<p>I would be extremely touched if my fiance gave me a ring that belonged to his beloved late mother, whether she was happily married or not. William probably remembers holding hands with his mother and touching this ring. He wasn’t part of the theater of the wedding, like the rest of us. He knew this ring as part of his mother.</p>
<p>Perhaps William feels that he can give THIS wearer of the ring the steadfast love that its first wearer did not get. That’s quite beautiful.</p>
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<p>Charles has already shown his talent for tact with his “They’ve been practicing long enough” comment to the media when asked for his reaction to his son’s engagement.</p>
<p>There are stories saying that William had to make arrangements with his brother to get this ring. Apparently, after Diana died, each of the boys chose something of hers to keep as a memento. William chose the watch she habitually wore. Harry chose her engagement ring. (I guess it symbolized Diana, rather than her bad marriage, to Harry, too.) So when William wanted the ring to give to Kate, he would have had to ask his brother for it. Harry has been quoted by the press as saying that he’s delighted to have Kate as a new sister. Considering that he gave up his chosen memento of his mom, apparently he means it.</p>
<p>I typically would not want to wear an engagement ring that came from a failed marriage–I am too superstitious, but under these circumstances I don’t think I would mind. Diana picked it out herself and loved the ring, it is one of few things William has of her and I think I would be honored that he saw fit to bestow it to me under the circumstances. To me at this point it represents Diana, not her marriage, and I’ve gotten the impression Will and Kate feel similarly.</p>
<p>*First of all I think that Harry is a very special brother to give up his only personal momento of his mother. Every piece of jewelry has history if it is passed down in a family. My mother wore her mother’s bracelet everyday of her life. My grandmother died of cancer, as did my mother. I am a cancer survivor (hopefully). Bad karma? No, life.</p>
<p>My guess is that William (I’m on first name terms with him I guess) wants to feel his mother’s presence, garner, in his mind, her approval for his choice, and continue the love that she gave him. </p>
<p>I would absolutely take the ring.*</p>
<p>I agree- I don’t understand those who don’t get the significance.
I think it is a beautiful gesture from Wills, and very wise of him regarding the thoughts of the English people as well.
Does he really need to spend more money on another ring that will be judged just as harshly?
I don’t judge a persons life by how it ends- ex I don’t consider that someone who dies in an unfortunate manner- i.e. suicide to be " failed"
I also don’t consider that a marriage that produced two children out of love to have " failed" either, even though it did not end " happily ever after".</p>
<p>I’m in the camp that feels that William’s giving the ring to Kate is lovely, and Harry’s giving the ring to his brother was truly magnanimous. I am wondering, though, why each boy was only allowed to keep one of his mother’s possessions?</p>
<p>Best wishes to William and Kate! I wish Diana could be here to share their joy. It’s hard to imagine her a middle-aged mother of the groom, isn’t it?</p>
<p>I am wondering, though, why each boy was only allowed to keep one of his mother’s possessions?</p>
<p>Well they were pretty young when she died- I am guessing ( hoping?) that many of her things were kept for them when they were older.</p>
<p>but who knows? I don’t have anything of my dads except for a Pendelton wool shirt & I was 17 when he died.
:(</p>
<p>“I also don’t consider that a marriage that produced two children out of love to have " failed” either, even though it did not end " happily ever after". "</p>
<p>That’s a good point…particularly where, as here, by all accounts both children were attached to both parents. That’s a success that many divorced couples do not manage to pull off.</p>
<p>I too was shocked to hear about the ring. I think any other piece of jewelry that was worn by Diana–and I’m sure she had her share of rings–or a restyled ring using the same stones, would have been more appropriate. An engagement ring by its very nature is symbolic, and this one remains a symbol of a disastrous marriage that caused Diana no end of misery. I think she’d be horrified seeing it on Kate’s finger looking exactly as it did the day Charles placed it on her own.</p>
<p>Diana did pick out the ring herself - she had always loved sapphires and it reminded her of the ring her own mother had always worn. The truth is, she may have never felt much of a connection between it and Charles. Her sons may have known how much she loved the ring and considered it her own. Or -someone in William’s position could look at it as a chance to rewrite history to some extent. Interesting sidebar - it was noteworthy at the time that the ring was not, as was traditional, either an original or an heirloom, but part of a jewelry line available for sale to the (high end) public. </p>
<p>In Kate’s position, and all other things being equal, I’d have preferred something new. But if it meant a lot to the groom, that would have to be a big factor as well. Sometimes finances dictate in situations like this, but I know of at least one person who turned down a family heirloom ring for something new, because of the history.</p>
<p>“I think she’d be horrified seeing it on Kate’s finger”</p>
<p>Isn’t her son a better judge than we are of the way she’d react? He, you know, met her and stuff.</p>
<p>If I were Kate I would be thrilled to have the ring. I would like to have it myself! :)</p>
<p>With most of us, only a few people would know that it was mom’s or grandma’s ring unless told. I bet that a majority of American and British woman my age and many guys could identify that ring as “Diana’s engagement ring.” Too much identity with another person and a very sad story.</p>
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<p>LOL, I don’t know…if Wills would log on, maybe he’d learn a thing or two.</p>
<p>The Royals, the Pailins…wouldn’t it be wild (and creepy!) to think of total strangers on some message board discussing YOUR family? (But that’s not stopping me.)</p>
<p>Diana got to choose her own ring, I think Kate should have been able to also. Sapphires may not be her taste. (I’d prefer all diamonds myself). But to get William and become queen one day, I’d wear a cubic zirconia from Walmart. </p>
<p>William did avoid any controversy by giving the ‘used’ ring. If he’d spent a lot of money on when Britishers are suffering financially, he’d have been criticized. On the other hand, he’d have been criticized if he’d ‘cheaped out’.</p>
<p>I had heard that William had chosen to have his mother’s watch as it was the watch that she taught him to tell time on. </p>
<p>When I read that, I totally choked up. How sweet.</p>
<p>According to reports both boys were allowed to select one piece of Diana’s jewelery. William chose the watch, Harry took the ring. Reports say he had to call Harry and ask for the ring. I wonder if Harry now has the watch?</p>
<p>It gives me the creeps to see it on her finger. But I appreciate the fact that he obviously feels differently about it, and presumably she does too. It was awfully nice of Harry to give it to him.</p>
<p>As for Charles, those who rush to condemn him might remember that–unlike his son-- he was not allowed to choose a wife for whom he had genuine feelings. The idea that a man of his intellectual bent and interests would ultimately be happy with a 19-yr-old dropout babysitter Sloane Ranger, no matter how pretty, was unlikely from the get-go. Eventually, he did get to choose the woman whom he had loved all along, and whom he was forced to give up at an early age. I actually find that far more romantic and moving than the whole Diana farce.</p>
<p>Also remember that Diana courted the press as much as they followed her. It was a symbiotic relationship.</p>
<p>Heard this morning on the Today show that Diana had ordered the ring from a catalog at a cost of $60,000. Apparently at the time this caused a commotion in England as many Brits felt that it was not traditional enough and too cheap. Ha! I would wear that ring in a heartbeat if I was Kate. I love the sentiment that one poster said it was a promise not kept. Hope this one lasts, he seems to be very grounded young man who was raised well. She seems very down to earth, I think his mother would have approved. Who doesn’t love a happy ending?</p>
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<p>Apparently that is what the ring symbolizes to you, and probably many others who watched the Diana and Charles saga over the years. However, you cannot assume that William and Kate agree with your interpretation. It seems highly unlikely that either one of them see it that way; otherwise, they would not have chosen this ring as their engagement ring.</p>
<p>This reminds me of the speech Tom Hanks’ character gives at the beginning of The Da Vinci Code. He does a power point using various “symbols” and asks the students to interpret their meaning. They find out that, depending on one’s age and culture, those symbols can have very different interpretations, and thus the feelings and emotions they evoke can vary greatly from person to person.</p>
<p>It’s their business, but I would not want the deceased mother’s ring, especially under the circumstances, as my engagement ring. A lot of people go for the family ring thing, and in that family, I would think there is a lot of fabulous jewelry going around (like the queen or her deceased mother’s ring). Something so close to tragedy would be too sad for me. That he wants her to have the ring, well, that’s nice, and of course she can not refuse it, but it would bother me every day looking at it and thinking of her sad end. JMO.</p>