Rarely Seen Images From Charles And Diana's Royal Wedding
When Charles and Diana tied the knot in 1981, their nuptials were dubbed the "wedding of the century." According to the BBC, the wedding would go down as one of the most-watched broadcasts in history. But as we all know, much of the drama that happened that day occurred behind the scenes. As a result, these rare images from the "wedding of the century" have an all-new meaning over 40 years later as Charles takes the throne as King.
Charles left a note for Diana before the wedding
Not everything between Charles and Diana was disastrous as they prepared for their wedding. According to Time magazine, the prince actually left a note for his bride-to-be before the event. In it, he said how proud he was of her. He also suggested how best to make it through the big day: “Just look 'em in the eye and knock 'em dead.”
The bride's debut
Diana arrived at the wedding accompanied by her father, Earl Spencer. They had traveled to St. Paul’s in a glass coach, barely big enough to accommodate them and the bride’s humongous gown. Nevertheless, Diana looks happy as she waves and smiles at the onlooking crowd.
Her shoes had a hidden message
No one was supposed to see the bottom of Diana’s shoes on the day, but that didn’t stop her designer from prettying them up. The man responsible, Clive Shilton, decorated the suede shoes with a heart pattern, 132 pearls, 542 sequins — and the tiny initials “C and D,” for Charles and Diana, on the heel. That’s rather sweet.
The longest train in royal wedding history
It seemed that Diana wanted to make quite the impression on her big day, as she stepped out with the longest train in royal wedding history. It measured 25 feet and was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel. Here, some of Diana’s five bridesmaids grapple with the lengthy accessory as she prepares to make her entrance into St. Paul’s Cathedral.
The engagement ring was “common”
On becoming engaged to Charles, Diana did something very unusual for a soon-to-be royal bride: she bought her engagement ring from a catalog. Over the years, snobs have called it “the commoner’s sapphire” because of its origin. But Prince William would probably be furious to hear that. Not only did the ring belong to his mother, but it now also belongs to his wife, Kate Middleton.
The Queen arrives
Members of Charles’ family arrived at St. Paul’s in eight carriages. These included Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, who are photographed here on the way to their son’s wedding. Diana had known the royal family since she was a child, and they reportedly approved of her relationship with Charles.
The gathering crowds
Charles and Diana got engaged just five months before their big day on July 29, 1981. Despite the short timeframe, it was long enough for wedding fever to take hold in the U.K., as 600,000 people lined the London streets hoping to watch history unfold. This picture shows a small part of that crowd, some waving flags as they wait for the royal party to pass.
Charles in good spirits
Charles seemed to be in good spirits as he smiled and waved at onlookers on the way to his wedding. His naval commander uniform featured three gold bands on the cuff, symbolizing his role in the Royal Navy. He also sported epaulets and the royal cipher of the Prince of Wales.
Diana had a back-up wedding dress
Diana’s second wedding dress was so secret that even she didn’t know about it. Her dress designers whipped another frock up just in case something went wrong with the first. “We didn’t try it on Diana. We never even discussed it,” Hello! magazine quoted Emanuel as saying in 2018. “We wanted to make sure that we had something there; it was for our own peace of mind, really.”
Diana had to be sewn into her dress
Signs of the terrible stress Diana was under were evident long before the wedding. After the first fitting for her gown, she lost a lot of weight. The only solution was to sew the bride into her gown on the day she needed it most. Later, it would become clear to all that Diana had an eating disorder. She was, in fact, bulimic.
Just like a fairytale
Diana’s father gave her away to her husband-to-be after she reached the end of the aisle. The ceremony was officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie. He said of the wedding during his sermon, “Here is the stuff of which fairytales are made.” But he warned that marriage was just the start of this story.
What did he whisper?
The couple was seen sharing a tender moment during the ceremony, as Charles seemingly whispered in Diana’s ear. It’s reported that the bride accidentally stained the wedding dress with her favorite perfume — Quelques Fleurs — on the big day. So she apparently covered the mark with her hand throughout her nuptials.
The chief bridesmaid
Diana’s chief bridesmaid at her wedding to Charles was Sarah Armstrong-Jones, the daughter of Princess Margaret and the Earl of Snowdon. At the time, Sarah was 17 years old — just three years younger than the 20-year-old bride. Charles, meanwhile, was 32 on his wedding day.
Camilla Parker Bowles watched on
The cathedral looked rammed to the rafters with distinguished guests ahead of Diana’s arrival in the historic building. Among the individuals in the congregation was Camilla Parker Bowles — then Charles’ ex-girlfriend and his future wife. Diana was aware of her husband’s feelings for Camilla, but while Camilla was allowed to attend the ceremony, she was not present at the couple’s wedding breakfast.
Diana had two wedding bouquets
After Queen Elizabeth had a flower malfunction on her wedding day, she kicked off the practice of royal brides having two wedding posies. And Diana followed that example. “We made two bouquets. The first one had to be delivered at eight o’clock to Buckingham Palace,” David Longman, chosen florist for the big day, revealed to the Express in 2018. “We had a police escort who took us all through the city to the palace. Then we came back, and by that time they had finished the second bouquet, and back we went again.”
The tiara gave Diana a headache
Wearing a tiara all day might sound like fun, but it definitely wasn’t for Diana. Her brother Charles told Entertainment Tonight in 2010 about how the precious jewelry affected her. “In the evening we all went to a semi-private party. She was there and she seemed incredibly relaxed and happy. And I remember she had a cracking headache too because she wasn’t used to wearing a tiara all morning,” he said.
Exquisite gifts from high places
Among the guests was Nancy Reagan — the then-First Lady of the United States. She and her husband Ronald gifted Charles and Diana a bespoke Boehm porcelain centerpiece and an engraved glass bowl by Steuben on behalf of the United States. Meanwhile, the Canadians presented the couple with antique furniture, while Australia sent 20 inscribed silver platters.
Time-honored traditions
Charles and Diana’s wedding might seem as traditional as they come. But the couple did break from convention in some ways. For one, they were the first members of the British royal family to ditch an old-fashioned vow to “obey.” Nevertheless, some time-honored rituals were adhered to — as is seen here — when Diana curtseyed to the Queen after becoming the Princess of Wales.
A procession through the streets of London
Charles and Diana arrived at St. Paul’s separately, though they left together in a gold-encrusted, horse-drawn carriage. The coach would take them to Buckingham Palace to continue the celebrations. First, though, the couple enjoyed a procession through the packed-out streets of London — smiling and waving as they went.
A few moments of joy
It’s hard to imagine what a whirlwind Diana’s wedding must have been. But in this image, it appears that she is taking a second to soak it all up. Later, leaked audio tapes would reveal that Diana called her nuptials to Charles the “worst day of [her] life.” But judging from the smile on her face, it would appear the new princess did find moments of joy on her big day.
