Catherine brings back the magic
Young royals reignite the public’s love of the monarchy with carefree wedding display
AFTER Charles and Diana’s wedding, no other royal nuptials came close to capturing the attention of the world.
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s wedding in Westminster Abbey in 1986 was exciting, but short lived, and by the time of Edward’s low-key service in Windsor Castle in 1999, the monarchy was in chaos.
But the magic returned when Prince William married Kate Middleton on April 29, 2011 and the pair reignited the monarchy with their modern romance.
Two billion people tuned in worldwide to watch the wedding, with a million on the streets outside Westminster Abbey, even more than for Charles and Diana. It was a royal wedding, but a modern one, breaking many traditions.
Kate stayed at The Goring hotel the night before and drove to the Abbey in a Rolls Royce.
Prince William had Harry as his best man rather than a “supporter” as was the custom, and Kate had her sister Pippa as her maid of honour, along with four bridesmaids and two pageboys.
Unlike Charles and Di who received 6000 wedding presents, the young couple sought donations to charity instead.
They had a lunchtime reception at Buckingham Palace then, instead of going on honeymoon, drove to Clarence House in Prince Philip’s convertible Aston Martin, before returning to the Palace for a party that ran until 3am.
Their happiness was evident all day. When Catherine walked into Westminster Abbey, on the arm of her father Michael, sister Pippa holding the more modest 2.7 metre train of her Alexander McQueen gown, she turned to the crowd and gave a cheery wave before she went inside. The difference between her and Diana could not have been more obvious.
As the couple drove from the Abbey in the same landau as Charles and Diana, they were full of joy – smiling, waving and enjoying the cheers of the crowds.
And when William twice kissed his new wife on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in a genuine show of love, it cheered the hearts of even the most cynical onlookers and showed the world he was Diana’s son.