Princess Diana
The Royal Wedding, which
took place on 29 July 1981 in St Paul’s Cathedral, London, was attended by 3,500
guests, photographed by Lord Lichfield, watched avidly by approximately one
billion people on televisions around the world and marked as a national holiday
in the UK. The fairytale Princess looked every bit the part, arriving at the
church in a glass coach, wearing the family tiara and a massive silk wedding
dress incorporating 10,000 pearls and sequins, with a 25-foot train, designed by
David and Elizabeth Emmanuel. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Robert Runice,
married the couple in a traditional Church of England service. On Charles’
request, New Zealand soprano Kiri Te Kanawa sang a beautiful rendition of
Handel’s ‘Let the Bright Seraphim’ during the ceremony. The married couple rode
in the open-top state landau to Buckingham Palace for the kiss on the balcony
the crowds had been waiting to see. The couple then joined their family and
guests for a private wedding breakfast feast at the Palace. Diana’s new surname
was Mountbatten-Windsor and her new title Her Royal Highness The Princess of
Wales. She was ranked as third most senior woman in the United Kingdom, after
the Queen and the Queen Mother. The newlyweds enjoyed their honeymoon on board
the royal yacht Britannia.