to think that William giving Kate Diana's ring is just plain odd.

[wannaBe]

When you consider what that ring represents ... an unhappy marriage to a man who never loved her but instead loved someone else and a resulting divorce.

Am not even sure that the fact she is dead cancels that out tbh.

Do we need two threads on this subject?

I think it's lovely.

I'm not a fan of Diana but do think this is his way of involving her, so to speak, in the wedding.

I think its lovely that he's done that - it has nothing to do with the failure of his parents marriage for whatever reasons, and everything to do with how much his mum meant to him and how much Kate now means to him, a totally beautiful gesture, that he loves her so much he would give her his precious mother's ring

I think it is nice to have a family heirloom.
Did Diana wear it everyday?

I do not think it is odd at all. It is actually a really beautiful gesture as it is a cherished possession of his and he is saying (by giving it to her) that she is special enough for it. And I bet he asked her if she wanted that or another - although it would prob be hard for her to say no and want something else...

But anyway, no, it is not odd, it is a beautiful gesture.

I think it's a hideous rung but I can understand why he gave it to her. She'll probably wear it for the next year then put it back in the vaults once the wedding ring goes on. I'd be pushing for a Christmas wedding if it would put an end to having to cart it round with me!

rung ring fgs.

I can totally see why it is precious to William. It reminds him of his mother.

But it is not a beautiful gesture to give it to Kate. All he has done is invite the Diana comparisons which he says he wants to quell.

And while it has happy associations for him, for the rest of the world (including Kate and her family) it means only one thing. DIANA, DIANA, DIANA.

I feel sorry for her having to wear it actually. A heavy burden and a constant reminder of a marriage full of sadness.

Couldn't he have given her some other item of his mother's jewellery?

Very bizarre thing to do.

I'm guessing that he explained his reasons for giving his mother's ring to her and that she accepted and agreed with them. She's old enough to have had an opinion and looks sensible enough to have said yes if she wanted something different. IMO not really our business.

My wedding ring is my grandmother's. She was widowed when my father was 3 but I don't think about it superstitiously. I just love the fact that it is a family ring and every time I look at it I think of her

I think it's a lovely thing to have done

You have no idea what that ring might represent to him, to her, what it meant to the original owner. They do manage to keep quite a bit private.

An awful lot of people 'hand down' engagement rings like this - not in itself freaky. Though my interest in the whole business is pretty bloody limited (and I despised Diana for being a whining PITA with a massive ego), I'd kind of concur with the theory that it's a reasonable act by a man who loved his (now dead) mum and has a sense of tradition/history.

Mind you I am rather rubbing my paws at the money I am hopefully going to make out of this whole wedding crapola. I have a badge machine heheh. Just how much demand is there going to be for 'opposition to royal wedding wank' badges?

I think you are a bit. It was his mother's ring, one that she chose and now he's giving it to the other important woman in his life. Think of it from his point of view. His parents' union produced him, so not all bad.

Various friends have suggested that it might have been better to have the stones reset or to just give her the ring to wear but not as an engagement ring. Hopefully, Kate will understand that it represents William's relationship with his mother, not her hideous marriage. But I agree, it's really ugly!

You think that's odd ... how about using the engagement ring your ex gave you???
A friend of a friend did just that!

I think it's plain weird. KM must have agreed to it too which is weirder - I can't believe she is just smiling & nodding her way through this, so it must have been discussed between them.

Surely Diana left 10 tonns of jewellery behind - there must be other rings that were suitable or that could have been remodelled into something suitable? Lots of other options than to give a ring of doom and despair, initially given by a prince to a women he didn't love, a woman he tricked into a marriage of hell.

Plus it just feeds the inevitable comparisons with Diana that will be with KM forever - why would you? why why why????? I don't by the "I want Mum involved" line as he could have done that without using THAT ring.

I was in the middle of reading this thread when Matthew Wright announced that the next topic, is whether your marriage is jinxed if you have a hand-me-down ring!

I can't see a problem with it. He adored his mother. Giving her ring to his future wife shows how much he loves her.
Kate obviously realised how much it meant to him. (Glad I haven't got to wear it though!)

I think it is a lovely gesture and probably being dianas worth a lot more than one he could of bought new and if the curse of the ring goes on she can always porn it and buy a nice house

FGM maybe that's why they did it - nice exit gift if it all goes tit's up!!!!

Seriously though she would have to return it - it will ALWAYS be Diana's ring after all (never KM's) and if they did divorce and tried to sell it, she'd be shouted at & harassed (or worse) by half the country forever.

Probably FMM there would be outcry I would do a runner though and black market it LOL

Is it possible Kate M may have asked William if she could have his mother's engagement ring? Perhaps it was her idea?

I think she'd have vetoed it if she was uncomfortable with it in any way. I think she's a strong, potentially very powerful woman.

So what if someone posted on here;
"I've proposed to my girlfriend, she's accepted (yay!), I really want to give her my mother's engagement ring - she loves it too btw - because my mum died when I was a kid, and I just really wish she was here to help plan the wedding and get excited - and to meet my gf, I'm gutted she never got to know her. But I feel like using her ring will include her in some way. She and my dad never really got on, they ended up splitting up before she died, but that's not really important now, the important thing is the future. My gf agrees (she really does, isn't just saying that). What do you think?"

Can see what you are driving at Lily.

For some reason, for me at least, William's views and explanations about why he was using his mother's ring just didn't ring true.

If you'll pardon the pun! :)