Kate Middleton and Prince William married 11 years ago at Westminster Abbey in London, England. The wedding featured hundreds of guests, and as the couple rode through the streets of London in a carriage following the ceremony, thousands of people waved and congratulated them.
Kate and William’s wedding was special in several respects. Not only did the future King marry, but he was Diana’s first son to do so. He proposed with Diana’s old engagement ring when the pair was on holiday in Kenya.
It wasn’t long before Kate Middleton altered the ring in private. But it remains as gorgeous as before.
Kate and William were great pals from the start. However, as the years at university passed, the situation became increasingly serious.
Kate & Prince William’s love story – how did they meet?
According to reports, the two began dating after meeting at a student fashion show. Kate drew William’s eye with a transparent gown that cost around $40, according to Insider.
They soon fell completely in love. Even though Kate’s clothing was out of the usual for him, William remarked that everything changed the moment they started hanging out.
“We were friends for over a year first and it just sort of blossomed from then on,” William told The Telegraph. “We just spent more time with each other and had a good giggle, and realized we shared the same interests.”
William and Kate spent a significant amount of time together in university, getting to know each other. In 2005, both of them graduated. Kate Middleton has a degree in art history, and William in geography.
By this point, things had become serious. William and Kate had both publicly proclaimed their relationship, and by the time they graduated, they had been living together for quite some time.
Kate and William’s relationship improved after their breakup. They became a beloved couple and highly popular with the people. In 2010, the couple made their next move.
Romantic proposal in Kenya
“We had a little private time away together with some friends and I just decided that it was the right time really. We had been talking about marriage for a while so it wasn’t a massively big surprise. I took her up somewhere nice in Kenya and I proposed,” William recalled.
He added, “I’d been planning it for a while but as every guy out there will know it takes a certain amount of motivation to get yourself going.”
“So I was planning it and then it just felt really right out in Africa. It was beautiful at the time. I just … I had done a little bit of planning to show my romantic side.”
“It was very romantic, Kate said, laughing. “There’s a true romantic in there.”
She didn’t expect it since they were out with pals. Kate Middleton had considered the possibility that William would propose. However, it came as a “total shock.”
Kate Middleton engagement ring – all you need to know
“Everywhere I went I was keeping hold of it because I knew this thing, if it disappeared I would be in a lot of trouble and because I’d planned it, it went fine,” he said. “You hear a lot of horror stories about proposing and things going horribly wrong – it went really, really well and I was really pleased she said yes.”
Of course, the ring was extraordinary and appropriate for a future Queen Consort. The ring belonged to his mother, Princess Diana.
“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 sort of close to it all.”
“I’m not an expert on [rings] at all. I’ve been reliably informed it’s a sapphire with some diamonds. I’m sure everyone recognizes it from previous times.”
Princess Diana’s engagement ring looked lovely on Kate Middleton. The major highlight is a faceted oval Ceylon sapphire weighing between 9 and 12 carats, according to The Court Jeweller’s estimates. It is surrounded by 14 round diamonds and held together by a white gold ring.
Diana wore it before Kate Middleton
Diana received the ring after Prince Charles proposed to her in 1981. Charles gave her with a large assortment of rings, from which she could chose. According to The Court Jeweler, it cost approximately $35,000.
However, because it is Diana’s old ring and now Kate Middleton’s, it is estimated to be worth more over $500,000.
According to Vogue, the inspiration for the design came from a large sapphire brooch given to Queen Victoria by Prince Albert. Victoria wore the brooch on their wedding. Queen Elizabeth currently holds the brooch that inspired Kate’s ring.
“It was said to be a strong influence on Prince Charles when he came to Garrard to purchase a ring for Lady Diana,” Garrard creative director Sara Prentice told Vogue.
“He actually ended up setting a sapphire cluster ring for her, which was later given by Prince William to the Duchess of Cambridge on their engagement. I would imagine growing up being surrounded by your mother and your grandmother [with] such beautiful, incredible jewelry…it would stick with you.”
So, why did Prince William receive the engagement ring, but not Prince Harry? When Diana died in 1997, the two brothers were given the opportunity to choose various artifacts from their mother, and William chose the ring, according to accounts.
“After Diana died, the boys both chose a keepsake from Kensington Palace when they moved to Charles’ rooms in St James’s Palace,” a source reportedly told the Daily Star.
“Harry gave up his precious treasure”
“Prince William picked his mum’s Cartier watch, and Harry picked her sapphire and diamond engagement ring. But they had an agreement that whoever got engaged first would have Diana’s ring – and of course, that was William and Kate.”
In the Amazon Prime documentary The Diana Story, Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell confirmed that the boys had the opportunity to remove one personal item from their late mother after she died.
Paul remembered William saying: “I’d like mummy’s Cartier watch, the one that Grandpa Spencer gave to her for her 21st birthday,” and Prince Harry wanted to keep the engagement ring.
In truth, Harry gave the ring to William because he thought it was fitting.
“Harry said to him: ‘Wouldn’t it be fitting if she had mummy’s ring?’ Paul recalled. “Then, one day, that ring will be sat on the throne of England. Harry gave up his precious treasure.”
Paul continued, “the one thing he kept from his mother, he gave to his brother. That’s selfless, kind, and exactly who Diana was.”
Kate Middleton – changes and alterations to engagement ring
William and Kate Middleton married on April 29, 2011, in London’s Westminster Abbey.
They have been married for more than 11 years and have three beautiful children: George (born in 2013), Charlotte (2015), and Louis (2018).
Kate Middleton has proudly worn her engagement ring throughout the years. However, it appears that she made alterations to it in secret.
It was reported that Kate Middleton changed the ring before their wedding. She thought the band was a touch too big because it was “turning on her finger.” She was then reported to have brought the ring to royal jewelers G Collins and Sons, who adjusted it so it fit better.
However, Kate and the royal jeweler did not follow the customary procedure. Instead of adjusting the band, it was claimed that tiny platinum beads were placed to the bottom of the ring to improve fit.
“A bride’s worst nightmare is looking down and seeing her ring has fallen off,” the source said. “One can only imagine how this is magnified when you are marrying the future King of England.”
Kate & William’s parenting techniques
Previously, the public gained some insight into the family’s private life. For example, William and Kate have distinct rules at home for their children. Also, it turns out that the future King has a clever way to get George and his brothers ready for bed.
It can be difficult to get your children ready for bed. However, it turns out that Prince William employs a great and endearing trick.
“We started watching one of [David Attenborough’s] newest documentaries. It’s amazing at bedtime when I can crowd the children, just shouting ‘we’re going to watch one of David’s documentaries’ and they come herding in,” William told BBC Radio 4.
“It’s the easiest way to catch my children and get them ready for bedtime.”
However, viewing documentaries narrated by Attenborough is not always enjoyable. William recalled that George refused to continue watching because it made him unhappy.
“The most recent one — the extinction one — actually George and I had to turn it off,” he explained. “We got so sad about halfway through. He said to me, ‘You know I don’t want to watch this anymore.’”
“You know, he’s seven years old and he’s asking me these questions already, he really feels it. And I think every seven-year-old out there can relate to that,” William added.
Limited screen time for their children
The royal children have rigid bedtimes, but that’s not all. Prince William and Kate have been sure to minimize their screen time.
In 2018, William discussed limiting his children’s screen usage, stating that balancing it is difficult.
“We’re going to have that discussion with our family. How on earth are we going to police and have family time when the phones are all put down, and you’re offline,” he explained. “Because we’re all so connected now that we’ve got to say, ‘right, for instance, we’re eating now.’”
“This generation is going to be the first generation to grow up fully immersed in mobile phones, social media, lots of stuff,” he said.
“And yet our generation, the older generation, the parent generation, we’re completely left at, ‘how do we deal with this? Where do we go to? Where do you learn about how to look after your children’s digital world?’”
