Late Queen Elizabeth's Ring Had 'Secret' Message Engraved by Prince Philip- Known By Only 3 People

Queen Elizabeth II's precious wedding ring was a token of love from her husband Prince Philip with a secret message engraved that only three people knew about. According to royal biographer Ingrid Seward's book, Prince Philip: A Portrait of the Duke of Edinburgh, the late Queen never "took off" her gold ring which had a special inscription still unbeknown to the public except these people. 

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," as per PEOPLE. 

Indeed, the gesture was thoughtful of Prince Philip, who married the late Queen on November 20, 1947, at Westminster Abbey, in the presence of 2,000 guests and the rest of the 200 million population watching the royal wedding live on the BBC broadcast, as per The Mirror. While the Duke of Edinburgh died on April 9, 2021, Her Majesty left for her eternal abode the next year, on September 8, 2022. 

Although the inscription was a personal touch, he followed the royal tradition of choosing Welsh gold for their wedding bands that have been used for centuries. For instance, most recent royal brides like Princess Eugenie, Meghan Markle, and Kate Middleton followed the royal tradition, spanning over 100 years. But, some royal women also defied the tradition such as Princess Beatrice when she wed Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in July 2020 and wore a platinum band. 

Reportedly, Philip was very involved in the creation of Elizabeth's band which had a nostalgic history. Apparently, the diamond ring was made out of the Duke's mother, Princess Alice's tiara. The tiara was given to Alice as a wedding gift by Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra of Russia along with other precious jewels. Philip saved the diamonds in the tiara to make a ring out of it before even proposing to Elizabeth- which had a three-carat solitaire with five smaller diamonds on either side. 

Meanwhile, the wedding band is just one of many sentimental gifts Philip gave to his beloved wife. Naturally, the Duke's passing left a 'huge void' in Queen Elizabeth's life but his symbolic gifts kept her company. In addition to the engagement ring, he presented her with a diamond bracelet, also made out of his mother's tiara, set in platinum with geometric Art Deco-style diamond-set motifs. 

For their 5th wedding anniversary present, Philip broke a royal tradition of giving something of wood and gifted another bracelet to Elizabeth which he commissioned from a French jewelry house Boucheron, and was personally involved in the intricate design process. Another gift was a brooch by Andrew Grima, the 1960s revolutionary London designer, per The Telegraph. Queen Elizabeth's brooch collection had three more- a Honeymoon brooch, a Lover's Knot brooch, and a Cullinan V brooch.