Wedding

Royal Weddings are always something special and, at least in the UK, everyone follows the spectacular occasion. Who had the best Wedding: Elizabeth II, Diana, Camilla or Kate? Check out the following comparison and make a choice!

Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II and Philip got married on 20 November 1947 at Westminster Abbey. Since the wedding took place during World War II, Elizabeth, who back then was 21 years old, still needed ration coupons in order to buy material for her wedding gown which was designed by Norman Hartnell, the court designer. The long-sleeved dress was made of satin and ivory silk. It's trail was 13 feet long and star patterned while the tulle veil was secured by a tiara. The whole dress was full of embroidery motifs of scattered flowers, made of 10 000 seed pearls and crystals. Even the designer himself said that this was the most beautiful dress he had made so far.

Eight bridesmaids and two page boys, composed of Elizabeth's sisters and her and Philip's cousins, attended her. In a large carriage procession the royal parties made their way from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York officiated the ceremony, which was broadcasted by BBC radio. After the ceremony the couple went back to Buckingham Palace, where they waved to the crowd from the balcony and had a breakfast at the Ball Supper-room. Elizabeth and Philip had their Honeymoon in Broadlands, Hampshire, which was the home of Philip's uncle, Earl Mountbatten.

Princess Diana

Diana was only 20 years old when on 29 July 1981 she got married to Prince Charles in St. Paul's Cathedral. Their wedding costed about £20 million; the dress itself, made by David and Elizabeth Emanuel,  had been valued at £9000. It was made of ivory silk taffeta and antique lace and decorated with sequins, embroidery and, just like Elizabeth's dress, 10 000 pearls. Elizabeth also loaned her the tiara, which Diana gave back to her after her divorce from Charles. The most stunning part of the dress was the 25-foot trail, which made it hard for Diana's father to fit inside the glass coach, that brought them to the cathedral.

About 3500 people personally attended the wedding, which had been broadcasted on TV for an audience of approximately 750 million. It was Diana and Charles who started the tradition of the kiss on the balcony, from which Queen Elizabeth and Philip had waved on their wedding day. Many people stated that Diana and Charles' movements were unnatural and uneasy and already regarded this as the beginning of the end of their marriage.

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall

Camilla and Charles' wedding on 9 April 2005 was way different than the other Royal weddings. Both parties had been married before and as Charles' second wife Camilla is quite unpopular among the British people. Prince William and Tom Parker Bowles, Camilla's son, at first refused to become their parents' best men, but then changed their minds. Also, the Queen and her husband were not  present at the ceremony at Windsor Guildhall but attended the blessing service, of which Elizabeth II believes is the centerpiece of the day, and held a reception for them in Windsor Castle.

Just as her wedding, Camilla's dress was rather unspectacular, compared to the other royal brides. Robinson Valentine designed the with gold embroidered, pale blue coat, which was inspired by a piece of jewellery belonging to Camilla’s mother. After all, Charles had finally married the woman he had loved for most of his adult life.

Kate Middleton

Just two years have passed since Kate Middleton said "yes" to Prince William on 29 April 2011. About 1900 guests followed the ceremony in Westminster Abbey, which had been broadcasted on even YouTube. Just like Diana did at her wedding with Charles, Kate promised not to obey her husband, but to love and honour him. After the end of the ceremony, the bridal couple did not have a honeymoon; instead they flew to the island Anglesey, where William is positioned as a helicopter-pilot.

 

Even though Kate's official title is "Duchess of Cambridge", she truly looked like a princess on her wedding day. Her long-sleeved dress with a trail of 10 foot is designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. The stunning stellar gown, which slightly reminds of the Victorian style, is made of white and ivory silk, hand-embroidered English and French Chantilly lace. The veil, however, is made of ivory silk tulle, secured by a gorgeous tiara.