Who Were Will And Kate's Bridesmaids?

The bridesmaids and page boys at Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding certainly stole the show. The young bridal party included Grace van Cutsem, who became known as the Grumpy Bridesmaid or Frowning Flower Girl due to her less-than-impressed facial expressions throughout the ceremony. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were surrounded by their family and friends, with four bridesmaids and two page boys in total. The bridesmaids wore custom white satin gazar dresses with pale gold sashes, designed by Nicki Macfarlane, while the page boys wore Foot Guards officer-inspired uniforms in red fabric to match Prince William's outfit.

Who were the bridesmaids?

The bridesmaids at Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding were:

• Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, the seven-year-old daughter of the Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
• Margarita Armstrong-Jones, the eight-year-old daughter of David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley, and Serena, Viscountess Linley.
• Grace van Cutsem, the three-year-old daughter of the couple's friend Hugh van Cutsem, and goddaughter of Prince William.
• Eliza Lopes, the three-year-old granddaughter of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

The bridesmaids wore custom white satin gazar dresses with pale gold sashes, designed by Nicki Macfarlane. It is believed that the bridesmaids' ivy and lily-of-the-valley hair wreaths were inspired by the bride's mother's headdress at her 1981 wedding.

What did they wear?

The bridesmaids at Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding wore custom white satin gazar dresses with pale gold sashes, designed by Nicki Macfarlane. The dresses were handmade with the help of Macfarlane's daughter, Charlotte, in their homes in Wiltshire and Kent. The gowns echoed Kate's dress and were made with the same fabrics and button detail along the back. They were described as having a "ballerina-length, full, box-pleated skirt" and were hand-finished with English Cluny lace. Their ivy and lily-of-the-valley hair wreaths were influenced by Carole Middleton's headdress at her 1981 wedding to Michael Middleton.

The bridesmaids' shoes were satin Mary Jane style with a Swarovski crystal buckle, designed by Devon-based Rainbow Club. Their flowers were designed and made by Shane Connolly and replicated the flowers in Kate's bouquet: lily-of-the-valley, sweet William, and hyacinth.

The page boys' outfits were designed by Kashket and Partners in the style of a "Foot Guard officer at the time of the Regency (the 1820s)" with insignia from the Irish Guards, whose Colonel was Prince William. The tunics are red with gold piping and have Irish shamrocks on the collars. In keeping with tradition for officers in the Irish Guards, the page boys wore a gold and crimson sash (with a tassel) around their waists when in the presence of a member of the Royal Family.

The 'grumpy bridesmaid'

The Grumpy Bridesmaid

Grace van Cutsem, the three-year-old daughter of the couple's friend Hugh van Cutsem, stole the show at Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding. Grace, who is also Prince William's goddaughter, earned the nickname "Grumpy Bridesmaid" after several photos of her appearing less than impressed on the wedding day went viral. While the other bridesmaids eagerly watched the newlyweds share a kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, Grace covered her ears with a scowl on her face.

The internet couldn't help but laugh at young Grace's realistic reaction to all the noise, and her behaviour proved that you can never predict what a child will do. Grace's mother, journalist and entrepreneur Rose Astor, gave an interview in 2020 in which she discussed her career and her children. Grace is now a teenager, and her parents have kept her private on social media, so there haven't been any recent glimpses of her all grown up.

Grace wasn't the only pint-sized member of the bridal party to steal the limelight at the royal wedding. There was also Margarita Armstrong-Jones, the eight-year-old granddaughter of the Duchess of Cornwall, who sought comfort from a bright pink wiggly worm toy during the momentous occasion. And let's not forget Lady Louise Windsor, who, at seven years old, already had official duties to perform and later started taking on more as she got older.

While Grace's grumpy facial expressions certainly provided some comedic relief during the royal wedding, it's clear that being a part of such a grand event can be overwhelming for a young child. Despite the seriousness of the occasion, Grace's antics will forever be remembered as one of the most amusing moments of the day.

The royal couple's first kiss

The first kiss shared between Prince William and Kate Middleton as a married couple was one of the most anticipated moments of their wedding day. After the ceremony, the newlyweds travelled to Buckingham Palace in a 1902 State Landau carriage, originally made for King Edward VII's coronation.

At 1:25 pm, they appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to wave to the crowds and share their first public kiss as a married couple. The RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight performed a flypast, with an Avro Lancaster bomber, a Supermarine Spitfire fighter, and a Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft, followed by two Typhoons and two Tornado GR4s in a flat diamond formation. The couple kissed twice to the delight of the cheering crowd.

The only person who seemed less than impressed by the PDA was their flower girl, Grace van Cutsem, who covered her ears and scowled during the kiss. Grace stole the show with her expressive reactions and became known as the "Grumpy Bridesmaid" or "Frowning Flower Girl".

The honeymoon

The couple did not depart for their honeymoon until 9 May, ten days after their wedding. Prince William returned to work as a search-and-rescue pilot immediately after the wedding, and the couple left from Buckingham Palace via helicopter the day after their wedding.

Frequently asked questions