George Boyle
The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, now known as the Prince and Princess of Wales, took place on Friday, 29 April 2011, at Westminster Abbey in London, England. The ceremony began at 11 am BST and was attended by Catherine and William's families, members of foreign royal families, diplomats, and the couple's chosen personal guests. The event was watched by an estimated 163 million viewers worldwide, with some sources claiming an audience of up to two billion.
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What You'll Learn
The ceremony
The wedding was officiated by Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, while the Dean of Westminster, John Hall, presided. The Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, preached the sermon, and a reading was given by Catherine's brother, James. William's best man was his brother, Prince Harry, and Catherine's sister, Pippa, was the maid of honour. The ceremony was attended by the couple's families, foreign royalty, diplomats, and their chosen personal guests.
The music for the service was provided by two choirs, one orchestra, and a fanfare ensemble. These included the Westminster Abbey Choir, the Chapel Royal Choir, the London Chamber Orchestra, and a fanfare ensemble from the Central Band of the Royal Air Force. The choirs were directed by James O'Donnell, Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey, while the organ was played by the abbey's sub-organist, Robert Quinney.
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The dress
The wedding dress of Catherine Middleton, now known as the Princess of Wales, was designed by Sarah Burton, the creative director of Alexander McQueen. The dress was made of hand-cut lace and ivory silk tulle, with a bodice and skirt adorned with images of roses, thistles, daffodils, and shamrocks. The lace for the bodice and skirt was handmade by the Royal School of Needlework, based at Hampton Court Palace, using a modern take on the traditional Carrickmacross lace-making technique. The technique involved cutting floral motifs from lace produced on large 19th-century machines and stitching them to machine net. The majority of the dress was made using Solstiss lace, specifically for the skirt and train. The skirt was designed to echo an opening flower, with white satin gazar arches and pleats that created a train measuring two metres and 70 centimetres, or almost nine feet.
Catherine's choice of Alexander McQueen as the designer was influenced by her appreciation for "the beauty of its craftsmanship and its respect for traditional workmanship and the technical construction of clothing". The dress was created by a team of seamstresses and lace-makers from the Royal School of Needlework, with the youngest member being 19 years old at the time. The meticulous process involved the workers washing their hands every thirty minutes and renewing the needles every three hours to ensure the lace and threads remained pristine.
Catherine's wedding bouquet, designed by Shane Connolly, included myrtle, lily-of-the-valley, sweet William, ivy, hyacinth, and myrtle. The myrtle came from the same plant used in Queen Elizabeth's 1947 wedding flowers, continuing a royal tradition started by Queen Victoria. The bouquet was a nod to her husband, with each flower symbolizing love, happiness, gallantry, wedded love, friendship, and affection.
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The rings
The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton took place on Friday, 29 April 2011, at Westminster Abbey in London, England. The couple had been in a relationship since 2003 and got engaged in October 2010.
Prince William did not wear a wedding band, which is in line with royal tradition and his personal preference for not wearing jewellery. However, Kate's ring collection expanded with a wedding band added to her left ring finger. The wedding band was crafted from a nugget of Welsh gold gifted by the Queen, who had received it as a gift years ago. The gold was also used to make wedding bands for the late Queen, the Queen Mother, and the late Princess Diana.
Kate's wedding band was designed by the couple with Bristol jewellery company Wartski. It was thin and made of gold. In addition to her wedding band, Kate also wore her iconic engagement ring, which was originally given to William by the Queen and had belonged to his mother, Princess Diana. The engagement ring features a 12-carat sapphire stone encircled by 14 diamonds.
The wedding ring was a symbol of the couple's love and commitment, with the gold's connection to Wales holding special significance for the Princess of Wales.
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The procession
The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton took place at Westminster Abbey in London on 29 April 2011. The procession was a carefully planned and intricate affair, with a series of steps leading up to the main event.
The day began with the arrival of the groom, Prince William, and his brother, Prince Harry, who processed from St. Edmund's Chapel to the High Altar, where they awaited the bride. This was followed by the arrival of foreign royalty and members of the Middleton family, who were seated by the High Altar.
At 10:45 am, a fanfare was sounded by the State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry to announce the arrival of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. The Queen's procession, along with Prince Philip and the clergy, marked the commencement of the service. Shortly after, Catherine Middleton arrived with her party of maid of honour and junior attendants.
Catherine's procession to the High Altar was a grand affair. She entered the Abbey with her father, Michael, through the West Door and paused at St. George's Chapel, where the Coronation Chair is located. From there, she began her 97-metre walk down the Abbey's nave, carefully navigating around the Grave of the Unknown Warrior. The choir sang "I Was Glad", an anthem by Sir Hubert Parry, as Catherine made her three-and-a-half-minute procession. After a four-minute procession, she reached the Lantern and took her final steps to the High Altar to greet Prince William.
After the ceremony, the newlyweds, now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, travelled in a horse-drawn carriage procession to Buckingham Palace, with five carriages in total. They were greeted along the streets by well-wishers and passed through a guard of honour of individually selected men and women from various services. The bridal couple entered the 1902 State Landau, drawn by four white horses, while the rest of the bridal party followed in a similar open carriage. The Queen and other members of the Royal Family travelled in coaches drawn by Cleveland Bay horses and state cars.
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The receptions
The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on 29 April 2011 was one of the most-watched royal weddings of all time. The couple's nuptials were preceded by lavish preparations and celebrations. The newlyweds hosted two wedding receptions following their televised ceremony at Westminster Abbey and double kiss on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
The first reception was hosted by Queen Elizabeth for 650 guests, including members of the royal family and royals from other countries. The luncheon reception was held in the State Dining Room at Buckingham Palace. The menu, kept secret for several years, included South Uist salmon, Lyme Bay crab, Hebridean langoustines, and a fresh herb salad with 2009 Domaine Guyot-Javillier Meursault. This was followed by North Highland organic lamb from Prince Charles's organic farm with spring vegetables, English asparagus, Jersey Royal potatoes, and sauce Windsor with 2004 L'Hospitalet de Gazin Pomerol. For dessert, there was Berkshire honey ice cream, sherry trifle, and chocolate parfait with Laurent-Perrier Rosé champagne.
The second reception was hosted by the groom's father, Prince Charles (now King Charles), for 300 guests in the Throne Room of Buckingham Palace. The evening reception featured a live band led by British singer Ellie Goulding, one of the couple's favourite artists. Goulding sang Elton John's "Your Song" for the newlyweds' first dance, followed by her own hit "Starry Eyed" and a cover of "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers. The couple also danced to "She Loves You" by The Beatles before fireworks concluded the evening.
For the finale, William and Kate surprised their guests with a Grease-themed dance, twirling and mouthing the words to "You're the One That I Want". Guests were then invited outside to view a classic Fiat Cinquecento decorated with balloons, which the couple climbed into and rode along the gravel paths as fireworks erupted overhead.
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Frequently asked questions
The ceremony lasted for around 2 hours, from 11 am to 1 pm, after which the Abbey’s bell rang for 3 hours.
The wedding took place at Westminster Abbey in London, England.
The wedding took place on Friday, 29 April 2011.
The ceremony was attended by the couple's families, members of foreign royal families, diplomats, and their chosen personal guests.
Catherine wore a lace Alexander McQueen dress with French Chantilly lace and English Cluny lace, and long sleeves.
