I’m a hopeless romantic but this balcony kiss between Prince William and his new bride, Catherine, just melted my heart. Enjoy!
P.S. While I was watching the wedding I kept thinking what it must have been like for Anne Boleyn to process through London at her coronation and how she must have felt being crowned at Westminster Abbey!
Just finished watching coverage of the Royal Wedding! All my friends just smiled and shook their heads when I told them why I had requested the day off work. But I knew my friends at the Anne Boleyn Files would understand! Who would miss a chance to watch history in the making. My husband, bless his heart, just held me a little closer when he noticed the tears running down my cheeks. The Ceremony was so beautiful and romantic; Princess Catherine was picture perfect and Prince William was so handsome in his uniform. Princess Diana would have been so proud of both her sons and new daughter-in-law. I could not help but think of Anne Boleyn’s coronation ceremony, gotta love the history! Nap time since I have been up all night and life doesn’t stand still for the hopelessly romantics, great job as always Claire.
Not invocations of Diana again! All I’ve heard today virtually non-stop is “Diana” “commoner” and “fairytale”. Let’s actually treat Kate on her own merits, shall we, and not invoke poor Diana’s shade.
I don’t see why people shouldn’t be able to mention Diana, William and Catherine chose to make her memory part of their special day – the engagement ring, the chocolate cake etc.
Regarding the wedding William would always have known that his wedding would be a state affair and Catherine knew this too when she accepted his proposal. He has shown himself to be a prince of the people, e.g. going round talking to those who were camping out last night, and I think they have had a very special day.
Beth, people should feel free to celebrate this day and we are all entitled to our own opinions regarding the wedding and the royal family. Let’s keep the tone of these comments friendly, happy and upbeat.
Thank you so much for putting this up Claire – I’ve been sick so it was a bit of a struggle just staying up for the ceremony, I finally had to turn in before they got to the balcony scene! Lovely wedding – they both looked so happy. But please, can someone tell me what Beatrice and Eugenie thought they were wearing?!
LOL … I thought the same thing! I fear the Yorks have inheirted their mother’s fashion sense.
Such an elegant and grand family. Thanks, Lady Claire, for posting this video.
…..Robert
As some-one who dislikes being kissed in public, I would have gladly not had the registar not say, ” You may kiss the bride’ at our wedding.
I’m glad I never married into the royal family, I couldn’t have kissed my hushand to a crowd that big.
OK, I’m not crazy, because I was thinking of Anne Boleyn, too! I think it was the dark hair, and the look of utter happiness as she looked at her prince. Loved Kate’s dress. It was so simply elegant, not a lot of fussy details. As she came up the aisle, William kept looking ahead, but Harry looked back and then whispered something like, “Wow, here she comes!” When William saw her, he whispered, “You look stunning; you’re beautiful.” Or at least that’s my best non-professional lip-reading!
I liked the moment where the little bridesmaid put her hands over her ears while the planes were flying overhead close to the moment when William and Kate kissed – she looked like she was making a typical kid editorial comment like, “Eeww, they’re kissing!” Such a little cutie pie.
Is it British tradition to wear really wild hats to a wedding? If so, well, some of the guests succeeded magnificently! The Mad Hatter was definitely a busy guy in the time leading up to this wedding.
It is traditional to wear hats to weddings although hats are now being replaced by the fascinators we saw at yesterday’s wedding. I’m not really a hat person so I’ve never worn a hat to a wedding but a lot of people do in the UK.
At the risk of sounding like a country bumpkin American cousin, what EXACTLY is a fascinator?
A fascinator is a headpiece rather than a full-blown hat, so those weird creations that were being worn!
I absolutely loved the Royal Wedding !! The princes were both so handsome and Princess Kate was astonishing !!! I have long loved England and her people and I am proud that we have always been friends. I too did think of Diana AND Anne Boleyn !!!
Thank you for this AMAZING site and all the work you put into it !! It is truly magical !!
I honestly cannot understand why people have to be negative about it. It’s a wedding for Pete’s sake and a darn big historical one at that. I just chalk it up to people being jealous. If the English can celebrate it when probably lots of their tax dollars are going into it, then why should we care how their money is spent? I for one, made a big deal about it and of course got made fun of for it, but to me, it’s no different than watching the Super Bowl or Final Four or whatever. The main difference is this happens like once a decade, not once a year.
I kept thinking about Diana the whole time and the main reason is because Diana and my little sister died less than a month apart and so I have a very strong connection to Diana because they are forever linked in my brain. I remember all the news coverage of her death and then the tragedy of my sisters and they are forever entwined. So I pretty much can’t NOT think of Diana when her children are involved. However, Kate is not Diana so maybe they shouldn’t be compared as much, LOL.
I thought about Anne as well. How her wedding was so much different and she married a KING, not a prince. It’s amazing how times have changed.
All in all, I LOVED it! I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. So weird to say that when I think in context of the Dukes that we all study (Norfolk, Suffolk, Buckingham, etc…) And what they are like now. The titles almost seem a bit silly in modern times because it’s definitely not the same!
Isn’t it funny. They called her “Kate” with a ‘K’ but when she’s called “Catherine” they spell it with a ‘C’?
Got up at 4:30 a.m. in America to watch the ceremony and saw a re-airing on BBC America last night. Just been reading up on British press stories.
I scanned Westminster Abbey for signs of things related to the medieval and Renaissance royals. For example, when William and Kate sat down during the service they were right in front of Anna of Cleves’ tomb. William and Harry waited in St. Edmund Chapel before the ceremony started, which is where Catherine Carey Knollys is buried. And, of course, there’s the Henry VII Lady Chapel. Maybe William got nervous and paced down there?
I do think here in the States some of the Diana and Kate comparisons by the broadcasters were over the top and unnecessary. But some mentions were/are completely appropriate. My father died before my wedding but I thought about him and had a special candle lit in his honor. It’s natural that William think of his mother o his big day. Westminster Abbey is where Diana’s funeral occurred. Harry and William both mentioned Diana a lot in their speeches at Buckingham Palace during the various receptions. I’m just stunned when the archbishop talked about not putting marriage asunder that no broadcaster flashed on Camilla’s face. Obviously, William has accepted her but I couldn’t help but think of Diana and Camilla during those parts of the service.
Claire, I do want to say it was *not* a state affair/ceremony in actuality. Should it have been? Well, some of the British press are arguing that it should have been. But by saying it wasn’t a state event, the Queen can get away with snubbing two Labour prime ministers. Neither Tony Blair nor Gordon Brown were invited but John Majors and Margaret Thatcher, both Conservatives, were. By saying it wasn’t a state affair, neither Michelle nor Barack Obama was invited nor the French president and his hot wife (no upstaging by either American or French first lady). The Obamas get a state visit in May as their consolation prize.
I loved both Kate and Pippa’s dresses. Stunning. Harry and Pippa had so much chemistry (almost a shame both have beaus). Loved the Aston Martin ride. The cart wheeling verger and the ear-covering bridesmaid. It was such a special day. I’m glad they had it and we could share in it!
Hi DeAnn,
Sorry, when I said “state” affair I didn’t mean “state event” in that way, I didn’t mean it politically, I meant that William knew that he could never have a private family wedding and that it would always be an event for the whole country to enjoy. As for Tony Blair and Gordon Brown not being invited, I don’t see that as a snub at all, John Major is a Knight of the Order of the Garter and Margaret Thatcher is Baroness Thatcher, was awarded with an Order of Merit by the Queen and is a “Lady Companion” of the Order of the Garter, so she and Major were both invited because of these titles not because they were in the Conservative Party. I don’t think the Queen set out to snub anyone and I think that although the wedding was huge it was a lot smaller than it could have been and Kate and William were able to invite their friends, people they cared about.
I kept looking around the Abbey as I watched it on TV, I love that building! So much history and such a beautiful place to get married in. Like you, I was spotting the Tudor bits!
All in all, it was a fantastic event and I found it very moving.
Like Anne, Diana died while her children were still very young. Both women were known to be passionate, lioness -type mothers who protected their children fiercely and made efforts to spend “real” time with their children in spite of what was “typical” for royals. Both women knew the destiny of her child was the future monarch of the country. In their tragic and traumatic deaths, these women doubly secured the people’s love of the motherless children left behind. We forgive the flaws of Anne and Diana as they left too young, died like martyrs, and left us with Elizabeth I and William who we worship and support in the absence of their mothers. In dying young, neither woman saw her child as a successful adult royal. Their love and courage, however, marked characteristics their children had and have to offer the people they will rule. That said, both Elizabeth and Wills (and Harry) have done their mothers proud, but also grown to be their own person who respects and loves their subjects.
Spanish periodical love gossip and I read that Blair was deliberately snubbed because he force the Royal family to make Diana’s funeral into a big event. Also in his memoirs he did publish conidential concversations between him and teh Queen which made here furious. Brown tried to ease the waters, but never had any rapport with the Queen so here the press is saying she deserved got her own back.
Kate and williams wedding cannot be compared ot that of William’s mother – different age, different economic circumstances and again I loved teh note in teh Spanish gossip colums that Kate did her makeup (and possinly her hair) herself. Well , if she did, she saved a fortune and have to say that the makeup wwas fab. but she was always good at that in any case.
Some of her clothes don’t like, but each to their own – I really do hope that the British press (and the rest of the world) will still to William’s request to leave them alone for a couple of years. Kate would cope far better than Dian did if that was not the case but I hope that the couple camn have some years to evolve before setting up on the World Stage again.
I love this whole site, and am so happy that Claire has included the flexibility of watching today’s royals as well! Which got me thinking… are the Windsors Tudor descendants?
Admittedly, I could look it up somewhere, but I suspect someone here knows the answer immediately! 🙂 Thanks!!
Thank you, Audra, I’m glad you enjoy the site. It is said that Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the Queen Mother, was descended from Mary Boleyn, and the Queen is also descended from James IV and Margaret Tudor, Henry VIII’s sister, through her father George VI. If you believe that the Mary Boleyn’s children were the King’s then the Queen is also descended from Henry VIII!
This will be a great website, would you be involved in doing an interview regarding just how you developed it? If so e-mail me!
Yes, I’ll email you now.