Kate’s Wedding Vs. Diana’s

April 29, 2011

Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s Engagement

Just 20 years old, Lady Diana Spencer donned a blue suit when she and Prince Charles, then 33, announced their engagement at the Buckingham Palace Gardens on February 21, 1981.

Credit:

Kate and William's "I Will" Announcement

Like her late mother-in-law, Kate, then 28, wore blue November 16, 2010, when she and Prince William, 28, told the world they planned to wed. The couple, who'd dated on and off for more than eight years, wore much bigger smiles than his parents had.

Credit:

Diana and Charles First Married Smooch

They didn't know each other well at the time of their marriage, but you can't tell that from the way the new Princess of Wales gets into the couple's first post-wedding kiss on the Buckingham Palace balcony July 29, 1981.

Credit:

Kate and William's Chaste Kiss

The newly titled Duchess and Duke of Cambridge held back on their first post-wedding smooch on the Palace Balcony, April 29. Bowing the pressure of cheering fans they broke tradition and kissed again a few minutes later.

Credit:

Diana's Train to Fame

Diana's wedding gown, designed by Elizabeth Emmanuel, boasted hand-embroidered lace, sequins, and 10,000 pearls. The 25-foot train barely fit in the glass carriage she rode in to her wedding at St. Paul's Cathedral.

Credit:

Kate Train Trick

Alexander McQueen's Sarah Burton designed a custom lace and and ivory silk gown for the future queen of England to wear on her big day. While the train isn't quite as long as Diana's, Kate still got some help from maid of honor Pippa Middleton.

Credit:

Diana and Charles Carriage Ride

Waving to the crowds, the new Princess of Wales left the St. Paul's Cathedral with her Prince in a regal open-roofed carriage.

Credit:

Kate and William's Carriage Sendoff

Following the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, the new Duchess and Duke of Cambridge headed to a Palace canape reception in a carriage nearly identical to the one the groom's parents took after exchanging "I dos."