There’s nothing more exciting than a royal wedding, from the bride’s gown and tiara to the horse-drawn carriage ride, there’s so many more details in between that make it all the more special.
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Revisiting that tender kiss on the Buckingham Palace balcony to the everlasting image of the royal newlyweds departing via horse-drawn carriage, it’s amazing to think it’s been 10 years since the unforgettable royal wedding of William and Catherine.
And while it may be a while before another royal walks down the aisle, it’s time to look back at some of the best moments from their wedding.
1. Pippa’s bottom
No-one really knew who Pippa Middleton was until her toned backside stole the show as she followed her sister into Westminster Abbey.
Wearing a floor-length fitted silk dress, designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, Pippa was a showstopper – and hours later a Twitter account dedicated solely to her royal rear was set up.
A year later, she wrote about her sudden rise to fame in the introduction to her party-planning cookbook Celebrate, “It’s a bit startling to achieve global recognition before the age of 30, on account of your sister, brother-in-law and your bottom.”
2. The York outfits
As soon as princesses Beatrice and Eugenie arrived at Westminster Abbey, social media erupted, with royal fans compared them to Cinderella’s evil stepsisters!
The outfits worn by the York sisters were uncannily similar to the ones worn by the characters in the classic Disney movie. Showing that she was in on the joke, Beatrice later put her wedding hat, made by Philip Treacy and compared to a pretzel, up for auction for charity.
She even graciously told bidders, “I’ve been amazed by the amount of attention the hat has attracted. I hope whoever wins the auction has as much fun with the hat as I have.”
3. William’s ice-breaker
William and Kate’s biggest moment as a couple was watched by an audience of millions around the world and several hundred within Westminster Abbey.
But ice-cool William showed his sense of humour and gave his bride-to-be a much-needed lighter moment when she and her father Michael Middleton reached the end of the aisle.
Reportedly the prince joked, “Just a quiet family wedding, then,” which made her smile widely and, on such a formal occasion, broke the ice.
4. Frowning flower girl
One of the wedding’s most iconic and widely remembered moments was the sight of William’s goddaughter and one of Kate’s flower girls putting her hands over her ears and looking distinctly unimpressed by the cheering crowd.
Three-year-old Grace van Cutsem wasn’t happy when she joined the beaming newlyweds on the balcony of Buckingham Palace and chose the moment William and Kate kissed to show the world her displeasure!
But as her father Hugh van Cutsem Jr is an old childhood friend of William and his grandfather trained horses for the Queen, her break with protocol was likely forgiven on this occasion.
5. William and Kate’s kiss
The Buckingham Palace balcony kiss is always one of the most special moments of a royal wedding – and Kate and William’s certainly didn’t disappoint. After smiling and waving at the crowds who’d gathered in front of the royal residence, the newlyweds had one brief kiss.
Soon after, as crowds bellowed, “Kiss her again!,” a blushing Prince William leaned in to Kate and they locked lips again, causing the watching fans to erupt in more ardent cheers.
William’s parents Diana and Charles began this royal wedding tradition in 1981 and it’s become a firm favourite.
6. Harry caught kidding around
Eagle-eyed royal watchers quickly spotted that in the official wedding photos, one of the young flower girls was holding what appeared to be a bright pink toy.
It was later revealed by the Duchess of Cornwall that three-year-old Eliza Lopes had been given the “wiggly worm” by Prince Harry.
Camilla later explained that her granddaughter, and the other children taking part in the wedding, had been overwhelmed by the crowds while heading to the abbey.
“Harry pulled this wiggly worm out of his pocket in the carriage to keep them amused. Eliza loved it so much that she wouldn’t let go and it even made the official photographs,” she said.
7. The best man’s speech
A guest at the reception praised Harry’s speech as being “exactly how you would expect a best man’s speech to be”. They added, “He cracked loads of jokes about William. He called him a ‘dude’ several times.”
Harry also did some very funny-sounding impressions of the newlyweds, including a high-voiced version of Kate calling his brother “Billy” and of him calling her “baby”.
Seven years later, when Harry married Meghan, and named William his best man, the older brother joked, “It feels great, a real delight… revenge is sweet.”
8. The celebrity guests
Kate and William’s was one of the first royal weddings to include A-list-calibre famous faces on the guest list and they provided comic relief.
David Beckham narrowly avoided an etiquette slip-up: he pinned his OBE medal on the wrong side but had switched it over by the time he was inside the abbey.
Wife Victoria raised eyebrows for disregarding royal etiquette and wearing sky-high stilettos, while at one point outside the event singer Joss Stone stuck her tongue out; Ian Thorpe looked a bit lonely and overwhelmed; while Elton John didn’t appear to know the words to the hymns sung during the ceremony
9. Harry and Pippa’s sweet chemistry
As best man and matron of honour, all eyes were on Harry and Pippa as they walked down the aisle together at the wedding of their siblings. But it was their joking, smiling and apparent flirting that had royal fans speculating that another royal wedding would soon be on the horizon.
A few months later, as rumours about the potential couple reached fever pitch, Harry was asked by a reporter whether he was romantically involved with his sister-in-law.
“Pippa? Ha! No, I am not seeing anyone at the moment,” he told the Mirror newspaper. Presumably the last line in his best man’s speech, rumoured to be, “Pippa, call me”, didn’t have the desired effect…
10. William’s car trouble
William and Kate’s daytime wedding celebrations ended with them driving off from Buckingham Palace in Prince Charles’s vintage Aston Martin.
Harry decorated the blue sportscar with patriotic red, white and blue streamers, balloons and rosettes, the traditional “L”-plate and “Just married” sign covering the rear number plate.
William drove the few hundred metres down the crowd-lined Mall towards Clarence House, where the couple rested and changed before heading out to the evening reception.
Royal photographer Arthur Edwards later remarked to Prince Charles that there seemed to be some sort of problem with the car, and the senior royal replied that William had in fact merely forgotten to release the handbrake.
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