Usage Among British Royal Family
The use of the left-hand pinky finger as the wedding ring and royal signet or initial ring of the British Royal Family is shrouded in family secrecy. Nevertheless, it is an ironclad tradition dating back to the sons of Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria's son Prince Leopold wore many rings on his left pinky, as did all of the sons of King George V. King Edward VII did not assign any special significance to his left pinky as later generations did, and his son George V wore no rings at all. The best example of such a ring was the one worn by George VI. Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh wore his father's signet ring until sometime in the 1970s when he ceased to wear any signet. Prince Charles wears the official signet of the Prince of Wales, which ring is nearly 175 years old and was last worn by the Duke of Windsor when he was still Prince of Wales. Prince Charles as well as the other men in the family wear their signets on top of their wedding bands.
Read more about this topic: Pinky Ring
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