Leicester City's FA Cup win ends woman's 73-year wait for ring - BBC News

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A woman's 73-year-old wait for an engagement ring has finally ended - thanks to Leicester City's FA Cup win.

When Margaret Angell, 96, agreed to marry her future husband Cecil in 1948, money was too tight to justify a ring.

However, Mr Angell said he would stretch to one if the Foxes lifted the coveted trophy.

He died in 2005 but his promise was fulfilled by son Mike Angell, who bought his mother a ring days after the 1-0 win over Chelsea at Wembley.

Mr Angell, 60, said the promise had become family legend after Leicester City lost FA Cup finals in 1949, 1961, 1963 and 1969.

"When they got married in 1948, he'd just got back from the war so money was scarce," he said.

"I remember in 1969, we were all hoping mum would get her engagement ring - and then we lost again."

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It would be another 52 years before the Foxes reached another final but Mr Angell remembered his father's promise.

He said: "I thought back to the story and sent an email to the Leicester Mercury to tell them if Leicester City win, I'm going to buy my mother the engagement ring my father promised her.

"It wasn't a promise I made to him but I thought it was something my mother deserved.

"Obviously Leicester City did win so I rang her after the final whistle to tell her the full story.

"Everything went quiet. I said 'are you alright, mum?' and she said 'I'm crying'.

"Then in typical fashion she joked that it wouldn't be worth it as we wouldn't get our money's worth."

The family took Mrs Angell from her home in Leicester to a jeweller's shop in Melton Mowbray where she picked out her favourite from a selection of 1940s rings in blue and white colours.

Mr Angell even went down on one knee to present the sapphire ring in style.

"The look on her face, it was like she was a teenager again. She's not stopped looking at the ring ever since. It's been absolutely brilliant," he said.

Mrs Angell said the ring was a "beautiful gesture" that had left her completely speechless.

"It's taken me 73 years to get it - I'm not taking it off," she laughed.