Rarely Seen Images From Charles And Diana's 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, and it was surprisingly heartfelt. "I'm so proud of you," Charles wrote. "And when you come up I'll be there at the altar for you tomorrow." Charles also suggested how best to make it through the big day: “Just look 'em in the eye and knock 'em dead.”

Diana arrived at the wedding accompanied by her father, Earl Spencer. They traveled to St. Paul’s Cathedral in the historic Glass Coach, which was the same coach that carried Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip when they were newlyweds. The coach was barely big enough to accommodate Diana, her father, and the bride’s humongous gown. And since the wedding was at St. Paul's and not Westminster Abbey, Diana and her father were packed inside the coach like sardines as it slowly wound its way through London. Nevertheless, Diana looked happy as she waved and smiled at the crowd.

No one was supposed to see the bottom of Diana’s shoes on her wedding day, but that didn’t stop her designer from prettying them up. The man responsible, Clive Shilton, decorated the suede shoes with an adorable heart detail made from delicate lace. The shoes were also encrusted with approximately 132 pearls and 542 sequins — shoes fit for a princess, no? The creme de la creme, however, was the hidden message: the tiny initials “C and D,” for Charles and Diana, were painted onto the shoe's arches. That’s rather sweet.

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 the bride prepares to make her entrance into St. Paul’s Cathedral. The breathtaking train looked right at home in a cathedral, but that didn't mean it was easy for Diana or her bridesmaids to carry: some speculate that the entire gown weighed upwards of 20 pounds.

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. Plus, Diana wasn't just enthralled by the ring's size and beauty when she picked it out. It reportedly reminded her of her mother's engagement ring.

While Diana was stuffed inside the Glass Coach, members of Charles’ family arrived at St. Paul’s Cathedral in eight open carriages. These included Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, who are photographed here on the way to their son’s wedding. Despite the pomp and circumstance associated with a royal wedding, the couple appeared to be characteristically calm and collected. It probably helped that the royal family had known Diana since she was a child, and they reportedly approved of Charles' relationship with her.

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. The spirits were so high that day that you'd have thought the Beatles were going to perform the wedding march!

Despite rumors that both Charles and Diana secretly tried to cancel the wedding multiple times before the big day, 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. Clearly, he was determined to marry Diana — whether he truly wanted to or not.

St. Paul’s Cathedral began to fill up as guests arrived. Charles and Diana broke tradition by choosing this venue, as Westminster Abbey was the usual choice for royal weddings. However, the latter had less of a wow factor for the bride. In her book The Real Diana, Lady Colin Campbell explained that St. Paul’s “was more beautiful, could hold a full orchestra, and had a world-famous choir.” Not only could the cathedral hold an entire orchestra, but it could hold the couple's immense guest list.

Charles also traveled to his wedding in a state carriage — accompanied by his brother Prince Andrew. He traveled in the 1902 State Landau carriage, which years later carried the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge back to the palace after their 2022 wedding. But why was Andrew with Charles, you ask? According to tradition, royals have “supporters” instead of best men, which is essentially the same thing. The groom chose his brothers — Andrew and Edward — to fulfill this role at his wedding, which is why Andrew joined him in the carriage.

Diana’s second wedding dress was such a well-kept secret that even she didn’t know about it. Her dress designers, Elizabeth and David Emanuel, 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.” And we can totally understand why. Who in their right mind would want to deal with that fiasco?

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. But that's not the only reason why the gown looked larger than life; it actually was an abnormally large gown, what with the taffeta, lace, and thousands of pearls.

Just like in the Glass Coach, Diana was accompanied down the aisle by her father, Earl Spencer. And she walked to the sound of “Trumpet Voluntary in D” by Jeremiah Clarke. In this shot, the bride makes her way past some of the top figures in British politics at the time. These include then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and politicians Leon Brittan and Michael Heseltine. Her walk up the aisle was just under four minutes long, and it was undoubtedly made worse by the weight of the gown.

People flocked to The Mall in London and formed a massive crowd as the day got underway. After all, who wouldn't want to take a peek at who was then believed to be the future king and queen of the U.K.? The tree-lined street connects Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace and is often a point of focus during parades and royal weddings. According to CBS News, $600,000 was spent on crowd control and security to maintain order on Charles and Diana’s big day.

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. He couldn't have known then just how right — and wrong — he'd end up being! It was the start of a fairytale, but not one with a happy ending.

The couple was seen sharing a tender moment during the ceremony, as Charles seemingly whispered in Diana’s ear. We wonder what he said. "You look lovely"? "Don't forget to say 'I do'"? Or perhaps, "What's that stain on your dress?" Yes, it’s been reported that the bride accidentally stained her instantly iconic wedding dress with her favorite perfume — Quelques Fleurs — on the big day. So she apparently covered the mark with her hand throughout her nuptials. Very clever, Di!

The guests at Charles and Diana’s wedding were representatives of various European royal families. In this photo are Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik. Meanwhile, behind them is Norway’s King Harald V. Royals from Monoco, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Belgium were also in attendance. Spain’s King Juan Carlos rejected his invitation due to the couple’s controversial decision to kick off their honeymoon cruise in Gibraltar. It was truly a star-studded affair, as the sea of crowns and tiaras in the crowd proved.

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. If that age difference feels a little large to you, then you're not alone! "I remember thinking what a very jolly and amusing and attractive 16-year-old she was," Charles, who was 28 when he met Diana, once said of his future wife. Hmm.

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. Imagine inviting your fiancé's ex — and potential lover — to your wedding ceremony. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, but both ladies kept their composure.

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.”

Before Charles became involved with Diana, he actually dated her sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale. However, the relationship didn’t last, perhaps because Sarah had spoken to the press about it, reportedly angering the prince. (Or maybe because he first met and took an interest in Diana while he was still dating her sister.) But Sarah still attended the wedding along with her husband, so any ill will she may have felt for Diana or Charles was apparently water under the bridge.

You'd think that major members of Diana's family would play a big role in the wedding ceremony, but not in this case! Members of Diana’s family watched on from the sidelines during the ceremony. They included her parents, John Spencer and Frances Shand Kydd, and her brother Charles, who would later follow in his dad’s footsteps to become the 9th Earl Spencer. Diana’s maternal grandmother, Lady Fermoy, was also in attendance. At least they were able to watch Diana become Princess of Wales in person!

Although Charles and Diana enjoyed a fairytale wedding, it was not without the odd hiccup. While saying her vows, Diana mixed up her groom’s name, referring to him as “Philip Charles” rather than “Charles Philip.” And can you blame her? The man has four names! For his part, Charles offered his bride “thy goods” instead of his “worldly goods.” We bet that elicited a chuckle or two in the cathedral. Luckily, onlookers were undoubtedly too caught up in the majesty of the moment to notice these small blunders.

Wearing a tiara all day might sound like fun, but it definitely wasn’t smiles and rainbows 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. The pains of being a princess!

But it wasn’t just everyday folk who were excited by the prospect of the royal wedding. After all, even though Diana was a member of the upper-class Spencer family, she was still marrying into royalty! Here, comedian Spike Milligan is seen entertaining the crowds on the big day. This was quite an intimidating undertaking considering the illustrious congregation of 3,500 people at the wedding! The comedian's "audience" included royalty from across Europe, heads of state, and people from the entertainment industry.

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 (as if the Prince and Princess of Wales needed more fancy dishes! But it's the thought that counts). Meanwhile, the Canadians presented the couple with antique furniture, while Australia sent 20 inscribed silver platters. They also received paintings, jewelry, gloves, a clock, and even a carpet.

The signing of this document by Charles, Diana, and the Archbishop of Canterbury was history in the making. Upon her marriage to the future King of England, Lady Spencer became Diana, Princess of Wales. Following her vows, she would go on to become one of the most-loved members of the royal family. When Camilla married Charles years later, she declined the title because of how well-known (and beloved) Diana had been as the Princess of Wales. When Charles and Camilla became King and Queen, Will and Kate became the Prince and Princess of Wales.

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.” Although cutting out the promise to "obey" from the vows was considered quite controversial at the time, most royal weddings followed suit, including Prince William and Prince Harry's weddings. Nevertheless, some time-honored rituals were adhered to at Diana and Charles' wedding — as is seen here — when Diana curtseyed to the Queen after becoming the Princess of Wales.

Charles and Diana then left St. Paul’s Cathedral together with their bridesmaids once the wedding ceremony was over. The two youngest were Catherine Cameron and Clementine Hambro, who were six and five, respectively. The latter had been a favorite pupil of Diana’s from her time working at Young England kindergarten. And like the bride, she was a relative of Winston Churchill and an even closer relative at that: young Clementine was Winston Churchill's great-granddaughter.

Clementine Hambro was just five years old when she was one of Charles and Diana’s bridesmaids. She was also the youngest member of the wedding and acted pretty much like you’d expect a child of that age to act! Despite being on her best behavior, the child did accidentally cause a small scene. At one point, while walking with the bride through Buckingham Palace, she fell over and started crying. Diana (who was, after all, once a schoolteacher) comforted her.

Charles and Diana emerged from St. Paul’s Cathedral as husband and wife following their nuptials. Here, the newly appointed Princess of Wales waves to onlookers as she stands side-by-side with Charles. And as Diana takes off her veil, her family heirloom — the Spencer Tiara — can now be seen in all its glory. Some parts of the tiara are thought to be quite old, most likely having originated sometime in the 1870s. And despite Diana's headache later on in the evening, the Spencer Tiara is among the lightest tiaras she ever wore.

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 at their traditional wedding breakfast and reception. First, though, the couple enjoyed a procession through the packed-out streets of London — smiling and waving as they went. And with hundreds of millions of people watching the wedding worldwide, they had lots of smiling and waving to do!

It’s clear to see from this image just what a spectacle Charles and Diana’s wedding procession was to behold. The parade was flanked by members of the Household Cavalry and the Foot Guards, and it had all the pomp and ceremony we’ve come to expect from a royal wedding. As a result, the happy couple seemingly delighted the crowds as they rolled by in their carriage. The crowd got their first look at a real-life fairytale; of course, the "fairytale" ended up being far more fictitious than anyone could've known back then.

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. Although she had doubts going into the wedding, you can't deny the thrill she likely felt as she was paraded through the packed streets of London.

The Queen and Earl Spencer traveled to Buckingham Palace together, as the mother of the groom and the father of the bride, following Diana and Charles’ wedding ceremony. The Spencers had many connections to the royal family; they rented a home owned by the Queen, while the monarch was also the godmother of Diana’s brother Charles. The Spencers weren't exactly commoners, as they came from British nobility and were distantly related to the royal family. Both Diana and Charles descended from the House of Tudor.

Meanwhile, Charles’ father, Prince Philip, and Diana’s mother, Frances Shand Kydd, also shared a carriage. The Princess of Wales’ parents had divorced while she was a child, and her father had won custody of her and Diana’s siblings. She was not close to her mom, though their family resemblance is clear to see. Despite their strained relationship, Diana's mother was still a key figure in the wedding ceremony, which is why she shared a carriage with Prince Philip.

It would be fair to say that the eyes of the world were on the couple throughout the royal wedding. Charles had long attracted media attention as heir to the British throne. However, his relationship and subsequent marriage to Diana particularly captivated the press and the general public alike. Their wedding was watched in as many as 74 countries, according to Biography.com. Everyone was fascinated by the whirlwind romance between the young, pretty Diana and the older, shy bachelor, Prince Charles.

Part of the interest in the wedding was no doubt down to the fact that the royal family came out in force to celebrate the big day. Here, Charles’ aunt Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, is seen traveling in the procession with his sister, Princess Anne. By this point, both women had enjoyed royal weddings of their own. Margaret had married Antony Armstrong-Jones back in 1960, while Anne wed Mark Phillips 13 years later. Sadly, both marriages ended in divorce.

For his part, Prince Edward also formed part of the wedding procession as one of Charles' "supporters", or best men. Charles’ youngest sibling is seen here riding in a carriage alongside some of Diana’s bridesmaids. He would go on to marry Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999 and is the only one of the Queen’s children who has not been divorced. As the youngest of Queen Elizabeth's four children, Edward is no stranger to crowds, which is probably why he looks unfazed by the hordes of people and cameras.

And the wedding procession was quite the sight to behold as it snaked its way through London. Flags and bunting hung along the route between St. Paul’s and Buckingham Palace. As can be seen in this picture, some people took to balconies in a bid to catch a glimpse of the historic moment, while others perched precariously on a store sign. People did anything in order to see the Prince and Princess in real life; their fervor is an ominous reminder of just how dangerous being a famous royal can be.

Royal couples often receive wonderful and wacky gifts to celebrate their union, and Charles and Diana were no exception. Pupils from the school where Diana taught gifted the couple artwork, while the Emir of Bahrain gave a bejeweled model of a ship. Even stranger, but clearly heartfelt, gifts included a heart-shaped potato from two little girls and gingerbread figures made to look like the bride and groom. They may not be fancy bowls or historic furniture, but these gifts come straight from the heart, which makes them even more valuable.

Royal weddings aren’t put together on the cheap. In fact, the wedding of Charles and Diana cost approximately $70 million! Two of the biggest expenses were, of course, the bride’s dress and the tight security. For comparison, the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton “only” cost around $34 million, with a lot of that spent on security as well. It just goes to show that security is a huge part of a royal wedding day. While everyone else is enjoying the nuptials, thousands of dollars worth of security measures are being taken being the scenes.

Eventually, Charles and Diana arrived at Buckingham Palace to get their wedding breakfast underway. The reception was a more intimate affair than the couple’s ceremony with just 120 guests in attendance. The celebration took place away from public eyes, and this gave the bride and groom some privacy on their big day... well, "privacy" alongside 120 of their closest friends and family, plus high-ranking officials. It gave the couple a chance to breathe away from the adoring crowds, at least!

Guests at the royal wedding didn’t go hungry. A whopping 27 cakes were provided, and that doesn’t even include the main wedding cake. That was a fruitcake decorated with flowers, Diana’s family crest, and Charles’ unique coat of arms. Not only did it cost $40,000, but two of them had to be made to stave off disaster if one got damaged! Dessert lovers at the wedding must have been delighted. It no doubt helped that the cake was made by David Avery, head baker at the Royal Naval Cooking School.

Because the ceremony was such a momentous occasion, slices of Charles and Diana’s wedding cake are still around. They are even on sale for the right price — although you certainly shouldn’t eat them after purchasing them, since they're over 40 years old at this point. Poignantly, Diana’s brother Charles still owns a piece of the cake with her name on it. Such a sweet memory of a historic day! And if you want one for yourself, one slice sold for over $2,500 in 2021.

The festivities of the royal wedding included a military parade outside of Buckingham Palace. And the day’s pageantry was widely celebrated by the international press. Reporting on the event, The New York Times said that it symbolized “the continuity of the monarchy” in the United Kingdom. Since people have long questioned the purpose of the monarchy in the modern era, Diana and Charles' marriage represented the monarchy's strength as well as its ability to evolve. At just 20 years old, Diana held the future of the monarchy in her hands.

Behind the gates of Buckingham Palace, the wedding party gathered in the throne room for a series of official portraits. In this one, Charles and Diana are accompanied by their groomsmen, pageboys, and bridesmaids. The group includes Charles' brothers and their cousin, Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones. Lady Sarah is the daughter of Princess Margaret and the Earl of Snowdon. Charles' pageboys were Lord Nicholas Windsor, son of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and young Edward van Cutsem, whose father was a friend of Charles.

Another official portrait from Charles and Diana’s big day! Here, the happy couple poses alongside other members of the British royal family, including some of Diana’s relatives and their bridesmaids. Among the crowd is Charles’ grandmother the Queen Mother as well as Princess Margaret, Princess Anne, and Princess Anne's then-husband, Mark Phillips. And in the green dress is Lady Sarah, Princess Diana's older sister and Charles' former flame. Diana's other sister, Lady Jane Fellowes, can be seen standing above her mother. And standing above her is the youngest Spencer sibling, Charles.

Perhaps one of the most incredible images from Diana and Charles’ wedding is this one, which proves just how many people showed their support for Charles and Diana's marriage — and this only scratches the surface! Here, you can see the bride and groom alongside members of multiple royal families from across Europe. These include the monarchs of Belgium, Denmark, Liechtenstein, Norway, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, and Sweden. We won't try to name them all, but they seem right at home in Buckingham Palace.

Charles and Diana also emerged onto the balcony of Buckingham Palace to greet the crowds as part of their big day. The spot has often been a focal point during royal events and weddings since 1858. The tradition was started by Princess Victoria – the daughter of Queen Victoria – who was the first to utilize the platform on her wedding day. We can't imagine celebrating a royal wedding, coronation, or any other special event without the balcony! It's the perfect place for the royals to practice their "Windsor waves."

Charles and Diana honored Princess Victoria's old custom by appearing on the balcony, and in the process, they also started another tradition. While the couple forgot to kiss following their vows in St. Paul’s, they made up for it with a public smooch in front of the crowds gathered outside Buckingham Palace. The sweet moment was also an unusual public display of affection for the royals, so the crowds below went nuts for the unexpected kiss! In the years since, Prince William and Kate Middleton have followed in their footsteps by sharing a kiss on the balcony after their wedding.

Charles and Diana made an understated exit from Buckingham Palace in an open-top carriage following their wedding breakfast. They were bound for Waterloo Station, where they would catch a train to Broadlands, where they would spend the first part of their honeymoon, just as Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip had done decades earlier. And tied to the back of the landau was a homemade “just married” sign to mark the occasion. Funnily enough, the hastily-crafted sign was made by Princes Andrew and Edward, Charles' best men!

While Charles eventually fulfilled his destiny by becoming the King of England, Diana, of course, never made it to Queen. Their marriage was not to last, and they separated before divorcing in 1996 after 15 years of marriage. Sadly, Diana died one year later following a car crash. So this royal well-wisher's sign ended up being just that: a wish, not a promise. Eventually, King Charles III and his longtime love, Camilla, finally got married and were crowned side by side as King and Queen in 2023.