WILLIAM AND KATE
Prince William told how he gave Kate Middleton his late mother's engagement ring in poignant tribute to her.
William hid Diana's 18-carat blue sapphire in his rucksack on their holiday to Africa - and admitted he was terrified of losing it.
He chose a secluded spot near Mt Kenya to pop the question and slipped the ring on to the future princess's finger. Tellingly, it was a perfect fit.
The prince, 28, said: "It is my mother's engagement ring.
"It is very special to me and Kate is very special to me now as well. It is only right the two are put together. It is my way of making sure my mother didn't miss out on today."
He paid further homage to Diana's memory by proposing in Africa, where she did her most valuable charity work. William, inspired by her to follow in her footsteps, has called the continent "my second home".
Kate, 28, has been dubbed "Waity Kaity" because it has taken him eight years to ask her to tie the knot.
But William revealed they had "been talking about marriage for a while". He said: "The timing is right, now. We are both very, very happy."
He would not reveal whether he had gone down on one knee. Kate would only say coyly: "It was very romantic and it was very personal."
She admitted joining the Royal Family when they get married next year was a "daunting prospect".
ROMANTIC
She added: "Hopefully, I'll take it in my stride. William's a great teacher so hopefully he'll be able to help."
The prince asked for her hand on a 10-day Kenyan safari trip last month. They delayed making the news public because of the recent death of her grandad Peter Middleton at 90.
Even Prince Charles and the Queen were told only yesterday - hours before Clarence House announced it to the world via Twitter.
The couple's joy was obvious in an interview with ITV News. Here are some of their answers: Q: Where did you propose, when, how and Kate, what did you say? WILLIAM: About three weeks ago. We had a little private time away together with some friends and I just decided that it was the right time. We had been talking about marriage for a while, so it wasn't a massively big surprise. KATE (laughing): It was very romantic. There's a true romantic in there.
Q: And you knew you were going to do this from Day One of the holiday or did you wait until the end? W: I'd been planning it for a while but as any guy will know it takes a certain amount of motivation to get yourself going. I was planning it and it felt really right in Africa. It was beautiful at the time. I had done a little bit of planning to show my romantic side. Q: It's a family ring? W: Yes. It's my mother's engagement ring so I thought it was quite nice because obviously she's not going to be around to share any of the fun and excitement of it all. This was my way of keeping her close to it all.
Q: What did your respective parents say when you told them? W: I was torn between asking Kate's dad first and then the realisation that he might actually say no dawned. So I thought, 'If ask Kate first he can't really say no'. So I did it that way.
DESTINY
Q: Kate, what did your mum say? K: She was absolutely over the moon.
We had an awkward situation because I knew William asked my father but I didn't know if my mother knew. My mother didn't make it clear to me whether she knew or not, so both of us were there sort of looking at each other and feeling quite awkward. But it was amazing to tell and obviously she was very happy for us.
William hid Diana's 18-carat blue sapphire in his rucksack on their holiday to Africa - and admitted he was terrified of losing it.
He chose a secluded spot near Mt Kenya to pop the question and slipped the ring on to the future princess's finger. Tellingly, it was a perfect fit.
The prince, 28, said: "It is my mother's engagement ring.
"It is very special to me and Kate is very special to me now as well. It is only right the two are put together. It is my way of making sure my mother didn't miss out on today."
He paid further homage to Diana's memory by proposing in Africa, where she did her most valuable charity work. William, inspired by her to follow in her footsteps, has called the continent "my second home".
Kate, 28, has been dubbed "Waity Kaity" because it has taken him eight years to ask her to tie the knot.
But William revealed they had "been talking about marriage for a while". He said: "The timing is right, now. We are both very, very happy."
He would not reveal whether he had gone down on one knee. Kate would only say coyly: "It was very romantic and it was very personal."
She admitted joining the Royal Family when they get married next year was a "daunting prospect".
ROMANTIC
She added: "Hopefully, I'll take it in my stride. William's a great teacher so hopefully he'll be able to help."
The prince asked for her hand on a 10-day Kenyan safari trip last month. They delayed making the news public because of the recent death of her grandad Peter Middleton at 90.
Even Prince Charles and the Queen were told only yesterday - hours before Clarence House announced it to the world via Twitter.
The couple's joy was obvious in an interview with ITV News. Here are some of their answers: Q: Where did you propose, when, how and Kate, what did you say? WILLIAM: About three weeks ago. We had a little private time away together with some friends and I just decided that it was the right time. We had been talking about marriage for a while, so it wasn't a massively big surprise. KATE (laughing): It was very romantic. There's a true romantic in there.
Q: And you knew you were going to do this from Day One of the holiday or did you wait until the end? W: I'd been planning it for a while but as any guy will know it takes a certain amount of motivation to get yourself going. I was planning it and it felt really right in Africa. It was beautiful at the time. I had done a little bit of planning to show my romantic side. Q: It's a family ring? W: Yes. It's my mother's engagement ring so I thought it was quite nice because obviously she's not going to be around to share any of the fun and excitement of it all. This was my way of keeping her close to it all.
Q: What did your respective parents say when you told them? W: I was torn between asking Kate's dad first and then the realisation that he might actually say no dawned. So I thought, 'If ask Kate first he can't really say no'. So I did it that way.
DESTINY
Q: Kate, what did your mum say? K: She was absolutely over the moon.
We had an awkward situation because I knew William asked my father but I didn't know if my mother knew. My mother didn't make it clear to me whether she knew or not, so both of us were there sort of looking at each other and feeling quite awkward. But it was amazing to tell and obviously she was very happy for us.
Q: William's mother was this massive iconic figure. Is that intimidating? W: No one is trying to fill my mother's shoes. What she did was fantastic. It's about making your own future and your own destiny and Kate will do a very good job of that.
The announcement is the culmination of an eight-year relationship that has captured the nation's hearts.
William and Kate met at St Andrews University in Fife in 2002.
They were friends for a year and even shared a flat with pals before falling in love. William revealed: "We spent more time with each other, had lots of fun and realised we shared the same interests.
"She's got a really naughty sense of humour, which helps me because I've got a really dry sense of humour, so it was good fun. We had a really good laugh and things happened."
Their romance even survived a brief separation in 2007.
They are expected to tie the knot in spring or summer next year in what will Britain's biggest royal event since Charles and Diana's 1981 wedding.
After the ceremony the newlyweds are expected to go on honeymoon to New Zealand and Australia.
They will then settle in a farmhouse in North Wales, where William serves as an RAF search and rescue pilot.
ROYALS TO FOOT BILL
The Royal Family faces the prospect of paying for William and Kate's big wedding next year.
There is no reserve fund for the biggest royal event since Charles and Diana tied the knot in 1981.
The cost will be borne by the Civil List - the Queen's household allowance - or drawn from her personal £290million wealth. Parliament could vote to allocate extra money - but that seems unlikely.
Charles and Diana's wedding cost about £4million - £11million at today's prices. Buckingham Palace refused last night to comment on the possible cost but said the couple were "very mindful" of the economic situation.
GEMS FIT FOR A PRINCESS
Kate Middleton's engagement ring cost £28,000 when it was bought by Prince Charles for the then Diana Spencer in February 1981.
Today the oval 18-carat blue sapphire surrounded by 14 small diamonds would be £85,000.
Charles personally selected it from posh London jeweller Garrard after consulting the Queen and it became one of the most well-known pieces of jewellery in the world.
Unusually for a royal engagement ring, it was not a unique piece - meaning that anyone could buy the exact same ring if they could afford the price tag. Following Diana's death in 1997, the ring was given to William and placed in a safe to which only he and brother Harry had access.
This article is taken from- http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/11/17/the-ring-is-very-special-to-me-it-s-my-way-to-make-sure-my-mother-did-not-miss-out-on-today-prince-william-yesterday-115875-22721210/
The announcement is the culmination of an eight-year relationship that has captured the nation's hearts.
William and Kate met at St Andrews University in Fife in 2002.
They were friends for a year and even shared a flat with pals before falling in love. William revealed: "We spent more time with each other, had lots of fun and realised we shared the same interests.
"She's got a really naughty sense of humour, which helps me because I've got a really dry sense of humour, so it was good fun. We had a really good laugh and things happened."
Their romance even survived a brief separation in 2007.
They are expected to tie the knot in spring or summer next year in what will Britain's biggest royal event since Charles and Diana's 1981 wedding.
After the ceremony the newlyweds are expected to go on honeymoon to New Zealand and Australia.
They will then settle in a farmhouse in North Wales, where William serves as an RAF search and rescue pilot.
ROYALS TO FOOT BILL
The Royal Family faces the prospect of paying for William and Kate's big wedding next year.
There is no reserve fund for the biggest royal event since Charles and Diana tied the knot in 1981.
The cost will be borne by the Civil List - the Queen's household allowance - or drawn from her personal £290million wealth. Parliament could vote to allocate extra money - but that seems unlikely.
Charles and Diana's wedding cost about £4million - £11million at today's prices. Buckingham Palace refused last night to comment on the possible cost but said the couple were "very mindful" of the economic situation.
GEMS FIT FOR A PRINCESS
Kate Middleton's engagement ring cost £28,000 when it was bought by Prince Charles for the then Diana Spencer in February 1981.
Today the oval 18-carat blue sapphire surrounded by 14 small diamonds would be £85,000.
Charles personally selected it from posh London jeweller Garrard after consulting the Queen and it became one of the most well-known pieces of jewellery in the world.
Unusually for a royal engagement ring, it was not a unique piece - meaning that anyone could buy the exact same ring if they could afford the price tag. Following Diana's death in 1997, the ring was given to William and placed in a safe to which only he and brother Harry had access.
This article is taken from- http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/11/17/the-ring-is-very-special-to-me-it-s-my-way-to-make-sure-my-mother-did-not-miss-out-on-today-prince-william-yesterday-115875-22721210/
