Prince Charles And Princess Diana’s Wedding: 14 Secret Details You Didn’t Know About
Published on May 16, 2018. Updated May 13, 2019Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding day looked absolutely perfect and it seemed to be the beginning of a fairytale romance; however, there was a lot that happened that day behind the scenes that most people don’t know about. Here are 14 secret details from the former royal couple’s big day that will probably come as a surprise:
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14. A Bridesmaid Started Crying
Clementine Hambro, the granddaughter of Winston Churchill and one of Diana’s former students, was one of the bridesmaids. She was only five at the time and began to cry after she tripped as the bridal party was heading down a long gallery inside Buckingham Palace. Diana proved just how maternal she was as she picked up young Clementine and comforted her.
13. Camilla Parker Bowles Was Invited to the Wedding
Diana was reportedly well aware of Charles’ feelings for Camilla prior to their wedding and had been heartbroken when she saw that her fiancé had a bracelet monogrammed for his former lover. Surprisingly, Camilla was invited to the wedding, but Diana had refused to have her at the more exclusive wedding breakfast that took place at Buckingham Palace.
Press Association12. She Called Him by the wrong Name During Their Vows
According to the BBC, while saying her vows, Princess Diana called Charles by the wrong name. She called him “Philip Charles Arthur George” instead of “Charles Philip Arthur George.” This can probably just be chalked up to wedding jitters!
Photo by Mike Hollist / Daily Mail / Rex Features11. There Were 27 Cakes
Twenty-seven cakes were served at the couple’s wedding. The official cake was a five-foot-tall layered fruitcake that was decorated with Prince Charles’ coat of arms, the Spencer family crest and flowers, and it weighed 225 pounds! There were two official wedding cakes made just in case one was damaged.
10. There Was a Backup Wedding Dress
Prior to the wedding, Princess Diana’s dress was a heavily guarded secret. The designers actually had a backup wedding dress just in case her wedding dress was revealed before the big day. The backup gown was very similar to the dress that Diana wore but didn’t have the signature lace.
9. She Left the Word “Obey” Out from Her Wedding Vows
In her wedding vows, Lady Diana Spencer broke with royal precedent when she decided not to promise to obey Prince Charles. Instead, she promised to “love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health.” When Kate Middleton and Prince William were married, they followed in her footsteps and decided to remove the word from their vows.
Press Association8. Her Dress Got Wrinkled in the Carriage
Diana’s wedding dress had a 25-foot train, which ended up causing problems on her wedding day. The designers of her dress didn’t factor in how small the glass carriage she would traveling would be and the dress and its train ended up being crushed inside. When she arrived at the cathedral, there were visible wrinkles, which her bridesmaids tried to shake out.
Rex Features7. He Wept the Night Before
Prince Charles reportedly wept the night before he married Diana and told one of his aides, “I can’t go through with it.” The same aide said that the prince had realized that his bride-to-be wasn’t “the jolly country he had assumed” and was instead a vulnerable and complicated woman who struggled with an eating disorder.
Mirrorpix/Courtesy Everett Collection6. Hidden Message in Her Shoe
The shoes that Princess Diana wore on her wedding day had a hidden message that was a tribute to Prince Charles. On the arches of the soles, a small “C and D” were painted right under the heel with a heart in-between. No one ever saw the secret message though because she would have had to fall over.
Photo by Tim Stewart News / Rex Features5. Her Tiara Gave Her a Headache
Princess Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, revealed that the tiara that she wore on her wedding day gave her a splitting headache. “In the evening we all went to a sort of semi-private party and she was there and she seemed incredibly relaxed and happy and I just remember she had a cracking headache too because she wasn’t used to wearing a tiara all morning,” he said.
Photo by Rex Features4. She Spilled a Bottle of Perfume on Her Dress
On the big day, Diana accidentally spilled some perfume on her gorgeous dress as she was trying to put some of it on her wrists. This is why she can be seen in pictures lifting the front of her dress or covering part of it with her hand – she was trying to hide the perfume spot on the dress! Fortunately, no one actually noticed it.
Courtesy Everett Collection3. He Didn’t Seal His Vows with a Kiss
At the wedding, Prince Charles forgot to seal his vows with a kiss. However, hours later, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, he made up for it by kissing her there, which delighted the crowd. This started the tradition of the groom kissing the bride in public view on the balcony, which Prince William and Kate Middleton followed.
Press Association2. She Lost a Lot of Weight
Prior to the wedding, Princess Diana was losing weight and designer had to make five separate bodices to fit her shrinking waist. When she was first measured, her waist was 29 inches but, by the big day, it was only 23.5 inches. Every time that she turned up for a fitting, she had lost more weight. In the end, Diana had come in for 15 fittings and the designers had to sew her into the dress on her wedding day.
1. She Had Cold Feet
Lady Diana had cold feet before the wedding. She had told her biographer, Andrew Morton, that she had confided in her sisters before the big day, telling them, “I can’t marry him, I can’t do this, this is absolutely unbelievable.” They told her that it was too late to pull out because her face was “already on the tea towels.”
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