King Charles and Princess Diana married 44 years ago today in what is believed to be one of the biggest Royal weddings of all time. The pair tied the knot at St Paul’s Cathedral on July 29, 1981, in London, exchanging vows in front of millions around the world who watched on TV screens.
While the marriage may not have lasted long, with the couple separating in 1992 and divorcing in 1996, a year before Diana’s tragic death, memories of the day have remained in people’s minds. Although the day was deemed beautiful for many reasons, there were actually a few errors that happened on Charles – who was the Prince of Wales at the time – and Diana’s wedding day.
Here at Express.co.uk we have looked at these issues, with two of these disasters being centered around Diana’s dress, while a third was to do with the exchange of the vows.
Princess Diana’s wedding dress, which was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, impressed many. Made from ivory silk taffeta with 10,000 mother-of-pearl sequins, the dress was an absolute masterpiece.
However sadly it did not remain flawless for long. This is because Diana reportedly spilt perfume down it just before walking down the aisle.
This was revealed by Princess Diana’s makeup artist Barbara Daly, who claimed in “Diana: The Portrait”, that the royal accidentally spilled some Quelques Fleurs perfume on the dress when attempting to apply it to herself.
With no time to remove the stain, Daly said she told Diana to hold that spot on her dress as she was walking to cover it. The princess was advised by her make-up artist to make it look like she was lifting the front of her dress so she didn’t step on it.
Another issue on the wedding day was the beautiful gown appearing crinkled and creased. As well as Diana spilling perfume down her beloved gown, she also ended up with it being slightly creased after getting out the horse-drawn carriage at the cathedral.
Talking about the moment, Elizabeth Emanuel who designed the dress told The Mirror: “We knew it wasn’t going to stay creased but it was still horrible. I thought, ‘Oh my God, my career is finished.’”
She also once told the Daily Mail: “In the tiny carriage, it had crumpled far more than we’d anticipated. We’d done a rehearsal, but not with her father, Earl Spencer, in the car, too — and he was quite a large man.
“It was a hot day, there was so much volume in the net and she was nervous, so she kept grabbing hold of it in her hands. Fortunately, we knew the fabric would pull out — that’s why we were there.”
As well as the slight mishaps with her iconic dress, Diana’s nerves also seemed to get the better of her as she exchanged vows with the then Prince Charles.
In a BBC analysis published in 1981 shortly after the ceremony, it was revealed how Diana actually called her husband the wrong name in her vows, getting his middle name and first name muddled up.
At the altar, Diana called Charles Philip Charles Arthur George, rather than his real name of Charles Philip Arthur George.
This is believed to have been the result of nerves.