On July 29, 1981, the world bore witness to one of the most anticipated weddings of the century: Lady Diana Spencer and Charles, Prince of Wales. Coming a few months after their engagement that February, the event was international news, with media outlets and Royal Family fans converging on the United Kingdom to witness it firsthand.
Given the fanfare surrounding the wedding, it’s no surprise that numerous photographs were taken on the special day, as well as in the lead-up. The following are some images you might not have seen back in the 1980s.
Final wedding dress fitting
Captured on July 22, 1981, this image shows Diana leaving the final fitting for her wedding dress! The gorgeous piece was crafted by dressmakers David and Elizabeth Emanuel, whose work the future Princess of Wales had previously worn.
Coordinating security for the big day
One of the biggest parts of planning for Diana and Prince Charles‘ wedding was ensuring there was enough security to keep them, the British Royal Family, their guests and civilians safe. This picture, taken at Scotland Yard in London, United Kingdom, gives a behind-the-scenes look at preparations.
Speaking of preparations…
Scotland Yard wasn’t the only organization making plans for the big day – the British Royal Navy was involved, too. About 200 sailors trained at HMS Excellent, near Portsmouth, to ensure they were ready to stand along the procession route.
Wedding rehearsal at St. Paul’s Cathedral
Two days before their wedding, Diana and Prince Charles had their rehearsal at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
What? If regular people have rehearsals, why wouldn’t the Royal Family?!
A closer look at the couple
Here’s another look at the couple leaving St. Paul’s Cathedral following the rehearsal on July 27, 1981. Are those pre-wedding jitters we see on Diana’s face?
Prince Charles’ godson was in attendance for the rehearsal
Members of the wedding party also attended the rehearsal, including Prince Charles’ godson and page boy Edward Van Cutsem.
Speaking with the media
It’s no surprise the media wanted to speak with David and Elizabeth Emanuel, given they were the brains behind the dress Diana wore on her wedding day. At the time, it was one of the most famous wedding dresses in the world, and it’s design was kept secret until the big day.
Camping out
On the night before the big day, thousands of admirers of the Royal Family camped out along the procession route, to ensure they would be able to catch a glimpse of the happy couple as they traveled by.
Waiting outside Buckingham Palace
Some chose to take a nap to pass the time while they waited for Diana and Prince Charles, while others, like Kathleen Lucus, used the wait to catch up on some knitting. Here she is waiting outside of Buckingham Palace with other eager Royal Family fans.
Arrival of Nancy Reagan
This image shows First Lady Nancy Reagan arriving at Fitzroy Square, in London. She attended Diana and Prince Charles’ wedding on behalf of her husband, US President Ronald Reagan.
Showing off their patriotism
Talk about patriotic! These three women were showing their dedication to the United Kingdom while waiting for Diana and Prince Charles to travel by after their nuptials.
Arrival of the Archbishop of Canterbury
The late Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, was the one who officiated Diana and Prince Charles’ wedding at St. Paul’s Cathedral. This image shows him arriving at the church on the big day.
Waving to spectators
OMG, we’re finally at the big day! Here’s the soon-to-be Princess of Wales waving at spectators as she’s transported in a horse-drawn carriage. While the crowd couldn’t fully see her dress, the veil over her face gave them a hint at how extravagant it was.
A long day’s wait
We have to hand it to the hundreds of thousands of spectators who lined the streets of London on the wedding day – we know we wouldn’t have been able to hack it. As this image shows, all that waiting was a tiring affair.
Princess Diana’s bridesmaids
You’re probably wondering, who were Diana’s bridesmaids on her special day? Lucky for you, we have the answer!
The young ladies who stood alongside her were Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon’s niece; India Hicks, the daughter of Queen Elizabeth II‘s lady-in-waiting; Clementine “Clemmie” Hambro, the granddaughter of late British Prime Minister Winston Churchill; Sarah-Jane Gaselee, the daughter of Prince Charles’ jockey coach; and Catherine Cameron, daughter of Lady Cecil Cameron.
Queen Elizabeth II’s arrival
Queen Elizabeth II attended Diana and Prince Charles’ wedding in a lovely blue number and matching hat. If the rumors are true, marriages always ended in divorce when she wore this color to weddings.
First Lady Nancy Reagan arrives at St. Paul’s Cathedral
Of course we had to include an image of Nancy Reagan arriving at St. Paul’s Cathedral on the big day! In the years after the wedding, she and Diana would spend a lot of time together, forming a close friendship.
Page boys and bridesmaids
We’ve already discussed Diana’s bridesmaids, as well as Edward Van Cutsem, but we haven’t talked about the second page boy in this image: Lord Nicholas Windsor. He’s the youngest son of the Duke and Duchess of Kent.
Look at the train on that wedding dress!
The train on Diana’s wedding dress was an impressive 25 feet long, so it’s no surprise she needed help with it to make sure it didn’t get caught on anything as she walked down the aisle at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Standing at the altar
After the long walk down the aisle at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Diana stood alongside her husband-to-be while Robert Runcie spoke to them and attendees about their union.
How many guests were in attendance?
St. Paul’s Cathedral was chosen because of how much seating it has, and, as you can see, this was more than needed. It’s reported that 3,500 guests were in attendance at Diana and Prince Charles’ wedding.
Close-up of Princess Diana
We wanted to provide you with this full view of Diana’s dress because it’s absolutely stunning! We’ve already discussed the train, but now we can go into detail about the piece as a whole. Made from antique lace and taffeta, it was said to have be worth around £9,000 back in 1981.
Another view of the 25-foot train
In case the earlier image didn’t give you an idea of just how long the train of Diana’s wedding dress was, we decided to throw this photo in to give you another perspective.
Officiating the wedding
Standing alongside the couple as they were wed by Robert Runcie were Prince Andrew, Charles’ brother, and the late Edward John, 8th Earl Spencer, who was Diana’s father.
Another angle of the four together
Here’s another image of the four together, this time singing a church hymn during the wedding ceremony.
Edward John, 8th Earl Spencer walked Princess Diana down the aisle
Before standing alongside his daughter, Edward John, 8th Earl Spencer walked her down the aisle. While a touching moment at any wedding, this was a particularly special gesture, as a prior stroke had left him unsteady on his feet. Despite this, he was more than determined to walk with Diana as she began this new chapter of her life.
Charles and Diana, Prince and Princess of Wales
This is one of our favorite photos from the wedding of Diana and Prince Charles; the look on her face makes us smile.
Leaving St. Paul’s Cathedral a married couple
Here’s a look at the newly-married couple leaving St. Paul’s Cathedral, their arms linked together in a show of love and solidarity.
A look at the bridesmaids’ dresses
Here’s a closer look at the dresses the bridesmaids were asked to wear for the special day. India Hicks has since spoken about the gowns, which concerned her when she initially saw them.
“It was a time and place and a moment in fashion in the 1980s. So it was voluptuous and over the top, and drama everywhere,” she told Insider back in 2022. “I understand that those dresses were so befitting to the era. However, if you were a tomboy like me… when you are asked to be a bridesmaid, you are proud and delighted, but you are a little alarmed at being asked to wear a filly dress, as you can imagine.”
What a crowd!
When we said hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets of London on the big day, we weren’t lying! There’s a reason why Scotland Yard put in so much work beforehand to ensure enough police officers were around to keep the peace.
Waving to the crowd
Never one to shy away from publicity, Queen Elizabeth II is seen here with Edward John, 8th Earl Spencer waving to the crowd of joyous spectators upon arriving at St. James’ Palace.
There’s Prince Philip!
You didn’t think we’d leave out Prince Philip, did you? This image shows the late Duke of Edinburgh riding in a horse-drawn carriage with Diana’s mother, Frances Shand Kydd.
Princess Alexandra and Angus Ogilvy
Here we have Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy and her husband, Angus Ogilvy, leaving St. Paul’s Cathedral following the wedding ceremony.
Unique ways to catch a glimpse of the married couple
Talk about an ingenious way to ensure you don’t miss a second of what’s happening! Several spectators in this photo have special viewing boxes that allowed them to see above the heads of those in front of them.
Congratulations!
Signs just like this one were put up not just across London, but all over the United Kingdom to celebrate Diana and Prince Charles’ nuptials; everyone got into the spirit!
Say cheese!
Not only was this police officer making sure everyone remained safe on the wedding day, he was also kind enough to take a picture of the crowd for one of the spectators. Little did he know that he’d be caught on camera, too!
Celebrating the married couple
Several of the spectators who gathered to watch the procession brought signs (many handmade) expressing how happy they were for the couple.
Media craze
As aforementioned, Diana and Prince Charles’ wedding caused a media firestorm, so it’s no surprise many members of the press set up shop outside of Buckingham Palace to capture photos of the couple.
TODAY, live from Buckingham Palace
NBC’s TODAY Show always tries to cover highly-anticipated events in person, and the wedding between Diana and Charles was no exception. This image shows presenters Tom Brokaw and Jane Pauley at the Victoria Memorial at Buckingham Palace, ready to bring the events of the day to the American public.
Portrait of the wedding party
We love this portrait of Princess Diana and Prince Charles with their wedding party. What a great image to remember the day by!
Stunning bride
An absolutely stunning portrait of Diana on her wedding day.
Crowding around Buckingham Palace
With the Royal Family having made their way to Buckingham Palace, the media and well wishers crowded in front of the building to catch a glimpse of them. If you look closely, you can see police officers standing in front of the gate, to ensure no one could slip through.
Family photo on the balcony of Buckingham Palace
This is arguably one of the most well-known photos from Diana and Prince Charles’ wedding; the whole Royal Family standing on the balcony at Buckingham Palace, appearing before the adoring public.
Famous wedding cake
Given Prince Charles’ connections to the Royal Navy, the service was tasked with baking the cake for his and Diana’s wedding. As Chief Petty Officer David Avery was head baker at the time, he was given the honor of crafting it.
Another view of the wedding cake
David Avery was given free reign when it came to designing the cake, but, as he told Honey in 2021, this proved to be difficult, as the public knew very little about the princess-to-be. “I found it quite hard because there was nothing much [known] about Diana, so it ended up being more of a naval type of cake – all I could do was the Spencer crest,” he explained.
Along with the family crest, Avery made sure to include the Prince of Wales emblem and symbols that represented Buckingham Palace, the military roles Prince Charles had held up to that point, St. Paul’s Cathedral and Highgrove.
Lion dancing troupe
The celebrations extended far beyond the streets of London! This image shows a lion dancing troupe from Liverpool’s Chinese community putting on a performance, in honor of Diana and Prince Charles’ nuptials.
What a hat!
Some spectators held up signs with their congratulations, while others wore hats featuring the happy couple’s faces.
Signatures in the marriage register
Here’s a close-up of the marriage register signed by Diana, Prince Charles and Robert Runcie at the wedding ceremony at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
‘We love the Royals’
Waving British flags and standing with a banner that reads, “WE LOVE THE ROYALS,” it looks like this group of spectators were overjoyed to have had a front-row seat along the procession on the day of Diana and Charles’ wedding.
Family portrait
More from us: Take a Look at the Iconic 1955 Christian Dior Fashion Shows in Scotland
Want articles by The Vintage News delivered straight to your inbox? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter!
We’re closing out our article with a lovely portrait of Diana, Prince Charles, their wedding party and their families. What a photo!