Skip to main content

Filed Under: Celebrity Weddings

Getty Images

When Prince William's parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, were married in 1981, 750 million people watched the ceremony on television and two million people lined the streets of London to get a glimpse of the bride and groom.


Will Prince William and Kate Middleton find inspiration in the details of his parents' iconic wedding? We think so.

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=889551&pid=889550&uts=1289923608
http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swf

Prince Charles & Diana Spencers Wedding

Prince Charles, heir to the British throne and one of the world's most eligible bachelors, proposed to Lady Diana Spencer after a brief courtship. The couple announced their engagement on February 24, 1981.

Prince Charles & Diana Spencers Wedding

When Prince Charles popped the question, he didn't offer his future bride an engagement ring but allowed her to pick her own ring from the official crown jeweler, Garrard Jewelers. After browsing several designs, she selected a ring with an oval sapphire surrounded by 14 diamonds in a cluster setting. The ring was not a custom design but part of the jeweler's collection, and cost $65,000.

Prince Charles & Diana Spencers Wedding

About 750 million people from around the world tuned in to watch the "wedding of the century" and two million well-wishers lined the streets of London to see Lady Diana's journey from Clarence House to St. Paul's Cathedral.

Prince Charles & Diana Spencers Wedding

The iconic wedding dress was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel. Elizabeth recently recalled that the gown's inspiration came from "romance, and froth and lace and big skirts. It was over the top and it was perfect. She loved that."

Made from silk taffeta and antique lace, the designers and the bride wanted the gown to make a "dramatic statement," which it did with it's incredibly long 25-foot train. The bride wore a cathedral-length veil and the Spencer family diamond tiara, which we recently learned gave her a splitting headache.

Prince Charles & Diana Spencers Wedding

Before entering St. Paul's, Lady Diana took her father's arm. He had recently recovered from a stroke and it wasn't certain that he'd be able to make the almost four-minute walk to the altar.

Prince Charles & Diana Spencers Wedding

On July 29, 1981, Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married in front of 3,500 invited guests at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Most royal weddings take place at Westminster Abbey, but due to the size of the guest list, St Paul's was selected for the wedding of the century.

Prince Charles & Diana Spencers Wedding

The hour-long ceremony, a traditional Church of England service, was led by Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Robert Runcie. During their vows, Diana jumbled Charles' name and called him Philip Charles Arthur George, instead of Charles Philip Arthur George. The groom mixed-up his vows too, stating "thy goods" instead of "my worldly goods." Before the wedding, the couple decided to omit the word "obey" from the ceremony.

Prince Charles & Diana Spencers Wedding

As a member of the British Royal Navy, Charles wore the full dress uniform of a naval commander.

The Prince and Princess of Wales led the processional to Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance."

Prince Charles & Diana Spencers Wedding

After the ceremony, the newlyweds rode to Buckingham Palace for an intimate wedding breakfast with 120 guests. Riding in an open carriage, the couple waved to the crowds along the route.

After arriving at Buckingham Palace, they posed on the front balcony and shared a kiss as the crowd cheered.

Prince Charles & Diana Spencers Wedding

In British wedding tradition, the bridal party was made up of children. The groom's brothers, princes Andrew and Edward, served as his supporters -- similar to the American role of the best man.

The bride's cascade bouquet included gardenias, stephanotis, yellow roses, freesia and ivy. The yellow roses coordinated with the attendants' dresses.

Prince Charles & Diana Spencers Wedding



More Royal Wedding News:

Browse our Gallery of Royal Weddings of Windsor

From the wedding cake to the dress: Find out what the royal wedding details are!

Will Prince William and Kate Middleton be inspired by other royal weddings? Browse our gallery of royal weddings from around the world.

Kate Middleton may get her something old from her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana -- find out what!


  • Barbarad

    That wedding dress Diana wore was HIDIOUS!! Just AWFUL! She was drowning in it, and it was so juvenile. and unsophisticated for a young beautiful woman. I hope Kate can do better!

    Reply
  • 1 Comments / 1 Pages

Add Your Comments

  • New Users
  • Returning

If you are posting a comment for the first time, please enter your name and email address in the fields above. Your name will be displayed with your comment. Your email address will never be displayed.

Add Your Comment

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.

Advertisement

Follow Us

Tip of the day

Bring a piece of your current china, crystal or flatware pattern with you when you register so you can find a complementary pattern. Learn More