About This Quiz
Prince William's parents, Prince Charles and Diana Spencer, had a now-legendary wedding that was so spectacular, it set the bar for every future royal ceremony. Take this quiz to find out how much you know about Charles and Di's big day.Charles and Di wed in the historic and prestigious St. Paul's Cathedral, which has been serving London's faithful since the year 604. Along with St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle and Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's is one of the most popular locations for royal ceremonies.
Advertisement
Despite being an overcast, gray morning, more than 600,000 well-wishers lined the streets of London, hoping to catch a glimpse of Prince Charles and Princess Diana on their wedding day.
Advertisement
Diana's engagement ring remains a renowned piece jewelry with its beauty, craftsmanship and elegance. It consists of an 18-carat oval sapphire set in a platinum band, surrounded by 14 diamonds. Kate Middleton is currently sporting the sizeable rock on her left hand, as it was the ring Diana's eldest son, William, used to propose.
Advertisement
The royal wedding was a big deal! In fact, the British government called for a bank holiday to mark the occasion, which is the same as a national holiday in the United States. Another bank holiday is scheduled for Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding day.
Advertisement
Diana wasn't even close to being the youngest royal bride (that honor goes to Isabella of Valois, who was just six years old when she wed 15-year-old Richard II in 1396), but at 20, Diana was a good bit younger than her eldest son's future wife, Kate Middleton, who will be 29 on her wedding day.
Advertisement
And you thought your wedding guest list was out of control! Prince Charles and Princess Diana recited their royal "I do's" in front of 3,500 guests.
Advertisement
Forget the "Cheers" send-off, final episode of "MASH" or any of the Super Bowl games. Prince Charles and Diana's wedding was viewed by an estimated 750 million people worldwide, making it one of the most-watched television programs ever broadcast.
Advertisement
Unlike Kate Middleton (who plans on riding in a car to her royal nuptials), Lady Diana stuck with tradition and rode in the glass carriage that has ferried most royal brides for more than 130 years, including Sarah Ferguson and then-Princess Elizabeth II.
Advertisement
Lady Diana was escorted to the altar by her father, Earl Spencer. Think of it as a really, really long walk down the aisle, only the "aisle" started at the royal Clarence House and ended at St. Paul's.
Advertisement
Even before she stepped out of the coach, it was obvious that Diana's dress was too big for her ride. Her face was barely visible, surrounded by a sea of white fabric that spilled over as soon as her door was opened.
Advertisement
Diana's dress was nearly flawless, but when she got out of the carriage, it was noticeably wrinkled. This was to be expected, of course, as the gown barely fit into the coach, but that didn't stop wannabe fashionistas from complaining about it.
Advertisement
She was marrying a future king, so you'd expect Diana's wedding dress to be something special, but her 25-foot train turned the already remarkable gown into a gorgeous, one-of-a-kind wedding dress that, to this day, we haven't seen topped.
Advertisement
The details of Princess Di's wedding dress were closely guarded until the moment she stepped into public view. Appreciative gasps and cheers could be heard as the thousands of onlookers saw the bride in her beautiful gown for the first time.
Advertisement
Diana chose young British designers Elizabeth and David Emanuel to create her one-of-a-kind wedding dress. Relatively unknown then, the Emanuel name is now recognized around the world in large part due to this spectacular gown.
Advertisement
Diana's dress simultaneously embraced and redefined the classic ball gown; to this day, brides everywhere choose this dress style to emulate the fashionable princess.
Advertisement
Diana's dress was made from many different materials, but its primary fabric was ivory-colored pure silk taffeta. It also included lace panels and more than 10,000 hand-stitched pearls.
Advertisement
Remember, this is the 1980s we're talking about! It should come as no surprise that Diana's sleeves were puffy -- really, really puffy. The oversized sleeves draped down the bride's arms but somehow still managed to accentuate her slender frame.
Advertisement
Diana's dress was big and puffy, so it's generally considered to be a meringue style. Think about a meringue cookie: It's small at the top, but it widens dramatically at the bottom. Same principle goes for meringue dresses -- the bride's neck and décolleté are accentuated by a slim fit while the rest of the dress flares fully.
Advertisement
Diana's neckline balanced the fullness of her dress. It was a modest, frilled lace neckline that gave her dress a historic vibe, but was still fashion-forward for the time.
Advertisement
For good luck, Diana had a tiny horseshoe sewn into her gown. However, this wasn't just some ordinary good-luck trinket: It was a golden horseshoe, studded with diamonds.
Advertisement
It might not seem like such a long time, but three and a half minutes is quite a while when you have the eyes of the world on you. Luckily, Diana didn't trip or waver, which is pretty impressive for a bride sporting a 25-foot train!
Advertisement
Diana started walking up the aisle the minute she stepped out of the glass carriage. Her father, Earl Spencer (who'd been ill for some time), escorted her with help from his chauffeur, and two of Diana's bridesmaids held her train.
Advertisement
They may not have been made of glass, but Diana's slippers were certainly worthy of a fairy tale. Designed by Clive Shilton, the shoes were made from luxurious and expensive silk duchess satin. They also held more than 540 hand-stitched pearls and were dyed to match Diana's dress exactly.
Advertisement
The soles of Diana's shoes were emblazoned with a hand-painted "C" and "D," which were entwined with a heart, symbolizing everlasting love between the bride and groom.
Advertisement
Every bride is a bit nervous on her big day, so Princess Di can't be blamed for flubbing her groom's long name. She reversed his two first names (calling him Phillip Charles instead of Charles Phillip), but having the world's eyes on you at the altar can make a girl antsy!
Advertisement
It wasn't a huge mistake, but Prince Charles said "thy goods" instead of "thy worldly goods" when marrying Princess Diana.
Advertisement
On his wedding day, Prince Charles reminded everyone that he'd done more for his country than just wait to inherit the throne. He wed Diana in the full dress uniform of a Naval Commander, which he earned commanding the minesweeper HMS Bronington.
Advertisement
Prince Charles proudly wore the blue sash of the Order of the Garter over his chest. The Order of the Garter is the oldest and most senior British Order of Chivalry and honors those who have served the sovereign, held public office or have contributed to or enhanced British life.
Advertisement
Prince Charles wore a cross around his neck, but it wasn't any ordinary Christian symbol. It was the cross of the Great Master of the Order of Bath, which is an order awarded to members of the British Armed Services and civil servants.
Advertisement
Camilla and Charles were good friends, so it surprised no one that she made the guest list. In fact, in the 1970s, Charles and Camilla were an item before she married Andrew Parker-Bowles and the prince settled down with Diana. Charles and Camilla continued seeing each other, however, and their affair is one of the reasons many people believe his union with Diana didn't last.
Advertisement
Prince Charles was beaming as he made his way down the aisle. He smiled broadly at his parents and gave a big wink to his cousin, 15-year-old Marina Ogilvy.
Advertisement
They weren't wed at the crack of dawn, but Charles and Diana still had a morning wedding. The ceremony began at 11:20 a.m.
Advertisement
You'd expect a wedding this regal to have a lot of bridesmaids, but Di kept things reasonable with only five girls by her side.
Advertisement
Not all of Diana's bridesmaids were her age. Her maid of honor, Charles' cousin Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones was 17, but one of her bridesmaids was just a 5-year-old!
Advertisement
Charles didn't have any groomsmen or a best man by his side when he and Diana said "I do." British royalty use "supporters" who play basically the same role as groomsmen and best men, and Charles had two: his brothers Andrew and Edward.
Advertisement
Diana's something old was Queen Mary's antique lace, which was a major component of her dress. She borrowed the Spencer family tiara and had a blue bow sewn into the back of her dress.
Advertisement
She may be the queen, but even she won't break this wedding tradition! Queen Elizabeth II wore aquamarine to her son's wedding.
Advertisement
Charles and Di broke from tradition a bit when it came to their wedding. The Archbishop of Canterbury led the Church of England service, but many other clergymen from different denominations also played a role in the ceremony. So, while the service was decidedly Anglican, there was a noticeable multi-denominational feel to it.
Advertisement
When considering Diana's bouquet, you have to think about her dress, which was really big. Therefore, only a cascading bouquet could match her grandiose style. This choice allowed Diana's flowers to gracefully spill over her hand, cascading towards the ground as if they were overflowing, just like her dress. The bouquet was 42 inches long and 15 inches wide.
Advertisement
Diana's bouquet included numerous blooms, including stephanotis, gardenias and orchids. It also held lilies of the valley, freesia, ivy and myrtle.
Advertisement
Royalty gets the best of everything, especially when it comes to flowers. Diana's bouquet included Earl Mountbatten roses, which were special golden roses named after Charles' Uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten, who was killed in a terrorist attack in 1979. Their color was so exquisite, the Mountbatten roses are said to have inspired the color of the bridesmaids' dresses.
Advertisement
It's tradition for a royal bride to include a sprig of myrtle from the bush grown from Queen Victoria's 1840 wedding bouquet. Since Victoria's wedding day, virtually every royal bride, including Diana, has incorporated one of these myrtle sprigs into her bouquet for good luck.
Advertisement
Like Queen Elizabeth II, Diana placed her bouquet on the tomb of the Unknown Warrior. It's now a traditional symbolic gesture that Kate Middleton is expected to uphold when she weds Prince William.
Advertisement
The ceremony that would go on to be remembered as the wedding of the century took place on July 29, 1981.
Advertisement
Diana's ceremony upheld and even expanded upon many of the grandiose royal wedding traditions of the Windsor clan, but she never agreed to "obey" her husband. Instead, she promised to "love him, comfort him, honor and keep him in sickness and in health."
Advertisement
Diana's maiden name was Lady Diana Spencer. She was the daughter of Earl Spencer (whose given name was Edward John Spencer), so despite being known as the "people's princess," she did come from a royal background and was even a descendant of Charles II.
Advertisement
Although her formal title was Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, and despite the fact the media referred to her as Princess Di, Diana was never actually a princess. Her official title only signified that she was married to the Prince of Wales, not that she was royalty by birth.
Advertisement
As a sign of respect, Princess Diana gave the queen a deep curtsy before leaving with Prince Charles. It was an expected gesture, but undoubtedly still made a good impression on Diana's new mother-in-law and sovereign.
Advertisement
Charles and Diana walked out of St. Paul's to Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance No. 4." Besides being a fittingly titled piece of music for their wedding, the upbeat tune was the perfect piece to introduce the newly married couple to the world.
Advertisement
Before retiring from public view to their much more personal 120-person reception, Charles and Diana stepped out onto the palace balcony and kissed. It was a royal smooch for the ages -- the waiting crowd below went wild, and many expect Prince William and Kate Middleton to pucker up on the same spot for posterity's sake.
Advertisement