Prince Charles married Princess Diana 45 years ago today, on July 29, 1981, at St Paul's Cathedral in a ceremony watched by 750 million people. Behind the fairytale facade lay a series of hidden dramas, from a secret note Charles sent Diana the night before to last-minute doubts that nearly derailed the wedding.
Charles' secret note to Diana
The night before the wedding, Charles sent Diana a note along with a signet ring bearing the Prince of Wales feathers. Royal author Penny Junor revealed in her book The Duchess: The Untold Story: "He wrote: 'I'm so proud of you and when you come up I'll be there at the altar for you tomorrow. Just look 'em in the eye and knock 'em dead.'" Junor also claimed Charles believed the wedding was a mistake but felt it was too late to back out, becoming moody and tearful in the run-up.
Doubts and a shocking admission
Diana's astrologer, Penny Thornton, said Charles told his fiancée the night before that he didn't love her. Speaking on ITV documentary The Diana Interview: Revenge Of A Princess, she stated: "One of the most shocking things that Diana told me was that the night before the wedding Charles told her that he didn't love her. I think Charles didn't want to go into the wedding on a false premise. He wanted to square it with her and it was devastating for Diana. She didn't want to go through with the wedding at that point, she thought about not attending the wedding." Diana also had second thoughts, confiding in her sisters. In Andrew Morton's book Diana: Her True Story, Diana said: "I can't marry him, I can't do this, this is absolutely unbelievable." Her sisters allegedly told her it was too late because "your face is [already] on the tea towels."
Diana's excitement
Despite her reservations, Diana was excited and nervous on the eve of her wedding. As recounted in Tina Brown's The Diana Chronicles, unable to sleep, Diana headed downstairs, spotted a bicycle, hopped on, pedalled around in circles, ringing the bell and singing: "I'm going to marry the Prince of Wales tomorrow!"
Back-up dress
Designers David and Elizabeth Emanuel created Diana's iconic ivory silk taffeta gown. They destroyed their sketches after showing them to Diana and crafted a second backup dress as a precaution. David told People magazine: "At the time we wanted to make absolutely sure that the dress was a surprise. We didn't try it on Diana. We never even discussed it. We wanted to make sure that we had something there; it was for our own peace of mind, really." Diana never saw the second dress, which was made from identical fabric with ruffles around the neck.
A second bouquet
Diana also had two bouquets prepared. Florist David Longman, who oversaw the floral arrangements, told The Wedding of the Century programme: "She was very easy to deal with. She wasn't particularly demanding. She was always charming. Princess Elizabeth had her bouquet placed on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. Lady Diana heard this story so she said: 'Please can we have two bouquets?' So, we had one that went straight onto the tomb and the other delivered to Buckingham Palace for photographs."
Hidden message on Diana's shoes
Diana's shoes featured 542 sequins and 132 pearls with a heart-shaped design. Under the heels was a discreet 'C and D' painted. Designer Clive Shilton told the Daily Mail: "No one even saw the bottom of the shoes, but it was important to us that they looked fantastic. You would have seen much more of them if she'd tripped!" The shoes took six months to craft.
Camilla's presence
Days before the wedding, Diana discovered a bracelet engraved with 'G and F'—pet names for Charles and Camilla—in Charles's private secretary's office. At the ceremony, spotting Camilla in the congregation unsettled her. Royal expert Jennie Bond said on Channel 5 documentary Charles and Camilla: King and Queen in Waiting: "Diana told me much later in one of our private conversations that she had felt like a lamb to the slaughter as she walked up the aisle, which was very sad. I think she knew that things weren't quite right, and when she saw Camilla in the congregation, was immediately uneasy about it."
Sobbing bridesmaid
On the balcony of Buckingham Palace, bridesmaid Clementine Hambro, aged four, was seen in tears. She later explained on US television in 2011: "I remember being quite a bit excited. I remember being very proud to be involved but actually, I had very little idea of all this sort of situation that was going on." She had taken a tumble inside the palace before the balcony appearance.
