Prince William and Kate Middleton‘s royal wedding was one of the most celebrated events of the decade – and watched by nearly two billion people across the globe.
On April 29, 2011, the university sweethearts said ‘I Do’ in a fairytale ceremony held at Westminster Abbey before walking out to the sound of cheers from thousands of well-wishers who had lined the streets of London.
Yet while the pressure of marrying Britain’s future King may have seemed daunting to some, Kate was an ‘unflappable’ bride who had ‘no tearful scenes, no last-minute panics’ and ‘no tantrums,’ according to royal author Tina Brown.
After exchanging vows in front of almost 2,000 guests, the newlyweds prepared to climb into their carriage and travel towards Buckingham Palace, with footage capturing some of their first words as a married couple.
According to lip reader Nicola Hickling, their candid conversation revealed intimate details about how they were feeling on their big day, and the prince’s desire to reassure his bride.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Ms Hickling revealed that William was keen to check in with his new wife as soon as they found a brief moment alone and asked: ‘Did you enjoy the ceremony?’, to which Kate flashed a smile and replied: ‘Yes.’
Dressed in the tunic uniform of the Colonel of the Irish Guards, William was seen putting on his white gloves and added: ‘One second, then I’ll jump straight on [referring to the carriage].’
A glamorous Kate, who donned an elegant £250,000 Alexander McQueen gown, responded: ‘Okay’. William, ever the gentleman, then swiftly added: ‘I’m quite glad you felt comfortable, you go first.’
Once the couple had settled into the 1902 State Landau carriage in preparation to travel down The Mall, William asked Kate if she was ‘comfy’, before the new princess turned to him and asked: ‘Are you happy?’
‘I am to be fair,’ said William. ‘You look wonderful,’ he complimented his blushing bride.
According to lip reader Nicola Hickling, the couple’s private conversation revealed intimate details about their feelings just moments after they had exchanged vows in front of almost 2,000 guests on their wedding day, 15 years ago
Once the couple had settled into the 1902 State Landau carriage in preparation to travel down The Mall, William asked Kate if she was ‘comfy’, before the newly appointed princess asked: ‘Are you happy?’
‘You do too,’ she sweetly responded and took a moment to share a thoughtful smile at her husband, dressed in his smart military suit and hat.
At this stage, the royal couple took a brief moment to observe the thousands of fans who had lined the streets of London from the Abbey to The Mall, all in the hopes of catching a mere glimpse of the fairytale couple on their big day.
‘Look at everyone,’ an amazed Kate told her husband, before William responded: ‘Yes, I can see, let’s wave now as a married couple.’
‘Oh gosh, we’re married,’ said a briefly overwhelmed Kate, who perhaps had just acknowledged the significance of marrying Britain’s future King and entering into the Royal Family.
Yet William, who had been prepared for this moment since birth, appeared rather unphased by the astounding significance of their nuptials and instead sought to reassure his wife.
‘Ah, we’ll be alright. Wave to everybody.’
The wedding of the now Prince and Princess of Wales was one of the most discussed events of the century, with months of preparation, behind-the-scenes details and numerous rehearsals required to achieve a seamless event.
It certainly helped, of course, that Britain’s future King and Queen had a dedicated team of two to help the royal couple coordinate their wedding day.
‘They worked like dogs,’ revealed Ms Brown in her best-selling book The Palace Papers.
However, she added that amid the inevitable challenges of planning the event of the century, the pair ‘had a laugh and broke out the Pinot Noir with Kate at the end of the day’.
‘I am told that the bride’s only anxiety on the wedding day itself was that her stomach rumbling might be picked up by a hot mic,’ she added.
While the pressure of marrying Britain’s future King may have seemed daunting to some, Kate was an ‘unflappable’ bride who had ‘no tearful scenes, no last-minute panics’ and ‘no tantrums,’ according to royal author Tina Brown
The ceremony, performed by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, took place at London’s Westminster Abbey which the late Queen Elizabeth II was said to be secretly ‘thrilled’ about as it did not hold the ‘unhappy association’ of Charles and Diana.
Dr Williams told the royal author: ‘They knew what they were about, they’d thought about it all, they know each other well, and of course, they’d had that experience that can be quite important for couples of standing back from the relationship and then re-engaging.
‘And sometimes that really strengthens relationships, I think. To ask, “Is this really what I want? Is this the person I’m really going with?”‘
Kate’s dress, estimated to cost £250,000 at the time, featured a handmade lace and nine-foot train. The lace bodice and flowing skirt echoed Grace Kelly’s own gown for her wedding to Prince Albert of Monaco.
Her beloved father, Michael Middleton, held her arm as she walked towards her husband-to-be and future King while the eyes of the world watched on with anticipation.
Inside Westminster Abbey, William stood at the altar, with Prince Harry by his side, and wore an Irish Guards officer tunic, Garter sash and star, Royal Air Force ‘wings’, and Golden Jubilee medal.
‘We’re supposed to have just a small family affair,’ William joked to his father-in-law, wrote royal author Katie Nicholl in her 2013 book, Kate: The Future Queen.
William’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth – who died in 2022 – was sitting in the front row wearing a yellow dress and coat by Angela Kelly. Beside her were Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Camilla.
Outside London’s Westminster Abbey, a million well-wishers lined the streets of London to try and catch a glimpse of the royal couple before they said ‘I Do’.
After the ceremony, the newlyweds left Westminster Abbey in a horse-drawn carriage and made their way down the procession route where thousands of royal fans waited to greet them with cheers and waves.
Later, Kate and William appeared on Buckingham Palace’s balcony with other members of the Royal Family and treated the public to not one, but two kisses, reminiscent of Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ nuptials in 1981.
Moments earlier, stepping on to the balcony, Kate had appeared to gasp ‘Oh my’ as she caught sight of the thousands of people who’d streamed into the public spaces around Buckingham Palace to share in the joy of the newlyweds.
And hours before that, she’d heard the same crowds drum up the loud chant ‘We want Kate, we want Kate’ in the moments before the bride had arrived at Westminster Abbey.
In the evening, Kate swapped her iconic ivory lace gown for a sleek silk A-line dress paired with a delicate bolero, both designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, while William opted for a classic tuxedo.
After the ceremony, the newlyweds left Westminster Abbey in a horse-drawn carriage and made their way down the procession route where thousands of royal fans waited to greet them with cheers and waves
Around 300 guests at 8pm enjoyed a delightful supper, with the room illuminated by hundreds of candles at Kate’s request.
Each table was named after a place special to the couple, such as St Andrews, Lewa Downs and Tetbury, and elegantly set with 19th-century solid gold plates and cutlery dating back to the reign of King George III.
Afterwards, Prince Harry, serving as master of ceremonies, delivered a ‘hilarious’ speech.
‘There were jokes about William’s bald patch and his long-standing inability to keep up with Harry during drinking games,’ Ms Nicholl wrote.
He affectionately referred to the couple as the ‘dude and the duchess’ and even imitated his brother, calling Kate ‘baby’ to the amusement of guests.
However, the speech took a heartfelt turn when Harry ‘spoke movingly of his love for his sister-in-law and how lucky his brother was to have found a woman who loved him unconditionally’.
Emotions ran high again as William, in his own speech, described Kate as his ‘rock’ and shared ‘how much his mother would have loved her’.
Laughter soon replaced tears when Michael Middleton, the father of the bride, recounted the moment he realised William’s affection for Kate – when the Prince landed his Chinook helicopter in their back garden.
According to Ms Nicholl, he said: ‘I knew things were getting serious when I found a helicopter in my garden.
‘I thought, “Gosh, he must like my daughter”. I did wonder how William was ever going to top this if they ever got engaged.
‘I just thought, “What will he do? You can’t get much better than that”, and we are certainly not used to princes landing helicopters in the garden!’
For their first dance, William and Kate asked Ellie Goulding to perform. The British singer sang her hit Starry Eyed, and also covered Elton John’s Your Song, prompting Charles and Camilla to take to the dance floor.
William and Kate then left in an open-topped RAF-personalised Fiat 500, crossing the courtyard to Buckingham Palace’s Belgian Suite, where they spent their wedding night.
