Wedding of William and Catherine: Suggestions and Musings

[Stefan]

It's not William's decison to declare his wedding day a national holiday - why anyway, he is not the heir to the throne himself, is he? And why have May Day as a public holiday when the 1st of May actually is a sunday? Here in Germany, that's that. Bad timing that May Day is a sunday but work goes on as usual on the next monday. So the reason is more hte Brtish system of public holidays than William's decision to marry in April.

It could be read that Catherine and William actually would have preferred a March wedding but due to "public" wishes they had to go for late April.

But the could have their Wedding on Saturday 30. April. As for the 1. May i also don't understand why there is an extra day off on 02. May.
As for the people who want to take holidays i think it's probably like elsewhere that not all people in the Firms can take the days off but some have to work.

 

[Skippy]

Being a member of the british public, I can safely say that a lot of people would have loved to see a new ring rather than an old one. This marraige is supposed to revitalise the monarchy, so far with the help of that ring, all it's done is bring back memories of the past. Fresh Start, New Ring.
I have no doubt that the ring was for sentimental purposes, and William didn't have the "sufferings of the poor" in mind when he decided to use it. Purchasing a new ring, would probably have done William's image better than using the old one.

I say that it's really up to people themselves whether they let the memories attached to the ring overflow their minds. One can also look at it that the ring has received a new life.
It is, in my opinion, really sad when the revitalisation of the monarchy would depend on an engagement ring.

I for one do not see the ring as (formerly) Diana's and all the memories with it - I went in with a blank mind. I may not be British, but I would see it this way anyhow. I suppose some positive thinking also comes with it and maybe, just very maybe, it is also because of how I am that I understand and admire William's reasons for it.

I suppose I do understand the sentiments, but I think one has to move on from the past as some things deserve a second chance.

 

[Lumutqueen]

But the could have their Wedding on Saturday 30. April. As for the 1. May i also don't understand why there is an extra day off on 02. May.
As for the people who want to take holidays i think it's probably like elsewhere that not all people in the Firms can take the days off but some have to work.

When MayDay comes about every gets the day off on the nearest Monday. Tradition I guess.

I say that it's really up to people themselves whether they let the memories attached to the ring overflow their minds. One can also look at it that the ring has received a new life.
It is, in my opinion, really sad when the revitalisation of the monarchy would depend on an engagement ring.

I for one do not see the ring as (formerly) Diana's and all the memories with it - I went in with a blank mind. I may not be British, but I would see it this way anyhow. I suppose some positive thinking also comes with it.

I never said it came down to an engagement ring, but atm as we can see that's what is being talked about. Whereas a new ring wouldn't have brought any memories for anyone to associate with. Everyone knows that that ring belonged to Diana and how the marriage ended up, whether you choose to think about it or not, it is still common knowledge. Kate will constantly be compared to Diana, and that ring won't help. So whether William gave it to her and she accepted out of sentiment or true wanting of the ring, neither William nor Kate have done Kate any good in trying to escape Diana's memory.
IMO, the ring should have been re-set into a new design.

 

[Skippy]

I never said it came down to an engagement ring, but atm as we can see that's what is being talked about. Whereas a new ring wouldn't have brought any memories for anyone to associate with. Everyone knows that that ring belonged to Diana and how the marriage ended up, whether you choose to think about it or not, it is still common knowledge. Kate will constantly be compared to Diana, and that ring won't help. So whether William gave it to her and she accepted out of sentiment or true wanting of the ring, neither William nor Kate have done Kate any good in trying to escape Diana's memory.
IMO, the ring should have been re-set into a new design.

Perhaps it was just my perception of how you wrote it. Apologies for the misreading.

I guess then I am one of those who are not part of that big crowd that apparently sees the engagement ring with all of its baggage.

But just one thing: who has said that they are trying to escape Diana's memory?

 

[Lumutqueen]

No one has said it, but would you want to be constantly compared to your dead would be mother-in-law who was iconic as Diana?

 

[Zonk]

Seriously..who is comparing Kate to Diana other than the media and the public. Has William been quoted saying anythign remotely like that.

Its a ring...he isn't asking her to wear her shoes, her tiara, her dress, talk like her, cut her hair or become blonde.

Its a ring that has some senitmental value to William and Catherine has accepted.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion on whether or not they would accepted/given such a ring...but in the end...it just matters what William and Catherine think.

 

[Lumutqueen]

Your right, in the end I can't change the fact that Catherine is wearing that ring. But I can still talk about it can't I?
Your right William hasn't said anything and yes the media are the ones making the comparisons, but IMO I don't think there would be as many comparisons if she had been given a ring without anything attached to it.

 

[Skippy]

Seriously..who is comparing Kate to Diana other than the media and the public. Has William been quoted saying anythign remotely like that.

Its a ring...he isn't asking her to wear her shoes, her tiara, her dress, talk like her, cut her hair or become blonde.

Its a ring that has some senitmental value to William and Catherine has accepted.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion on whether or not they would accepted/given such a ring...but in the end...it just matters what William and Catherine think.

Did you read my mind, Zonk?
I so agree with what you say.

But of course, this is a forum and therefore a good place to discuss things although in the end you can't please everyone. That is what we see at this moment.

 

[Zonk]

Your right, in the end I can't change the fact that Catherine is wearing that ring. But I can still talk about it can't I?
Your right William hasn't said anything and yes the media are the ones making the comparisons, but IMO I don't think there would be as many comparisons if she had been given a ring without anything attached to it.

I disagree...there would be comparisons to Diana with anyone that William married ring or not. I personally am thankful that she is not a blonde. Although honestly, since Harry seems to prefer blondes I think we will have to deal with it one day.

And everyone keeps refering to iconic Diana, controversial Diana, manipulative Diana...when at the end of othe Day...she is Mum to William. And again, if Catherine has no issue with it...

 

[Kataryn]

I read somewhere that after Diana's death William and Harry decided that Harry should keep the ring but that the first of the brothers to marry would get it to offer it to the bride-to-be.

Sounds like something young boys in mourning would decide and then stick to it when the time came. Probably they decided to wait for a "special one" who should get this very special ring which, for them, might not mark the way their parent's marriage developped but could well symbolize the fact that with this ring the marriage began that led to ther existance. Which for them might be a very postive outcome of the fact that once a proud prince gave a beautiful lady this ring with the promise to marry her... Anyway, we know what William said about his choice of ring and if we believe him it must mean a very loving compliment for Catherine indeed.

 

[cd_1]

We don't know anything of the sort.

What we know is that Charles and Diana entered into a marriage and that both of them had reservations during the week leading up to the marriage - Charles expressed his reservations to his parents and Diana to her sisters. Both sides put the concerns down to pre-wedding nerves.

Some people like to believe that he had no intentions of keeping his marriage vows but unless you are actually Charles you do not know what he intentions were on his wedding day. Charles has never said that he had no intention of breaking his vows - the exact opposite of course - that they both tried to make the marriage work.

What Charles did is what most men do - allow the girl to choose their own engagement ring. Diana then chose the biggest ring of those sent - or so it has been reported but she got to choose the ring and no one else. Kate didn't.

Well said. If most people here claim "we don't know if thats true" if something negative is said, then it works both ways, and we don't why William exactly gave this ring to Kate, and why Charles gave it to Diana. All we know are the facts: Diana chose this one, but Kate didn't.

 

[Zonk]

Well said. If most people here claim "we don't know if thats true" if something negative is said, then it works both ways, and we don't why William exactly gave this ring to Kate, and why Charles gave it to Diana. All we know are the facts: Diana chose this one, but Kate didn't.

But Kate didn't have to accept this ring. I am sure knowing the baggage that goes along with it...William would have asked Kate if she was comfortable wearing the ring, and if Kate was concerned with the baggage or didn't want it...she could and would have so no. And I dont't see why wouldnt' say yes......... Kate is not Diana. She is more mature, comfortable in her own skin and confident of William's love for her.

 

[cd_1]

Being a member of the british public, I can safely say that a lot of people would have loved to see a new ring rather than an old one. This marraige is supposed to revitalise the monarchy, so far with the help of that ring, all it's done is bring back memories of the past. Fresh Start, New Ring.
I have no doubt that the ring was for sentimental purposes, and William didn't have the "sufferings of the poor" in mind when he decided to use it. Purchasing a new ring, would probably have done William's image better than using the old one.



If William is the gentleman he seems, he would have paid for the ring himself. Therfore encuring no cost to the british public. Spending your own money can hardly be called extravagant when millions of people do it every single day. It is the government that is imposing restrictions on the general public not William and the Monarchy.



1; If they wanted a quiet life then give up their titles. The British public want the monarchy to show they are worth it. But if William wasn't an HRH then he could have a quiet wedding. I'm sure William and Kate are quite ready to show off.

2; The business' will loose more than they gain thanks to this wedding.

read my mind EXACTLY)

 

[muriel]

But the could have their Wedding on Saturday 30. April. As for the 1. May i also don't understand why there is an extra day off on 02. May.
As for the people who want to take holidays i think it's probably like elsewhere that not all people in the Firms can take the days off but some have to work.

In the UK, we have bank holidays on the first and last Mondays of May, irrespective of when 1 May is.

For all those criticising the extra day off and claiming to be the voice of British business (note the lack of any criticism from the CBI!) please note that the UK only has 8 bank holidays a year. Most European countries have substially more.

 

[Roslyn]

Ah! We've come back to the ring. Good!

I have been driving long distances today, and accordingly been away from the boards. Having just updated myself, and, in partricular, read Bertie's Post #882 and what has followed, I have come to the conclusion that what we've got here is failure to communicate!! Ok, I couldn't resist the chance to quote the wonderful Strother Martin in "Cool Hand Luke".

My point is that I now believe we may have encountered one of our occasional cultural differences, in that I think perhaps engagement rings are regarded differently in Australia than they are in the UK and USA. I can totally relate to what Bertie said at #882, and have always been astonished that so many others here thought it was perfectly alright, indeed touching, for William to present Kate with his mother's engagement ring to be used as her engagement ring. To test my views I also asked my 95 year old mother and my husband, and each stated, without any prompting on my part, and coming from entirely different backgrounds and age groups, that they were astonished that William would give Kate his mother's hand-me-down ring. The reasons expressed had nothing to do with any latent hostility towards Diana, or bad luck because of the previous bad marriage, just that an engagement ring is something individual to the woman in question, and that it is downright odd to give your beloved some other woman's ring as her engagement ring.

 

[Zonk]

Well maybe its that (cultural differences and opinions). Because in the States (again based on individual opinions because I don't believe that anyone one person can speak on behalf a nation of millions).....receiving an heirloom as an engagement ring...would not be considered a bad thing. It would be considered sweet and touching that the ring has familial and emotional ties associated with it.

 

[Bine221]

Great post.

Why are we arguing 1/2 of the thread about the ring, is it, because there are no other news to share and discuss????

First, he gave her Diana´s Ring. He did it, she accepted it, he had a wonderful explanation for giving her the ring in TV. It´s a done deal, so full stop.

Secondly I really found this selections extremly romantic and extremly suitable for the future Queen -- she was the right person to receive this ring and he extremly honored her with this gift.

BYe Bine

 

[MRSJ]

Personally I think she is probably just so in love and happy to be marrying a man she loves the ring might not matter that much- plus he choose her to wear the ring of the now second most important women in his life so in that way it's romantic!

 

[princess carmen]

I think she had a choice and chose to wear the ring to her it must mean a lot that he felt she should have something from his mother. As for no comparisons if he bought a new ring I think there would have been some. Such as it's not as pretty as Diana's why didn't he giver her Diana's ring.

 

[texankitcat]

Every woman I know has chosen their engagement ring, including myself, my mother, my mother-in-law and extended female relatives. If any man had expected me to wear someone else's engagement ring I would have thrown it at him and so would every woman I work with - we have discussed this very thing since the engagement and none of us would have said yes to him under those circumstances as we would see that as a lack of love for us and also, as one colleague put it, a sign that he really wants to marry his mother. We had a very extensive look at each other's rings and the reasons they were bought, given etc and only one person is wearing a hand-me-down ring although all of us have them. She is wearing it because of the tradition in her family that the first girl gets her great-great-grandmother's eternity ring on the birth of the first daughter.

I do have my mother-in-law's engagement ring (and my mother's) but they were not given to me as engagement rings and I don't wear them as I find that idea creepy. They are in a safe and will be reset into totally different rings at some time in the future. My daughters have told me they would run a mile rather than wear my engagement or wedding rings as such and my son has simply said - he loved his fiancee too much to consider not buying her a ring of her own. He could have given her a much more grand ring had he used one or more of my rings but he says that shows a lack of love.

Different perspectives obviously.

I think we can put this down to a difference in cultures if you and no one you know would allow their fiance's to choose a ring for them, or present them with a family heirloom as an engagement ring in Australia. Personally, I don't view family heirlooms as "another woman's ring" that I would throw back in my future husband's face.

In the US, it is a tradition for the man to choose the ring for his future bride and to present it at the moment he proposes. It's a very romantic and special moment. The man will of course know his future wife's taste in jewelry or if he hasn't paid attention, would have found a way to get that information. I would have found it uncomfortable to have chosen my own ring since I would have been too concerned with the cost, rather than getting what I really wanted. My husband knew I loved diamonds and bling, and boy did he give me a ring that blinged! He couldn't have chosen a more perfect ring for me.

I don't know any woman personally that doesn't love the ring that their husband presented at the time they proposed, whether it was a new ring or an heirloom. Of course there are some women that have chosen their own rings because their husband's knew that they would want to do that.

In regards to William and Kate, they know each other very well and had been discussing marriage for a year before the proposal as they both divulged in the interview. I am sure he had felt out her feelings on the ring prior to his actual proposal. He strikes me as a man that cares very much what Kate feels, and I can't imagine that he would over-ride her feelings on an engagement ring. In the end, it is what is important to THEM, rather than the rest of us.

 

[Amelia]

Personally I don't know any woman who has chosen her own ring. Every time a friend/family has become engaged their partner has always had the ring on them when asking - I mean if you are ready to get get married then you should surely know what type of ring to buy.

This all seems to be more of the Diana Vs Charles thing to me. He can remember Diana without it being an insult to Charles and he can be happy about Charles and Camilla without it being an insult to Diana. I think that it is sad if the story that Charles just had ring sent over for Diana to choose from and didn't even that the time to choose one himself is true. I also don't think it is insulting to Kate to give her the ring - I doubt that he told her that they could only get married if she wore his mothers ring. I think he was simply trying to do something nice.

I was a bit disappointed when I heard that he had given that ring to Kate only because I never really liked it but I have to say I don think it suits Kate. Perhaps she has a darker skin tone or longer fingers or something but it just seems nicer. Or maybe it is just that there are much better photographs of it this time.

 

[Nice Nofret]

When my husband asked me to marry him, he didn't have a ring - but he said he want's me to have a realy nice one; so we went together to a goldsmith and designed it there and then - some weeks later we picked it up.

One of my sisters was presented with a family heirloom, the others chose for themselves .. I think it differs between countries and also between social groups.

There are a lot of diffrent ways it can be done .. even no ring at all is a posibility

For William it's his mother .. he knew her mostly privat .. our view's of Diana are only made by what we got to know through the media... so quit a diffrent thing alltogether.

 

[Frideswide]

I know I have no real reason to think this but I just doubt she was called Catherine that much if it's not how her friends or Willism call her, not saying she doesn't have the right to use it since it is her name, just saying that seems to be if that's what she is usually called her fiancé would call her that-

With names that have several variations, I don't think it's unusual to find different usage between family and friends. My brother has always been Michael or Mike within the family, but when he went to work and left home his colleagues and friends called him Mick, and that's what his wife usually calls him.

It could be read that Catherine and William actually would have preferred a March wedding but due to "public" wishes they had to go for late April.

I don't think they could have married during Lent, so it had to be after Easter.

 

[KittyAtlanta]

Anyone of the opinion that this "sudden" engagement may have been brought about by pressure from HM or PoW? You know, "fish or cut bait?"
This is NOT an indication that I believe PW is/has been insincere in his long association with Catherine, but I do wonder if he got a royal "nudge."

 

[Lenora]

Anyone of the opinion that this "sudden" engagement may have been brought about by pressure from HM or PoW? You know, "fish or cut bait?"

Maybe Prince Charles suggested that William should get married with woman he loves,instead of repeating his father's errors,it could have helped to bring this decision.After all HM wants that Prince Phillip will still be alive at his grandson's wedding

 

[Lady Ann]

I think she had a choice and chose to wear the ring to her it must mean a lot that he felt she should have something from his mother. As for no comparisons if he bought a new ring I think there would have been some. Such as it's not as pretty as Diana's why didn't he giver her Diana's ring.

I agree, if he had went off and gotten a new ring people would still be waiting for her to appear in Diana's .... when she became a mother and birthday ect....

 

[MRSJ]

Also, maybe his mother mentioned to him that someday she'd love to see him marry someone with that ring, so he wanted to keep that memory of her alive in that-

She still wore the ring after the divorce, heck I think she was even buried in her wedding ring, so obviously it was important to her, and thus when she passed became important to him.....Kate doesn't seem to mind, and seemed to think it was romantic .....

 

[Skippy]

Also, maybe his mother mentioned to him that someday she'd love to see him marry someone with that ring, so he wanted to keep that memory of her alive in that-

She still wore the ring after the divorce, heck I think she was even buried in her wedding ring, so obviously it was important to her, and thus when she passed became important to him.....Kate doesn't seem to mind, and seemed to think it was romantic .....

Some people on this forum seem to have more problems with it than Kate/Catherine herself from what we know.

 

[KittyAtlanta]

It is not uncommon for wedding rings to be buried with their owner. Here in the US, it is supposedly illegal to bury a loved one whilst wearing "expensive" jewelry (to ward off grave robbing possibilities). However, wedding bands are sometimes buried with their owner. Although not royal, an example is John F. Kennedy; he's buried with his wedding ring and Jackie's wedding ring.

I don't know what the Royal Family's traditions would be. Good research subject and I hope that someone takes it up.

 

[KittyAtlanta]

Some people on this forum seem to have more problems with it than Kate/Catherine herself from what we know.

Yes, some of us do have problems with this. But remember that all our feelings are tempered by our own desires and a lot of people would not want to haul around a piece of jewelry with such a sad, heavy, recent history.

Personally, I would have preferred to see it recycled in another manner.