Just a short time ago, Kate Middleton and Prince William did their first photo-op as an engaged couple – a brief appearance where Will and Kate actually got to be arm-in-arm with one another, and answer a few questions, and most importantly, Kate got to flash the RING. William proposed to Kate using his mother’s engagement ring – a large sapphire surrounded by diamonds. William took the ring from his mother’s Kensington Palace apartment days after Diana died (Harry took her Cartier watch). I have to admit, I find it really sweet (and only slightly cheap) that William gave Kate his mother’s ring. True story: neither Diana nor Charles picked out the sapphire. Queen Elizabeth picked it out.
Also, Kate’s parents are speaking out too (photos of them below):
Kate Middleton’s parents are thrilled Prince William has proposed.
“I would just like to say that Carole and I are absolutely delighted by today’s announcement and thrilled by the prospect of a wedding sometime next year,” her father Michael Middleton said Tuesday.
The prince and Middleton, both 28, have been dating for eight years, after meeting at St. Andrews University in Scotland.
Said her father, “As you know Catherine and Prince William have been going out for quite a number of years, which is great for us because we have got to know William very well. We think he’s wonderful and we’re extremely fond of him.
“They make a lovely couple,” he also said. “They’re great fun to be with and we’ve had a lot of laughs together. We wish them every happiness for the future.”
[From Us Weekly]
That’s nice. Katie Nicholl at The Mail says that William is actually very close to the Middletons, and he gets along very well with his soon-to-be in-laws. Considering that the Middletons have basically financed Kate’s entire nine year endeavor to score herself a future king, I’d say they deserve a round of applause.
Photos of the Middletons, courtesy of WENN.
Kate does have a very photogenic, media-friendly smile.
A shame to re-use Diana’s ring when her marriage turned out so badly. At least have it re-set.
I thought Diana had said in a interview that she had given William her engagement ring, after the divorce, just for this purpose. To be used for his future wife.
But I am sure the British press will have something sh*tty to say it.
I also kind of see it as bad karma… to use such a famous ring… that was from a very bad marriage. But it is still a gorgeous ring. Lets hope they have a much better marriage.
I don’t agree with using his mothers ring. After the marriage to his father that she endured, the cheating and then divorce, is that really the karma Wills wants on his marriage? He should have had the sapphire reset into another ring for Kate.
I see nothing wrong with using his mother’s ring. He adored his mother, both boys did. And for him to give Kate that ring means something.
I think eh and Kate make a good couple, and congrats to them both.
Yea not sure about using Diana’s ring, so much history with it, unpleasant history, but I think its lovely, the ring. The only colored engagement ring I absolutely loved EVER was Jennifer Lopez’s engagement ring Ben gave her. I loved that pink diamond. I am pretty sure hers was princess cut to.
Kate is a cutie. She looks like her Mom. Happiness & well-wishes to all.
Ditto Obvious. I really don’t understand all the vitriol heaped on this girl…
Her parents are cool looking. I think William & Kate will have a good marriage. I think Diana would be very proud of Prince William.
One advantage that Kate has, over what Diana went through on her engagement and marriage, is her having known William for 9 years. Being exposed to the Royal family for that long surely will help her deal with a “royal” marriage/relationship. Diana was basically broad-sided by it all. As far as the ring goes – a lot of people pass engagement rings on – nothing different here. If it is meaningful to William – that’s all that matters.
Congrats and best wishes to the happy couple.
I find it very touching that he is using his mother’s ring. They make a lovely couple and I wish them nothing but the best. She is going to make a gorgeous bride. I am so looking forward to watching the wedding. I feel sad that Diana is not going to be there too. Saddest thing ever when she died.
It belonged to his mom and like he said above, for Kate to have the ring means something special to him (and to her I’m sure, she must be honored to have such a ring). Sure Charles and Diana didn’t have a happy marriage, but the ring had nothing to do with that.
Glad he finally put a ring on it. Unlike a lot of people, I like Kate. She gets criticized of doing nothing but waiting around for William. I would really like to hear her speak in an interview and hear her side of the story, they can’t keep her shut up forever! Sooner or later she’ll have to say something.
I just got a little teary. Congrats to the happy couple, I think it’s very sweet they used Diana’s ring.
You think it’s cheap he used his mother’s ring???? He said he did it so Diana could be a part of his engagement. I think it’s sweet and loving and shows how much he loves Kate that he would give her Diana’s ring.
I actually think she’s cute. I’m happy for them.
that is sweet, but I wouldn’t want that ring. it didn’t lead to very much happiness for diana.
Wow, Kate’s mom still has a great figure!
Kate has a great figure and although her face is lovely, do you think she looks 28?
Aww good for them. finally! Kate has a good head of her shoulders and her family is a close knit upper middle class/upper class family. She’s a good friend and keeps William in line when he’s about to do something foolish. I think she’ll be a wonderful Princess.
Did Ya’ll see this a.m in the today show how hard the “royal Observers Via satellite” cackled when Meredith asked if there was any royal connection to Kate??
They also called her Waity Katie AND sniped about her not working and getting her makeup did in clubs bathroom before heading back out for the night so there weren’t any bad pics
They are going to run her through the ringer
I Think she and her mom look SO.Much.ALike
I can see the pros and cons of using Diana and charles’s engagement ring.
But, it’s very clear that William’s intention is to honor his mother and to keep her memory alive and an important part of his and Kate’s life.
I think that is beautiful and all any mother could ever wish for.
Like others have said, I think Wills thinking wasn’t about the rep of the ring (which is superstitious and he prob doesn’t believe in), but more about it being his mother’s ring. His mother than he and Harry both adored and loved so much.
He actually said “It’s my way of making sure my mother didn’t miss out on today” which just made me tear up a little.
And doing a heirloom isn’t cheap. It’s romantic. And more practical as they already have the ring and jewelery is meant to be worn and not sit in a box.
@ 17-Leticia — no, I think she looks older. Her skin looks a bit muddy and tired, but nothing a good skin peel and some rest won’t cure. She’s probably been worried about the big engagement. She looks lovely in that dress, though.
I think it shows Harry’s fine taste that he opted for the Cartier. : )
In a weird way, that ring lets Diana live on a bit. The only power it has as a bad omen is the power people give it. It’s a ring, not a person. It does not have power to ruin a relationship, only people have that power.
I wouldn’t like to be wearing my dead mother in laws engagement ring, too spooky. I hope their lives have a happier ending.
My only criticism of any of this is why did Kate’s mother wear BLUE JEANS for the photo op? The boots and jacket are fine, and she looks great, but jeans? Really?
WOW she is wearing Diana’s ring!!! lovely all the best
She is very pretty,it means even more to William the fact that it was his mother’s ring. I think these two will be very happy together. His mother would be so proud of him.
In my part of the world, they say that a sapphire is a very powerful stone: it can either make your life and bring you tremendous luck, or it can destroy you. It’s all nonsense of course, but I’d say it did the latter to Diana. Hope it does the former for Kate.
@devilgirl I totally agree. It’s just a ring people, not the hope diamond.
Beautiful, I get the sentiment, but personally, I’d be terrified to wear it.
well its eerie seeing that ring again, and still being so ‘alive’ itself and functioning even after Diana’s passing. Odd contrast there.
But I find it a bit cheap unless it was indeed Diana’s specific gift to him to use for engagement and it isnt just somethign he grabbed out of the chest of family jewels to give to her with no personal consideration or selection… because typically chosing a ring is a big process with lots of thought involved.
beautiful!, the ring, the dress, the hair…i look forward to the rag magazines tearing her apart in the future./sarcasm
btw, her dad looks like hannibal lecter
I can’t even IMAGINE getting to wear Princess Diana’s ring! That would be amazing. Who cares bout the past-he loved his mother dearly and for him to give this to her to wear just speaks volumes about how much he cares for her. Very sweet!
I think it is fitting to use Diana’s ring. It is about the connection between William and his Mother not to do with her failed marriage.
Kind of like “my precious….” feeling here about that ring
Kate looks like Audrina from The Hills!!
I don’t think the ring is very pretty, but I’m sure there is a lot of sentiment behind it. Just because Diana and Charles got divorced doesn’t mean that this ring is an omen. William is marrying the person who he wants to be with and it took them nine years to get to this point…so congrats!
Katie looks smug.
That ring is bad luck, and she needs all the help she can get joining that family.
Wow, they really have to let her talk at some point….
I think it’s a lovely gesture to use Diana’s ring. William and Harry were devoted to her and it’s clearly William’s way of honouring her memory. I’m sure both Kate and Diana are absolutely chuffed and all you grinches out there who think he’s too cheap or it’s a bad omen need to lighten up….
OMG, enough about the ring. It’s just a ring. It doesn’t hold supernatural powers that can control peoples’ lives. It’s a sweet romantic tradition to use the engagement ring of a beloved family member. That’s all. I totally get why William is using Diana’s ring. It was his mother’s ring. He loved her and she is gone. It’s a way to honor her memory.
Having said all that in defense of the ring, I just don’t see the appeal about Kate Middleton. I don’t think she’s attractive at all. She has a trailer trashy face, IMO. You know, kind of weathered-looking and like she blew the whole football team under the bleachers in high school? That kind of face. No doubt William could do SOOOOOOOOO much better.
OMG MUST.HAVE.THAT.RING!!! So pretty.
It is VERY sweet he used his mother’s ring. He asked for her ring after her death. The story was it was the only possession of hers he really wanted.
It is a time ok’d tradition to be given a loved one’s ring as an engagement ring.
I’m thrilled for them both
I hope Kate realizes what an honor it is to be given that ring! That ring was symbol of way more than just an engagement. It represented everything Diana had to endure in that relationship, cheating, etc. and with the media etc.
I wish them all the best. Im sure Diana is smiling down on them.
ALL stones have karma. Because the great majority of them are recycled diamonds.
You don’t REALLY think every ring out there is brand spanking new, do you?
My husband’s grandmother gave us her ring for me to wear when we were engaged. Her marriage to his grandfather ended in divorce, but I love the ring itself and have worn it every day since they gave it to me nearly nine years ago. It’s the thought of the lovely person from whom it was given, not necessarily of the unhappiness of the marriage. And no it is not cheap to use a family heirloom as an engagement ring. It’s a beautiful piece of family tradition that Kate should understand if she has been with William for that long.
I hope William wanting to get engaged and it wasnt pressure from the monarchy to take a wife due to his age.
Something tells me if he wasnt in line to be King he wouldnt be engaged right now =(
I think he was getting MAJOR pressure from his family & Kate and that will only result in an unhappy marriage or divorce down the rd.
Losing his mother at young age, pressure of being in line to throne, this poor KID deserves true happiness.
Best wishes to them both! I hope she gets to waste as much money as Di did on her appearance. If so, it should be quite a fashion show.
I say all the stuff about the ring is superstitious nonsense. Why not let the ring finally have something happy attached to it? It’s like new beginnings and stuff, but with a bit of his mom. I think it’s sweet and I would’t have batted an eye at it. It looks gorgeous on her.
It must be destroyed! It’s the only way!
I don’t understand why anyone cares what Kate has done with her professional life for the last nine years. Why the angry, bitter attitude toward her? My husband and I dated for many years before marrying and, I can assure you, I wasn’t just sitting around waiting for a proposal, and I doubt Kate was either. I guess I just don’t understand the vitriol.
BTW, hilarious comment from Jeane!
lol @ jeane.
it’s sweet & all that he gave it to her but maybe as something for her to wear on her right hand.
imo he should’ve gotten her a new engagement ring. cheap & classless. nothing screams i love you more than a hand-me-down.
I LOVE that she has Diana’s ring. William loved his mom and I think it’s lovely that her ring will be on another princess! Congrats to the happy couple!!
Just watched their interview on ITV and I must say, even though she was clearly nervous, I found her utterly charming.
She muddled her words a bit, but her dimples are adorable and William seems to love her. They also put a lot of rumours to rest.-
No she didn’t have a poster of him on her wall.
She claims to work at her parents company putting in ‘long hours’ and pulling her weight (bit of an eyeroll there) and she wants to someday make a difference to peoples lives.
Will wanted to wait until he’d finished his training to propose, and had been planning the proposal for a year. They’d obviously discussed it in detail years before.
Anyway, enough with all the hate, at least give her a chance! He’s made his choice and they seem happy.
So happy for both of them! And I would think it would be the highest of honors to give your late Mom’s ring to your beloved considering she used to be in line to be Queen! Any other ring just would not have had the same significance!
The ring is beautiful, tasteful, and familial. Tragically McObvious, take note.
My goodness, not a lot of sentimental posters on here, huh?
I think it’s lovely that he gave her his mother’s ring. He loved his mother dearly.
Cheap & classless?! What? Since when is an heirloom cheap & classless? I think it it the height of class for Wills to give the ring to Kate. I have many friends who’ve worn their mother, grandmother or great-grandmother or the husband-to-be’s mother, grandmother or great-grandmother’s rings for their engagement rings. It is a way to include family who may no longer be with us (like Diana) in the new marriage & it is also a way of honoring those in our past without whom we might not be alive. Not that money is remotely an issue with royalty, but many people can’t afford to spend thousands of dollars on a ring. The ring is a symbol, nothing more. Hell, I know plenty of people who didn’t bother with an engagement ring at all, a down payment on a house (or the like) was more important to them than jewelry. Things like engagement rings are traditional, but certainly aren’t necessary for along & happy marriage.
If someone rejects a man because he doesn’t get her a brand-new ring, I think he is probably better off without her
I hate the way the papers continually (and even GMA today with that smug faced Tina Brown) refer to her as Waity Katie. Lots of couples have been together for a number of years perfectly happy without getting married, and I’m not saying Kate didn’t want to get engaged but as she’s never made a public statement regarding her relationship with William it’s all specualtion and infantile rhyming headlines. Yes Waity rhymes with Katie, is that really the best you can do? I don’t know what she’s done to deserve hostility. As for the job front when she did get a “real” job, the press hounding and the expectation on her to attend some royal events made it impossible.
Congrats to them both, the sentiment behind the giving of the ring is touching. Here’s hoping all goes well for them.
I love the ring. For Waity Kaity that must be spectacular to have finally obtained The Ring after she outlasted, outmanouvered, outwitted and probably manipulated Wills to win the trophy. Congrats to her. She isn’t ugly, but she has sort of a hard look to her they need to soften up her face mabe gently pull her hair back with waves/curls or something.
Giving Kate his mother’s ring is not cheap. Will could have chosen to sell the ring at auction and would have been guaranteed a price far in excess of its face value. The cheap option would have been to sell his mother’s ring and use part of the proceeds to buy a different ring.
Giving the woman he loves a ring that belonged to the first woman he loved, is significant. Predictable, yes. But cheap. No!
With regards to Diana’s ring being “bad luck”, what an utterly silly superstition. I have stepped on many cracks, and my mother’s back remains unbroken. Both superstitions have an equal amount of validity.
I think about those two sad little boys trailing their mother’s casket and think this was a very beautiful gesture. This a big step in his life, one that he will not have his mother present to share with him. “Catherine” should feel honored that this piece of jewelry was given to her in this manner. The emotional ties that both boys must have to this ring out weighs anything monetary.
Re: Comment #17. I think Middleton looks older than 28. She’s a lovely girl, but dresses like she’s much older. Whereas Mother Middleton looks very youthful in her skinny jeans, ass-kicking heels and lovely fitted jacket.
Personally I wouldn’t wear that ring. I’m not v. sentimental, but I’m superstitious.
Kate needs a new hair style. She’s had the same cut since uni days. It’s not very sophisticated looking.
Hate the dress she’s wearing. Hint: when wearing coloured gems you don’t need to colour coordinate the outfit.
My husbands dad died before we walked down the aisle and I decided to give his fathers ring to him…I think all this hate about the ring is ridiculous. Are you going to tell the man that proposes to you that you want a new ring? I doubt it otherwise he will run (at least if he was smart he would run)
Edit-who cares, its their life not ours??? Why is everyone so quick to judge when if they were judging you about a picture you would be furious, i’m sure…
Lovely dress (I want it!)and amazing ring, congrats to the couple, hope they will be more lucky than his parents.
I love that he gave her Diana’s ring. The Queen picked it out, which makes it even more special. He has such a kind heart, just like his mama. Congratulations!! I hope that they have a long and happy marriage. I REALLY love that he says ” I didn’t know it was a race” and did things in his own time. They look happy and in love. His mom IS smiling down on them.. for sure!
Even Camilla Parker Bowles got a nicer ring than that one – it’s not even a pretty ring – plus Camilla doesn’t have to wonder if her ring is cursed. If I were Kate I’d be “accidentally” losing that hunk of ugly.
The jewelry has nothing to do with the actual marriage. Cursed jewelry? Please. I have my mothers ring from when she was married to my sperm donor. It only reminds me of her and how much I love her.
I like William’s voice. I realize I haven’t heard him speak in a really long time. I absolutely love the sentiment that giving the ring is his way of including his mother in his life. So so sweet. I hope they are really happy together and Kate can endure the firestorm that is approaching her.
*sigh*
This makes me sad for lots of reasons. I really dont like our royal family and the retarded, self protentious inbreds it produces yadda yadda…
But I’m fairly sure like with his daddy before him, he’s only getting married because he needs an heir and a spare. I mean, come on. Look at him. The only job of a future monarch is to produce another future monarch. Harry isn’t being pushed, or Beatrice *shivers*. Besides, look at them, they have no sex life!
I mean, even the current Queen Lizzie and Prince Phil dont share a bed ffs! You can tell by looking at Kate and Wills that theres nothing going on between the sheets. Either that, or they both lead a dirty kinky sex life that nobody suspects.
*Wills is blindfoled tied to a bed with Kate over him brandishing a corgi lead as a makeshift whip*
Wills: Tell me I’m common, I’m a dirty commoner!
Kate: You dirty scum, going to the supermarket late to get the deals on the reduced items *crack*
Wills: Yeah!
Kate: Buying a microwave swan dinner and eating it on your lap in front of a portable telly *crack*
Wills: Oh yeah!
Kate: You like being hurt dont you? *crack crack*
Wills: *gasps*
Kate: Well guess what? You’re gonna have to use an NHS health centre to get these wounds seen to *crack*
Wills: Please god no!
Kate: You wont be seen for at least a week at an unsuitable time so you’ll be in pain for days *crack*
Wills: Oh my god!
Kate: And then.. *whispers*..you’ll have to pay £7.20 for your prescription of savlon
Wills: Oh shit!!! *blows his load*
Yeeeeeah, probably nothing going on =D
I know I’m a buzzkill, but to me, I don’t feel happiness for anyone who marries into the royal family. I just see heartache for them.
I still cannot get over (or accept!) how much he looks like his dad! Wow- who would have thought that?
How come everyone is so obsessed with Waity Katie, yet people pay no mind to Jon Hamm’s 13 yr relationship with his girlfriend Jennifer. Talk about “Waity”. There are also several other relationships that have years in without a ring. What’s the big deal?
I guess I’m the only person who can’t see any resemblance to Charles in William. To me they barely even look related.
Well, this shows how many women would love to grow up and marry the Prince. Did that resentment set in the first time they heard “Cinderella” I wonder? The hate directed towards this girl is just sad. She’s giving little girls the wrong message? Really? Its real easy to be judgemental of a situation when you know its NEVER going to happen to you. If she got what she wanted and he got what he wanted, who cares what it took to get there?
Sorry, I think it’s a bad move to give her Diana’s ring. Not that she shouldn’t have it. She should and it’s nice for William to remember his mother. But she should have her own ring AND Diana’s ring as someone else mentioned above for her right hand. First bad omen for this unfolding mess. And how come the people saying ‘Don’t compare Katie to Diana’ think wearing Diana’s ring is a good idea? The British press is flooded with that comment.
BTW-Katie is completely flat chested so these pix look like she has some foundation garment assistance. Shame on me, Meow.
i don’t think she’s pretty at all she looks way older than 28 and the dress is ugly
Diana wore her engagement ring for many years, even when the marriage was over. William must associate the ring with his mother in a personal way, and not with her marriage.
Royal family members are accustomed to using second-hand jewelry. The Crown Jewels and the crown itself are examples.
gollum.
Kate’s mother is pretty! Congrats to them! Where is his brother? That’s who I want to marry!
Geez People, this isn’t The One Ring that must be destroyed in the fiery pits of Mount Doom!
I like the sentiment of Will giving his wife-to-be the ring that he saw on his mother’s hand most of his life. Perhaps when he sees the ring he thinks of his mother, simple as that, as opposed to her marriage to his father.
The ring will be a tangible, constant reminder of his mother, just as the watch will be for Harry.
Also, for all we know (because let’s face it we don’t know EVERYTHING that goes on in their lives even though we THINK we do) maybe Catherine has some qualities in common with Diana and this is Will’s way of recognizing that and the fact that Diana would have approved of her for her son.
Anyhoo, that ring is gorgeous and I wish them a long and happy marriage.
This is wonderful news! She seems like a really classy girl! She’ll make a beautiful princess!
Wow! I just clicked on her parent’s pics and her mom looks great! I love her outfit!
Notice how people are starting to call her Catherine, instead of Kate.
Yowza, some bitter hags posting on here today. I think the idea of giving her his mother’s engagement ring is lovely. He was very close to his mom and the ring probably has more meaning for him than any store-bought ring could have for her.
@ devilgirl:
How come everyone is so obsessed with Waity Katie, yet people pay no mind to Jon Hamm’s 13 yr relationship with his girlfriend Jennifer. Talk about “Waity”. There are also several other relationships that have years in without a ring. What’s the big deal?
Not the same situation at ALL!!
Jennifer Westfeldt has been busy living her life!! When they met SHE was the more successful one! She is a writer/producer/director. He was a struggling actor for a lot of years, until recently.
Wills has always been the prize and Kate has waited around for him to propose. No ambitions. No “real” jobs. We live in the internet age! Even though the press may make a 9-5 difficult there are many ways for her to pursue her passions in life. Instead she’s just waited by his side for her life as a royal wife to begin..
I think the ring HAS been reset. The surrounding diamonds look smaller and further away from the centre sapphire, which itself looks slightly smaller than the ring Diana wore.
That ring is stunning.
It’s too bad she didn’t marry him when he was still hot. Dude needs a Royal Lacefront.
This should brighten up the ol’ royal gene pool!
It isn’t cheap at all to use his mother’s engagement ring — it is sentimental & sweet. It isn’t like he gave her his dead mother’s ring to “save money” because that ring is worth a lot more to William than whatever it cost. He did it to honor his mother. In fact, it is such a beautiful gesture, it brings tears to my eyes.
Oh please Iggles. Westfeldt is DESPERATE for Hamm and her being the once more successful one has nothing at all to do with them not being married. He has said many times he has no desire to marry after his parents disastrous union. She has clung to him like a leech to a blood engorged body. In photos she is always looking at him, clinging to him in desperation. On red carpets, she won’t let go of him. She would jump at the chance to marry him if she could.
She is the Waity Katie of Hollywood.
I think Kate looked really lovely at the anouncement, very pretty.
Don’t love the ring, not my style, mind you it is a hell of a lot nicer than JSimps piece of crap ring LOL.
I wish them loads of luck.
Her future in-laws must really like her to give her that ring. I like that blue dress.
Devilgirl: Agree with you completely about Hamm’s piece. Madame Tussaud. I think she is now producing a movie starring him, but she has put her career on hold for years. She would marry him in a heartbeat if given the chance. Waity Katie of Hollywood, Love It.
I don’t know much about these two but it doesn’t seem like she was “after him,” so to speak. I mean they have been together for a really long time, you have to give her credit, obviously she loves him. If the royal family wasn’t happy with her or if William didn’t want to marry her, he wouldn’t have proposed.
I may be alone in this thought:
While I think Will and Kate’s engagement is wonderful news-and to be celebrated-my gut feeling is that tragedy is attached to that ring.
Just a feeling, but maybe it means nothing.
Prince Charles actually gave Camilla his grandmothers ring, well one of the many , for their engagement. The royals often recycle stones and other things Queen Elizabeth I drop pearl earrings are now part fo the Crown of St Edward , i think that is the one they use for the corination. It must mean a great deal to William to be able to give to his love.
I am old enough to remeber when his parents became engaged, William looked a lot happier, prouder and much more confident than his father ever did. I wish them well.
Congratulations to them both.
I would be honored to wear that ring! It was Princess Di’s for sobbing out loud!
That ring is bad juju. And every young woman deserves her OWN ring, not one that has been made famous (or infamous) by someone else. Giving Diana’s ring to Katemay sound lovely and sentimental, but I think it’s very off-putting.
i suggest having the ring’s energy cleared and cleansed with Reiki.
LOL @ Ghoulish Moose!
I usually think Kate looks haggard for someone her age but she actually looks very pretty here and prince william looks handsome again.
I was touched, proud, and honored to be given my mother-in-laws wedding ring from when she married my husbands father. She didn’t have an engagement ring or I would have been honored to wear that as well.
It does not matter that they divorced when my husband was 5. It matters that on the day that ring was put on her finger, she had hopes and dreams and married the man she loved. I felt very special to be given a gift like this because she was sharing those hopes and dreams with me.
William probably associates Dianna and the love, laughter, hopes, and dreams that his mother had and shared with him with the ring she wore so often. I know my early memories of my parents include special pieces of jewelry they wore. To call it cheap that he didnt run out and purchase a ring is so superficial and to say that Kate should have rejected his ring, to lose it or insist on wearing it as a right hand ring and demand he get her a new ring, ghastly when he has something he is able to share with Kate like this.
I pity you for not being able to recognize what a touching tribute to both his mother and his wife this is.
I agree with Jennifer. Call me crazy, but I don’t think he has free license to just “reset” jewelry that is passed down within the royal family.
I think it’s sweet. Hey, the point is HE FINALLY PROPOSED!
On a totally unrelated sidenote, whoever said her mom has an awesome figure, I TOTALLY agree! So jealous!
Over the years I have the impression it was Kates mother that engineered the whole thing.Apologies if this is not the case.It is the worse ever thing to live your life through your children.If you are not brave enough to go for chances in your own life do not force your dreams on them.Let them have their own.Encourage them and let them flourish.
The Ring: as I remember the story the royal jewelers were requested to send over a tray of rings from which Diana was told to make her selection and the Queen was hacked off because Diana chose the biggest, most expensive one of the lot. Yay Diana!
William has done the same thing many other sons have done in giving his mother’s ring to his fiancee. Is it cursed? Who knows, didn’t do Diana much good. All the same, Kate never opened her yap once during her entire campaign to ensnare Big Willie and she ain’t gonna start now. Folks, that is exactly why they allowed her in, she has demonstrated that she will endure whatever it takes without complaint and even though they consider her a commoner (her mother has been ridiculed endlessly by these snobs because of her history as a flight attendant, nickname ‘Doors to manual’), won’t betray them with bourgeois behavior (Toe-sucking, Andrew-pimping Sarah Ferguson anyone?)
The Dress: nice, but a little low cut. She looks more like she’s going out for drinks at Mahiki rather than making a global photo call to announce her engagement to the future King of England.
In watching them on the BBC this morning I was amazed at how much he sounds like his father (clueless) and how much more forceful she has become to the point of even interrupting and talking over him. she reminds me of Princess Michael of Kent. Not a compliment.
Good luck kids, you’re gonna need it.
Love it! I wear my mothers wedding ring (she died when I was young) and it has such incredible sentimental value to me. I think it is a great way to honor Diana.
Kate Middleton and the Ring of Doom.
I am not sure on using Diana’s ring, her marriage was so unhappy,but if it’s ok for them it will be ok. I think Kate Middleton is a tough girl, she has survived 9 years with the tabloids claiminig her relationship with the prince over something like once a month. best wishes girl!
Kate’s lovely, and she looks excited about finally getting married. But she doesn’t, in the video, appear to be thrilled with the ring. For one, it’s a curse to pass on a ring that didn’t end up in “happily ever after”, Diana and Charles divorced and the royals ultimately killed her. Second, the ring is out dated and dowdy. Kate is 28, Im sure she would have loved a nice, modern princess or emerald cut diamond with an intricate or new vintage band. She’s a trooper for though, and she is going to be queen someday. I guess you have to comprise where you can. Maybe she can tell William she wants to put it in a vault for safe keeping and then wear just a regular ring everyday. I mean, how many days can a girl wear royal blue? It will certainly clash with some outfits.
While I understand the whole giving her his mother’s ring to “keep her close” thing and do find it sweet, at the same time I find it equally creepy.
Not because Diana has passed, but more so because she and Charles had a miserable relationship in which the royal family treated her like sh-t, and I would think that that ring (particularly because the Queen picked it out- whatever the f that’s about) would be a daily reminder of that.
Also, I personally have always found it a little tacky when a man gives a woman a recycled ring. I mean, you’re asking me to be your wife: GIVE ME MY OWN damn ring!! Ugh. But like I said, William and his Mom were so close so I get it but, I mean, can you imagine if she didn’t like it??? How could you ever tell the man you love who is down on one knee that you hate his late mother’s ring? Yikes.
This was all the birds at work could talk about–the “Diana Ring.”
There are 8 women in the office, I make number 9. We all were unanimous in that it was not a good thing for William to propose using his mum’s engagement ring. It’s not a ring that came from a positive and happy environment–there’s too much strife associated with it.
It would be a totally different story if the ring came out of a happy and long-term marriage that ended only by death. Instead the ring is seen as bad karma. There are better ways to keep Diana close to the events.
I just have a bad feeling about all this as did a few of the women. William continues to be very close to all his ex-lovers. And the place he proposed to Kate, or should we be calling her Catherine noe, is the place Jecca Craig lives and she’s the one William was “engaged” to when he was in the gap year. I think it’s been reported Jecca is considered William’s “soulmate” but she won’t marry him and move to England so he’s settling for Catherine. I thought it was awfully timely she broke up with her long-time fiance last year and every time William goes to Africa he goes alone. I think Catherine’s only been there twice, in 2005 and now.
I see Jecca being William’s “Camilla Parker Bowles”–the person he really wants to be with but for the sake of the monarchy he’s with Catherine. Is it just me or does Catherine look like she could be Jecca’s sister or even twin? That William is substituting Catherine for Jecca? They already broke up two times, which never bodes well for marriage.
One thing that struck me as really weird during the interview was William’s claim the reason he took so long to propose is he wanted Catherine to have time to back out. You really think it takes 8 years for a smart woman to decide whether she wants to back out or not?
Back to the 9 women at my work, most of us gave it five years before things go pear-shaped.
So, if they do divorce, will Kate be woman enough to give William the ring back? I hope they have some sort of agreement that the ring goes back to William and Harry should the marriage not work out. It would be a shame for the Princes to lose such an artifact of their mother because of divorce. I am sure that the Queen has this worked out already.
LMAO @ ghoulish moose! Can’t stop laughing. I really feel they won’t last though!
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