussed the scuba diving video and questioned whether the duchess was actually wearing her famous engagement ring during the dive.
“I just want to know was she really wearing her engagement ring?” Bowie asked.
Fiorito responded: “It must be a stand-in, right?”
Bowie then opined: “Yes, there’s no way, like, who would allow that? There’s not enough insurance on that ring and it’s irreplaceable.” After thinking it over more the commenatator said: “In the screengrabs that are caught she has a big rock on her finger, what else could it be?”
Fiorito suggested maybe they are “that confident in Kate’s scuba abilities” that “if she dropped it, she would find it.”
The duchess’ ring is one of the most famous pieces of jewelry in the world
It’s not too far-fetched to think a replacement ring was on Kate’s finger and her actual ring was safely placed somewhere else before she and the duke went scuba diving.
The duchess’s ring is a 12-carat oval sapphire set in 18-carat white gold with 14 solitaire diamonds. Princess Diana selected it herself after seeing it in a Garrard catalog. In 1981, the piece cost $35,000. Today, it’s estimated to be worth more than $370,000. But because it belonged to the late princess and now has been worn by the bride of another future king, some consider it priceless.
During Will and Kate’s first joint engagement interview, the prince was asked about the ring he gave to Kate which once belonged to his mom. “It’s very special, as Kate is very special,” William said. “It’s my way of making sure my mother didn’t miss out on today and the excitement.”
The palace has yet to confirm or deny if Kate was wearing the real ring during their scuba dive.
