Adorable Royal Report: Prince William Gave Kate His Mother’s Engagement Ring

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Suzanne Plunkett / Reuters

It’s a good day for Kate Middleton. First, she gets to stop being called “Waity Katey” since her boyfriend, Prince William, finally proposed. And second, the ring she received has quite the backstory.According to the U.K’s Sky News, Prince William gave his longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton a massive engagement ring that once belonged to his mother, the late Princess Diana. The sapphire and diamond ring clocks in at a whopping 18 carats. Diana chose the ring herself, from Garrand jewelers, in 1981. It was not specifically made for her, according to the Daily Mail, which meant the public could buy identical ones. At the time, it cost 28,000 British pounds.

(See pictures of Kate Middleton.)

The Prince told the press the ring was a meaningful way to include his late mother in the proposal.  “It is very special to me,” he said. “It was my way to make sure my mother did not miss out on today and the excitement that we are going to spend the rest of our lives together.”

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Aside from the massive rock, Middleton will be passing on another bit of history. She will be the sixth Queen Catherine in British history — though hopefully, the Telegraph reports, she’ll avoid many of their dramatic fates.