- Meghan Markle has broken with tradition several times when curating her bridal ring stack.
- According to tradition, married women wear their wedding band first on their left ring finger, followed by their engagement ring.
- The duchess has instead worn her wedding band as the second or third ring in a stack, showcasing alternative ways of accessorizing.
Meghan Markle is always open to a bridal ring shakeup. Since marrying Prince Harry in 2018, the Duchess of Sussex has made as many as four alterations to her meaningful tri-stone engagement ring. She’s also played around with different orderings for her wedding ring stack, proving there’s no need to stick to tradition.
First, a primer for those who aren’t caught up on the history of her royal rings. Meghan received her proposal piece in November 2017, when Harry got down on one knee in the garden of their shared home at Kensington Palace. Like sister-in-law Kate Middleton’s sapphire bauble, her engagement ring has a special connection to Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana: its two smaller diamonds were sourced from one of Diana’s bracelets.
On the day of their nuptials the following spring, Harry gave Meghan the second piece of her future bridal ring stack: a Welsh gold wedding band. Royal couples have long had their wedding bands made from the rare material, ever since Elizabeth the Queen Mother received a nugget of Welsh gold in 1923 that formed her own ring.
Nearly a decade into their marriage, Meghan continues to proudly wear her engagement ring and wedding band as a romantic reminder of her and Harry’s love story. Ahead, learn more about Meghan Markle’s signature bridal ring stack—and how it goes against a centuries-old tradition.
Meghan occasionally breaks tradition by wearing her wedding band after other rings.
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In May 2025, Meghan’s lifestyle brand, As Ever, made an Instagram post featuring a close-up picture of her hands as she prepared a sachet of tea. The photo showed Meghan wearing her engagement ring at the bottom of the stack, followed by a diamond-studded eternity band, and finally her gold wedding band. It soon went viral, sparking an admittedly low-stakes debate about the right way to wear a wedding band and engagement ring.
To some, this arrangement is a faux pas. Married women traditionally wear their wedding band first (aka at the bottom of the stack) to position it closest to their heart. Next comes the engagement ring, while subsequent rings can be placed atop the bridal baubles or stacked on other fingers.
She’s never shied away from switching up her ring stack.
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While the 2025 Instagram post of Meghan’s tradition-defying stack made headlines, it wasn’t the first time she’d switched up the order of her rings. At 2019’s Trooping the Colour, she placed a pavé band first in her stack. At the 2022 Invictus Games, the mom of two sported her engagement piece on the bottom of her stack, with her wedding band nestled just above it.
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She also wore a delicate hand chain that looped around her finger beneath both rings—a testament to her creativity when it comes to the art of accessorizing.
In 2024, while attending the ESPYs with her husband, Meghan again deviated from the traditional ring stack. That night, she put her engagement ring in the middle of her stack, with her gold band sitting on top and a thin pavé eternity band placed on the bottom.
The tradition of wearing your wedding ring ‘closest to the heart’ dates back to ancient times.
Where did these ring rules come from? According to Britannica, ancient cultures like the Romans began the tradition of putting an engagement ring on the fourth finger (aka the ring finger) of the left hand. The intention was to put the ring over the vena amoris, or ‘vein of love,’ which was erroneously “thought to run directly to the heart.” Romantic as it sounds, such a vein doesn’t really exist—but the ring-wearing practice it inspired continues nevertheless.
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The placement of the wedding band first stems from the same ancient beliefs, according to experts. “Traditionally, the wedding band is worn closest to the heart, meaning it’s placed on the finger first, followed by the engagement ring. However, like so many aspects of weddings today, it’s really about personal preference,” Ann Grimmet, Vice President of Merchandising at Jared Jewelers, told The Knot in 2025.
Modern brides switch up their ring stacks for various reasons.
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Meghan isn’t the only one changing the order of her ring stack. Modern brides may simply not feel compelled to follow tradition, or not even be aware of it. Others prefer the look of their wedding band when placed above their dazzling proposal piece. A more practical reason for tweaking one’s lineup is to place the tightest band on top, preventing looser rings from slipping off the finger. As with any tradition, crafting the perfect bridal ring stack is ultimately about doing what looks and feels best for the individual.
