Princess Diana

"Well as you may recognize now, it's my mother's engagement ring and it's very special to me, as Kate is very special to me now as well. It was only right the two were put together," William said. "It was my way of making sure mother didn't miss out on today and the excitement and the fact that we're going to spend the rest of our lives together."

Lady Diana received the ring from Prince Charles after the two were engaged in 1981. At the time, the sapphire ring, which is surrounded by 14 diamonds, cost 28,500 pounds.

Lady Diana Spencer chose it for her engagement to Prince Charles in 1981 from a selection presented to her by the then Crown jewellers Garrard of Mayfair. It was an unusual choice by a member of the Royal Family - it was not unique and any member of the public could buy the same ring from the Garrard catalogue.

The large 12-carat oval Ceylon sapphire and the solitaire diamonds elegantly surrounding it in 18-carat white gold sparked a trend for similar-looking rings.

Sapphires were one of the late princess's favourite gemstones, and some commentators say she chose it because it reminded her of her mother's engagement ring.

Before the Princess of Wales's death in the 1997 Paris car crash, the ring was valued at more than £250,000 because of its connection to the royals, and in particular Diana. William, who eventually inherited the ring from his mother's £21million estate, has shown the family heirloom is priceless to him by choosing it for his fiancée.

Following Diana's untimely death, it was actually Prince Harry who first took the ring. The grieving young brothers made a visit to Kensington Palace and selected mementos from their mother's possessions. Harry, 12, chose the sapphire ring, while William, 15, chose Diana's £18,000 yellow gold Cartier Tank Francaise watch.

Photograph Courtesy - popcrunch.com

The Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer ended months of speculation with the announcement on 24 February 1981 that they would be married.

Buckingham Palace made the engagement official at 1100GMT.

Lord Maclean, the Lord Chancellor, made the following statement at an investiture at the Palace: "It is with greatest pleasure that the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh announce the betrothal of their beloved son the Prince of Wales to the Lady Diana Spencer, daughter of the Earl Spencer and the Honourable Mrs Shand Kydd."

In a BBC interview, the 32-year-old Prince said he was "delighted and frankly amazed that Diana is prepared to take me on".

Looking shyly up through her long blond fringe and giggling occasionally, Lady Diana said she too was "delighted and thrilled, blissfully happy".

Asked how she would cope with a dramatic change to her life she said: "With Prince Charles beside me I cannot go wrong."

Tributes to the couple were made in both Houses of Parliament.

Earl Spencer, Lady Diana's father, said he was also very happy for the couple.

Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles were married at St Paul's Cathedral on 29 July 1981.

There were 3,500 guests in the congregation at St Paul's Cathedral while two million spectators lined the route of Diana's procession from Clarence House, with 4,000 police and 2,200 military officers to manage the crowds. An estimated global audience of 750 million watched the ceremony on television.

Diana arrived at St. Paul's Cathedral in a glass coach, escorted by five mounted military police officers.

Diana's wedding dress was made of silk taffeta, decorated with antique lace, hand embroidery, sequins, and 10,000 pearls. It was designed by Elizabeth and David Emanuel, and had a 25-foot train.

Prince Charles wore his full dress naval commander uniform.

Officiants at the wedding of Diana and Charles included the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Robert Runcie, and 25 other clerics, some of other denominations. The service was a traditional Church of England wedding service.

The bride's nerves showed briefly when she mixed up the Prince's names - calling him Philip Charles Arthur George, rather than Charles Philip.

Charles slightly muddled his vows too, referring to "thy goods" rather than "my worldly goods".

After a brief private signing ceremony the Prince and Princess of Wales walked back down the aisle to the refrain of Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance".

The couple went to Buckingham Palace after the ceremony to enjoy toasts and a wedding breakfast with 120 family guests.

Prince Charles (Charles Philip Arthur George born 14 November 1948) is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

His major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales since 1958. He is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay in Scotland.

Prince Charles is the longest-serving heir apparent in British history.

Prince Charles was educated at Cheam and Gordonstoun Schools, as well as the Timbertop campus of Geelong Grammar School in Australia.

Charles served a tour of duty with the Royal Navy from 1971 - 1976 after earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity College, Cambridge,

The prince is well known for his charity work and sponsors The Prince's Trust, The Prince's Regeneration Trust and the Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment, among other charities. He has been outspoken concerning architecture and the conservation of old buildings and has produced a book on the subject called "A Vision of Britain" (1989).

The couple produced their first child, William, in less than a year on 21 June 1982.

Prince Harry, was born on 15 September 1984.

By that time Prince Charles' long-running relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles was putting strain on his marriage.

Princess Diana's relationship with the rest of the Royal Family deteriorated and she developed bulimia.

The couple separated in 1993.

Diana spoke publicly about her problems and her own and her husband's infidelities in a Panorama documentary in November 1995.

The marriage formally ended with a decree absolute in August 1996.

Diana was killed in a car crash in August 1997.

Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles married in April 2005.

Prince William was born William Arthur Philip Louis on 21 June 1982.

He is the elder son of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales, and third eldest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Prince William obtained a degree from the University of St Andrews.

He was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Blues and Royals Regiment of the Household Cavalry and earned his wings by completing pilot training at the Royal Air Force College in Cranwell. The Prince transferred to the Royal Air Force in 2009, was promoted to flight lieutenant and underwent helicopter flying training.

Prince William married Catherine Middleton on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey.

Prince William's titles include Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus.

Prince Harry was born Henry Charles Albert David on 15 September 1984.

He is the younger son of Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales, and fourth eldest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Prince Harry was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Blues and Royals Regiment of the Household Cavalry and earned his wings in 2010 and his Apache Flying Badge in 2011. He was promoted to the army rank of Captain in 2011.

Prince Harry's title is His Royal Highness Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales.

Traditionally, male members of British royalty receive a dukedom a few hours before their marriage.

03 May 1996 PRESS RELEASE
Princess Diana agrees to a divorce

"LONDON - Princess Diana has agreed to a divorce from Prince Charles, ending a stormy marriage that began in a glittering ceremony in 1981 and produced two sons.

"The Princess of Wales will retain the title and be known as Diana, Princess of Wales," said a spokeswoman for the wife of the heir to the British throne. She spoke with customary anonymity.

The couple separated in 1992, and Queen Elizabeth II recommended in December that they divorce. They have two sons, William, 13, and Harry, 11.

The statement issued by the 34-year-old princess said: "The Princess of Wales has agreed to Prince Charles' request for a divorce.

"The Princess will continue to be involved in all decisions relating to the children and will remain at Kensington Palace with offices in St. James's Palace."

St. James's Palace is Charles' official residence.

There was no immediate comment from the queen.

Charles, 47, immediately agreed to his mother's request to divorce quickly, but Diana waited to consult her lawyers.

The Queen's request came after Diana gave an extraordinary television interview in which she detailed the breakdown of her marriage and directly addressed her husband's adultery and her own. In that interview, she said she preferred not to divorce.

By The Associated Press"

Camilla Rosemary Shand was born 17 July 1947.

She is the second wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, and holds the titles of Princess of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Rothesay and Countess of Chester. Although Camilla became the Princess of Wales upon her marriage to the Prince of Wales, she has chosen the alternative and lesser title of the Duchess of Cornwall, thereby avoiding confusion with her husband's first wife, the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

Camilla Shand married Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973. The couple had two children, Tom and Laura. Andrew Parker Bowles initiated divorce proceedings against Camilla following the admission by the Prince of Wales that he had conducted a long-term extramarital affair with Camilla. The Parker Bowles divorce was finalised in 1995.

Camilla's maternal great-grandmother, Alice Keppel, formerly Alice Frederica Edmonstone, was the mistress of King Edward VII from 1898 to 1910.

Camilla and the Prince of Wales were engaged and married in 2005.

The wedding took place in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall on 9 April 2005. The Prince was the first member of the royal family to marry in a civil ceremony in England.

The marriage was the culmination of a long and controversial relationship between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles.

Camilla automatically acquired rank as the second highest female in the United Kingdom Order of Precedence (after the Queen) upon her marriage to Prince Charles.

Barry Mannakee - was assigned as bodyguard to Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1985. The suggestion that Barry Mannakee and Princess Diana had an affair has never been proven.

James Hewitt - a former household cavalry officer in the British Army. Both he and Princess Diana admitted they had an adulterous affair.

James Gilbey - the charming sports public relations executive ("Squidgygate") has never admitted or denied a relationship with Princess Diana.

Oliver Hoare - an old Etonian, sophisticated,married art dealer. Oliver Hoare has never uttered a public word about his friendship with Diana and his own marriage remains in tact.

Will Carling - captain of the English rugby union team from 1988 to 1996. Will Carling denies any intimate relationship with Princess Diana.

Hasnat Khan - heart and lung surgeon and is reported to have been the "love of Diana's life".

Diana died as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris, France on 31 August 1997.

She died at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital at 4.00am. Her death was announced at a press conference at 5.30am by a hospital doctor, Jean-Pierre Chevènement; France's Interior Minister; and Britain's Ambassador to France, Sir Michael Jay.

Prince Charles and Diana's sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, arrived in Paris at approximately 2.00pm and left with her body 90 minutes later.

Diana's funeral was held at Westminster Abbey on 06 September and drew an estimated three million mourners and onlookers in London, as well as worldwide television coverage, which overshadowed the news of the death the previous day of Mother Teresa.

More than one million bouquets were left at her London home, Kensington Palace.

Diana is buried at her family home, the Althorp estate, on an island in the middle of a lake.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine Middleton were married at Westminster Abbey in London on 29 April 2011.

They became engaged on 20 October 2010 and the engagement was announced on 16 November 2010.

The wedding attracted media attention throughout the world. Much of the attention focused on Kate Middleton's status as a commoner.

The wedding date was a public holiday in the United Kingdom.

The Queen conferred upon William the titles Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus only hours before the marriage. Kate Middleton became Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge.

Middleton wore a dress by British designer Sarah Burton and a tiara lent to her by the Queen. Prince William wore the uniform of his honorary rank of Colonel of the Irish Guards.