<p>I am so happy to hear about the engagement. I was one of those that got up early to watch Diana and Charles get married. This time around I will have my youngest D who can watch it with me!</p>
<p>I have a secret crush on Prince Harry. So does my daughter. :D</p>
<p>I have to say that as silly as this is, I am kind of excited about another royal wedding. I remember watching Charles and Diana’s wedding when I was a teen. I wish them both the very best.</p>
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<p>To some of us perhaps but not to William…he sees it as a connection to his mother and that is what matters.</p>
<p>I’m looking forward to watching the wedding. Is this one going to be in the middle of the night too?? (haha) Thank God for Tivo! Imagine the pressure in picking out her gown etc for a wedding that will be watched around the world.</p>
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<p>I don’t agree and actually I saw a news clip of an interview and William says that the ring is a way of having his mother be part of his union with Kate. He sees the ring as belonging to his beloved mother and passing it onto his wife and being symbolic of his mom’s sharing in their union. It added special meaning to giving Kate the ring. Kate seemed thrilled with having it and how special the ring was to Will.</p>
<p>I have my mother’s (who has recently passed away) engagement ring in my possession and I think of it as something that belonged to her more than thinking of it as a symbol of my parents’ marriage. It seems that is what William thought by passing his mother’s ring onto his betrothed.</p>
<p>PS, I surely remember watching Charles and Diana’s wedding on TV!</p>
<p>I have my husband’s mother’s ring and wouldn’t trade it for anything. She died when my husband was 11 and the ring was left to him. I would never have received such a nice ring if my husband were to have purchased one at the age of 22! On our 10th anniversary my husband wanted to upgrade my ring and I refused; this was his mother’s ring and was meant for him to give his bride. I love having a family piece even though I never knew his mother. I would guess Kate is equally thrilled no matter the history.</p>
<p>It is common with royalty to “give” jewelry that is in the family for important occasions. The wearer keeps it for life then it returns to the family. Most of the jewelry you see the royal women wear has been in the family for a long time. Although they do have things restyled from time to time.</p>
<p>So will Kate now be able to sneak into the Tower of London late at night when no one is around and try on the Crown Jewels?</p>
<p>Kate will not be lacking in jewelry. Her lovely ears and neck and wrist and fingers will be bejeweled with priceless gems for years to come. </p>
<p>Even if she has to wear a boring engagement ring from the 80’s. ;)</p>
<p>I actually think it’s a nice touch. Will and Harry were devoted to their mom. Having Kate wear her ring is lovely.</p>
<p>snowball, my engagement ring also is a ring that belonged to my mother-in-law, though was not her engagement ring, and she is very much alive. We were students when we got married. It is special to me as it is my engagement ring, but to be honest, I wish I could have picked it out as I don’t entirely love the setting but didn’t care because it was special to have a ring and what it stands for, and I still wear it 33 years later. As I never got to pick out a ring, and since I now have my mom’s ring (a setting, which she had reset over the years that I would never ever wear), I have considered having that reset one day as a ring for myself, but not to take the place of my engagement ring of course.</p>
<p>Regarding titles, it is expected that the Queen will bestow one of the Royal dukedoms on William before his wedding, probably the Duke of Cambridge. That way Kate can be known as the Duchess of Cambridge. If I remember my royalty trivia correctly, when an untitled woman marries into the Royal family, they become known as Princess Whatever the Husband’s Name Is. For example, the Queen’s cousin, Prince Michael, second son of the Duke of Kent (the Queen’s uncle) married a woman who had been previously divorced and whose father was an exiled Nazi. The rumor mill had it that the Royal family was none too enthralled, so no title was given and she is now known as Princess Michael of Kent, even though her name is Marie Christine.</p>
<p>While in post #25, I was paraphrasing what I had seen on a news clip of an excerpt of an interview with Prince William regarding his mother’s engagement ring that he gave to Kate, I have now read a direct quote in an article and will just put it here since the other was from a video and not text:</p>
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<p>[Kate</a> Middleton: William is a true romantic - Monsters and Critics](<a href=“http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/news/article_1599534.php/Kate-Middleton-William-is-a-true-romantic]Kate”>http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/news/article_1599534.php/Kate-Middleton-William-is-a-true-romantic)</p>
<p>Another quote on this topic:</p>
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<p><a href=“http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101117/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_royal_wedding;_ylt=AggXRAT0QfPPzDQXbBl0kNus0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTFiNnBidXBwBHBvcwM1MQRzZWMDYWNjb3JkaW9uX3dvcmxkBHNsawNhcm95YWx3ZWRkaW4-[/url]”>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101117/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_royal_wedding;_ylt=AggXRAT0QfPPzDQXbBl0kNus0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTFiNnBidXBwBHBvcwM1MQRzZWMDYWNjb3JkaW9uX3dvcmxkBHNsawNhcm95YWx3ZWRkaW4-</a></p>
<p>Can someone explain why, almost 250 years after we kicked them out, we still have such a fascination with the British Royal Family? I just don’t get it. 
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<p>I never got the obsession with the Kennedy’s either, and I live in MA.</p>
<p>It’s been quite fascinating watching the international reaction to this, especially from people in America. Why do people take such an interest in this royal family but no other?</p>
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<p>She most certainly is not from a regular middle class family. She has had an extremely privileged upbringing (her parents are millionaires, and she attended very expensive private schools). Nor has she ever had a job; choosing instead to live of mummy and daddy even though she graduated from uni 8 years ago. </p>
<p>The British royal family has a long way to go before letting true ‘commoners’ into the fold. It’s a shame because the rest of Europe has moved on, the Norwegian heir to the throne for example married a decidedly average single mum… this would never happen in Britain.</p>
<p>And the crown princess of Sweden married her personal trainer last summer. We were in Stockholm right after the event last summer, and there were trinkets with their pictures and names on them everywhere. Should have picked one up, D2 missed a Quiz Bowl question about them a couple of weeks ago that she might then have known. :)</p>
<p>I was living at home with my parents (college summer) when Di & Charles got married, and I can remember cuddling up in my mom’s bed with her to watch the wedding. I expect I will watch this one, too. Maybe I can get D2 to watch with me. Just need to tell the D’s not to get any ideas for their own future ceremonies, as we will not have a “royal” budget. Or St. Paul’s Cathedral.</p>
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<p>I agree with part and not with other parts. </p>
<p>While articles claim she comes from a middle class family, her parents are self made millionaires. To most (unless comparing to royal people or extreme wealth), millionaires are not “middle class.” A more accurate statement is that William is marrying a commoner and not other royalty.</p>
<p>I disagree about her holding jobs. She was an accessories buyer at one time for a clothing company called Jigsaw. She reportedly now works for her parents’ company, an online children’s party goods company. I don’t consider that not holding a job or living off one’s parents. My own father worked for the family owned business that his father owned and then my father owned it and then my brother worked for my dad’s business. They all worked hard even if it was the family business. They went to work every day. This was not considered “living off one’s parents” as each individual held a job.</p>
<p>I, for one, am not particularly fascinated. The whole fairy tale prince thing was really exploded by Charles and Diana.</p>
<p>As individuals I do with them well.</p>
<p>As for the ring, I think it’s so large for an engagement ring which one would probably like to wear every day, and so not neutral. Nice touch that they both wore sapphire for their announcement so the ring could speak.</p>
<p>As for the symbol of choosing his mother’s ring: what kid should be forced to think of his parents’ marriage as a farce? It produced him. That should be celebrated. And since Diana picked the ring out herself it was truly hers and not something Charles foist upon her.</p>
<p>As for rings, two husbands, I’ve never had one. Not an engagement ring I mean. Not unless you count the killer four carat CZ H bought me. It’s emerald cut. We’d have to be quite wealthy to afford the real thing. I do have some “real” jewelry, but I’ve always been just too practical to spend a lot of money on a ring. My mom gave me hers for a while – a one carat, brilliant solitaire, but it was just too dainty for me, even though I have small hands. Gave it back. It’s ear-marked for my son.</p>
<p>On the subject of jobs and Kate Middleton…I also think it is prejudicial to assume all women will be career oriented. I have two daughters who are young adults and pursuing careers. However, in Kate’s case, while she has worked here and there, I don’t begrudge if she is not that career oriented, as her future life may be as princess/wife and mother and charity work, as Diana did. She is educated. I do not frown upon women who are not career oriented. Kate is not poor and has options obviously that not all young women have.</p>
<p>It’s good to see two happy people on welfare.</p>
<p>The welfare comment seems rather snarky considering that Prince William is in the Royal Air Force. I sure hope nobody refers to our servicemen as “on welfare.”</p>