11 Little-Known Romantic Details From The Prince and Princess of Wales’s Wedding
Over a decade on from the 2011 nuptials of the now Prince and Princess of Wales, British Vogue revisits their special day, and highlights the thoughtful details that brought a personal touch to an event watched around the globe.
Perhaps you were at a street party, or so giddy with excitement (and Pimms) at the prospect of finally seeing The Dress that all the other sentimental details of Kate and William’s 2011 wedding escaped your notice. A decade later, the Alexander McQueen gown, Kate’s Cartier Halo tiara – borrowed from the late Queen – and the crowd-pleasing kisses on the Buckingham Palace balcony are ingrained in the nation’s memory. But smaller, sentimental details of the royal couple’s special day may have been forgotten. Here, British Vogue revisits 11 romantic details from Prince and Princess of Wales’ wedding to celebrate their 12th anniversary.
Pascal Le Segretain1/11The bride honoured a tradition observed by Diana, the former Princess of Wales
It was far from an ordinary wedding, but Kate and William stayed true to many of the traditions observed by other young couples – such as something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue for the bride. Her Alexander McQueen gown was something new, and incorporated centuries-old lacemaking techniques to tick the old box. Her something borrowed was the Queen’s Cartier Halo tiara, and Kate had a discreet blue ribbon sewn into her dress, just as the groom’s late mother, Diana, the former Princess of Wales, had done 30 years earlier.
WPA Pool2/11Kate’s earrings had a family connection
A gift from her parents on her wedding day, the bride’s earrings also nodded to her childhood. Designed by Robinson Pelham, they featured diamond acorns and oak trees inspired by those at the family’s Berkshire home. Acorns and oaks also appear in the Middleton family crest, which was unveiled in the run-up to the wedding.
WPA Pool3/11Kate’s wedding ring followed royal tradition
Despite the groom opting not to wear a wedding ring himself — a move that Palace aides said was down to “personal preference” — the bride walked back up the aisle of Westminster Abbey wearing a new gold band. Catherine’s simple style was cut from a piece of Welsh Clogau gold belonging to the Queen, in line with a long-standing royal tradition.
Pascal Le Segretain4/11The bridesmaids’ headdresses included a nod to the Middletons
William and Kate chose four flower girls for their bridal party: Lady Louise Windsor, the eldest child of Prince Edward; Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Princess Margaret’s granddaughter; Grace van Cutsem, the daughter of the couple’s friend Hugh van Cutsem; and Eliza Lopes, the granddaughter of the Duchess of Cornwall. Though there was no representative from the bride’s family, each wore a floral wreath in their hair that is said to have been modelled on the one worn by Catherine’s mother, Carole, on her wedding day in 1980.
Clive Rose/GP5/11Kate’s bouquet paid tribute to William
The bride’s bouquet was made up with flowers that have decorated many royal weddings. Myrtle taken from a bush planted by Queen Victoria at Osborne House was included, as were flowers grown from Queen Elizabeth’s 1947 bridal bouquet, alongside lily of the valley and hyacinth. The sweetest bloom addition to the posy was perhaps the sweet William – an obvious nod to her husband-to-be. In keeping with another tradition started by the groom’s great-grandmother the Queen Mother, Kate’s bouquet was laid on the tomb of the unknown warrior at Westminster Abbey after the wedding. This tradition started with the Queen Mother in 1923, as a nod to her brother, Fergus, who died during the First World War.
WPA Pool6/11The couple became more than Mr and Mrs
The Queen made Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on their wedding day. But those weren’t the only new monikers they left Westminster Abbey with. The late Queen also made the newlyweds Earl and Countess of Strathearn, which is in Scotland and close to where the couple met as students at the University of St Andrew’s, and Lord and Lady Carrickfergus.
WPA Pool7/11The trees that decorated the aisle are now in Prince Charles’s garden
Decorating the Gothic abbey was no mean feat. To bring a personal touch to the grand venue, they chose to line the nave aisle with English seasonal flowers picked from the royal estates, all in neutral colours. Shane Connolly, the artistic director of flowers for the occasion, said at the time that the goal was for the Abbey to look “unpretentious and simple and natural”, to reflect the fact that “Catherine is a country girl at heart and that the couple are the best of British”. Today, the eight trees — six maple, two hornbeams — are planted at Princes Charles’s Welsh home in Myddfai.
Max Mumby/Indigo8/11The couple departed in style
In a moment that offered light relief from the pomp and ceremony of the event, the newlyweds jumped into a convertible decorated with balloons by their friends to make their way from the afternoon reception at Buckingham Palace to Clarence House. The Aston Martin was a gift from the late Queen and Prince Philip to their eldest son, the now King Charles, on his 21st birthday.
