Why Prince Charles And Princess Diana’s Wedding Is Less Than Conventional

When Prince Charles married Lady Diana in 1981, it was dubbed both as a fairy tale wedding and as the wedding of the century. Indeed it was a grand wedding in the truest sense of the word, attended by the proper dignitaries and covered by the world’s media. But beneath all the glitz and glamor, some people feel that it was actually less conventional than what a proper royal wedding should be.

The Balcony Kiss

While it all appeared picture perfect on the outside, there were actually some major faux pas during the event. One huge blunder appeared to be committed by Prince Charles himself. According to History, the heir to the throne actually forgot to kiss Diana at the altar. Perhaps to rectify the mistake, the newlyweds then kissed publicly on the balcony in front of the adoring crowds.

On the hindsight, it was not such a major mistake at all as it actually started a new tradition among the British royalty. When Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson a few years later, the couple likewise smooched in public on the same Buckingham balcony. A few decades later, Prince William also locked lips with Kate on the same balcony, establishing a tradition now referred to as the balcony kiss.

Diana’s Untraditional Wedding Vow

Before Charles and Diana’s marriage, it was customary for all brides to promise to “obey” their respective husbands as part of wedding vows, a tradition for all British royal couple weddings. But Diana chose to break that tradition, and her vow did not include such promise to obey Charles.

The Wedding Ring

The couple’s choice for Diana’s wedding ring also raised a few eyebrows at that time. No, the ring is not the problem itself as it looks stunning with its sapphire center stone and diamond side stones embedded in white gold.

What shocked some people is that it should have been the royal groom’s duty to commission a custom-designed ring. In their wedding, however, Diana opted to select a ring from a mere catalog. Actually, it was no ordinary catalog, to say the least, as it comes from the Garrard jewelry collection, the royal family’s official jeweler. But still, royal observers then felt it should have been a no-no.

A Commoner Marrying An Heir To The Throne

There were cases in the past where an heir to the British throne chose to marry a commoner bride. But prior to Diana’s marriage to Prince Charles, the most recent case happened more than 300 years ago, when Anne Hyde married the future King James II in 1660, according to Reader’s Digest.

Viewed in this context, Diana broke some sort of unspoken rule. However, her precedence also set the tone for the future marriages of both her sons. As everyone knows, Kate, Prince William’s wife, and Meghan, Prince Harry’s wife, were commoners before they married into royalty.