Princess Diana Photographer Captures Royal Engagement Photos

Dec. 6, 2010— -- The sure-to-be-storybook engagement photos for Prince William and Kate Middleton may be months away, but the prince's choice of photographer is already making headlines.

Mario Testino, the famous photographer, also did one of the last photo shoots with William's mother, Princess Diana, for Vanity Fair that hit newsstands a month before her death in an auto accident in 1997.

For William, the wedding is very much about his beloved mother. For the engagement, William gave Middleton his mother's famous sapphire and diamond ring as a way to share the celebration with Diana.

"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," William said in an interview shortly after the engagement was announced last month.

The wedding site, Westminster Abbey, is also significant in Diana's legacy -- it's where William and brother Prince Harry last said goodbye to their mother at her funeral.

After Diana's death, Testino continued capturing royal shots of William and Harry on their 21st birthdays and the boys with their father, Prince Charles. He said there is clearly a bit of Diana's confidence and relaxed personality in William.

"And if you see her son, William, it's Prince William, it's amazing, the resemblance," Testino told ABC News' Diane Sawyer in 2006.

Couple Announces Engagement, Media Frenzy Follows

"The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton," a statement from Clarence House read on Nov. 16.

The queen said she was "absolutely delighted" for the couple, Buckingham Palace said hours after the announcement.

Like the queen, Middletons' parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, said after the announcement they, too, were "absolutely delighted."

Prince William, 28, asked Middleton, also 28, to marry him while the two were on vacation in Kenya last month, the statement said.

The happy couple appeared for the first time for reporters arm-in-arm before a barrage of camera flashes hours after the announcement, Middleton wearing the famous engagement ring worn by Princess Diana.

"He's a true romantic, and we had a wonderful holiday in Africa, and it was out there in a very quiet lodge and it was very romantic and it was very personal time for both of us," Middleton said.

In an interview with Britain's ITV News' Tom Bradby, Middleton said the proposal came as a surprise, despite years of public speculation that the couple would wed.

"We were out there with friends, so I really didn't expect it at all," Middleton said. "It was a total shock when it came. Very excited."

The announcement came to the elation of Britons, many of whom viewed the engagement as a seemingly inevitable yet unreachable moment.

"It's about time! Congrats," one commenter wrote on the royals' Facebook page, a sentiment echoed by hundreds of others.

ABC News' Lee Ferran, Sarah Netter, Jason Volack, Bradley Blackburn and Lee Ferran contributed to this story.