Four decades ago, Charles and Diana said “yes” to a cheering crowd and 750 million viewers. A marriage that will end up turning into a tragedy.
London, July 29, 1981. In front of a cheering crowd and 750 million viewers, Prince Charles, eldest son of Elizabeth II, marries the shy and blushing Diana Spencer. A “marriage of the century” which will turn into tragedy.
At 32 and after several years of increasing conquests, the prince can finally hope to give an heir to the British crown, thanks to his union with this young aristocrat, barely 20 years old.
For several days, thousands of people have been camping along the three kilometers that connect Buckingham Palace to Saint Paul’s Cathedral to hope to see the wedding procession.
“All the shops are in the royal hour: windows filled with tricolors and exhibiting several portraits of the couple”, reports AFP at the time for this event celebrated in the greatest pomp. The “Diana cut” is even in demand in London hair salons!
Ruffles, mother-of-pearl sequins, pearls and crinoline
A thousand armed police officers and nearly 2,000 mounted and military police are responsible for security, the most important device since World War II.
At 10.35 am, “an ovation, mixed with enthusiastic whistles, greeted the appearance, at the gates of Buckingham Palace, of the carriage of Prince Charles in the uniform of a captain of the Royal Navy”, describes AFP.
It is followed, from the Clarence House residence, by that of Diana, the future Princess of Wales, “dressed in ivory white, almost disappearing in a multitude of gathers, ruffles, mother-of-pearl sequins, pearls and crinoline”.
Along the way, hundreds of thousands of people shout for joy waving British flags and 750 million of them watch the historic event around the world in front of their televisions.
“I will”
To clamors, Diana arrives at St. Paul’s Cathedral on the arm of her father, Count Spencer. Main subject of debate in the press the days preceding the ceremony, her crinoline dress is extended by a splendid white train more than seven meters long.
Inside, under the high stone vaults, 2,500 handpicked guests are present, including Nancy Reagan, in pale pink, the King of Tonga, seated in his carved wooden armchair, and the brand new French President François Mitterrand. .
At the moment of the exchange of consents before the Archbishop of Canterbury, the voice of the future king trembles and it is almost in a whisper that his two words resound: “I will”. Betrayed by nervousness, Diana accidentally reverses Charles’s first names.
The Duke of Cornwall then passes the golden wedding ring of Wales to the little finger of his young wife’s left hand, in accordance with Anglican tradition that only the woman wears a ring. On their return to Buckingham Palace, the crowd capsizes with happiness when they exchange a stealthy kiss on the balcony.
So different
In June 1982, Diana gave birth to their first son, William. Two years later Harry was born.
Although initially presented as a fairy tale, the marriage is actually completely arranged. During the televised interview formalizing the couple’s engagement, the British journalist asked Charles if he was in love. Embarrassed response from the person, who already did not bode well: “It all depends on what we call being in love” …
They are so different. He embodies the monarchy, austere and cold, when Diana, ultra photogenic and empathetic, fascinates wherever she goes. But her public image hides a wounded woman: she knows that her husband remains in love with her childhood sweetheart, Camilla Parker Bowles, whom she nicknames the “Rottweiler”.
Their relationship quickly turns to chaos, between respective infidelities and settling of scores in the press. They divorced in 1996.
The tragic death of Diana in Paris in 1997, at the age of 36, in a car accident with her new love, the rich Egyptian heir Dodi Al-Fayed, arouses worldwide emotion.
Charles will marry Camilla for a second marriage in 2005 in a discreet civil ceremony. Far from the great pomp of 1981.
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