Wedding

In Diana's own words,"The Public, they wanted a fairy Princess to come and touch them and everything will turn to gold and all their worries would be forgotten, little did they realise the individual was crucifying herself inside because she didn't think she was good enough"

In the Summer of 1979, aged 18, Diana had gone to Balmoral to visit her sister Jane (whose husband was Equerry to the Queen), this was the time that the public first heard the news that Charles had a new love in his life when a journalist (the Sun's Arthur Edwards) spotted Diana by the River Dee. All of the press & paparazzi were gathered at a spot by the River when Arthur recalls that he saw a glint coming from behind the trees, later he said that he realised that it was a compact mirror that Diana was carrying and she had turned it around to show her if the journalists had gone, what she didn't realise was that the mirror caught the sun and this is what all of the press photographers saw.

Diana at the beginning of her romance with Prince Charles Charles had been on a Skiing holiday in the popular Ski Resort, Klosters in Switzerland (which was a popular resort with the royal family) with friends Charles & Patti Palmer-Tomkinson, he made a phone call to Diana from the Chalet of Charles & Patti and told Diana that he had something important to ask her when he returned. Sensing immediately what this "something important" was going to be, she sat with her flatmates until the early hours of the next morning discussing what she should do. Opposite:- As Diana was to find out, the Press were interested in her every move and were to follow her everywhere she went

Charles and Diana announce their engagement on the lawns of Buckingham Palace, London, 24th February 1981, and are pictured together for the first time	Lady Diana Spencer in the spectacular glass carriage on her way to St. Paul's Cathedral with her Father, Earl Spencer	Charles and Diana emerging from St Paul's Cathedral

It was at a meeting in the Nursery of Windsor Castle on Friday 6th February 1981 that Prince Charles asked Lady Diana Spencer to be his bride. Upon her response he immediately went upstairs to inform the Queen in a telephone conversation of the happy outcome of his proposal of marriage. A few days later, Diana flew to Australia with her mother and stepfather to enjoy some time of seclusion and rest in the run up to what was going to be a busy time, time that never was to be the same again for Diana. The engagement of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer was oficially announced on Tuesday, 24th February 1981. When asked in an interview for the BBC News, if they were in love - Diana responded immediately "of course" - Charles casually responded, the now famous words, "whatever love is". Once the engagement was official, Diana could stop calling the Prince of Wales "Sir" and she was allowed to call him Charles.

Diana's first royal outing - a meeting with Princess Grace of Monaco - as cruel as fate can be, Princess Grace was also involved in a car crash and died as a result Diana recalled:- "I had one long dress, one silk skirt, one smart pair of shoes and that was it. Suddenly my mother and I had to buy six of everything.... we brought as much as we thought we needed but we still didn't have enough. Bear in mind that when you have to change four times a day, suddenly your wardrobe has to expand unbelievably". Diana's mother, Francis Shand Kydd, introduced her newly engaged daughter to her first fashion designer, Caroline Charles. "Diana was such a joy to dress because she was tall and everything sat well on her," said Caroline "but what impressed me was how thoughtful she was. I remember her choosing a velvet suit for a visit to the blind because she said that they would enjoy touching it".

Lady Diana Shivered when she tried on the dress: "There were tears in her eyes. She kissed me and said: 'Thank You, Nina, thank you'. - Royal Wedding Dress Seamstress Nina Missetzis, Diana fashion & style

The famous kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace	Diana and Charles on their way to Waterloo Station for the start of their honeymoon	A smiling and radiant Diana on board the Royal Yacht Britannia at the start of her honeymoon

Diana's Engagement Ring was a large Sapphire and Diamond, rumoured to have cost £28,000 and was made by the same jewellers who made the queen's wedding rings. On the day that the engagement was announced Prince Charles and Lady Diana were photographed together for the first time. During Charles and Diana's engagement, on a visit to Park House, which is now a home for the disabled, the Queen and Prince Charles noticed a signature scrawled on a sash window that was done by the young Diana, Charles moved the Sash window to Highgrove house - one of their future homes - and had it installed there as a permanent reminder to Diana of her childhood.

Lady Diana and her Father, Earl Spencer arriving at St Pauls Cathedral on her fairytale wedding day Diana spent the eve of her wedding at Clarence House, the Queen Mother's residence. She woke early to the noise of the crowds singing and having fun along the Mall, joyful spectators had been gathering to line the processional route for days. Unknown Dressmaking Designers, David & Elizabeth Emmanuel, opposite, were chosen by Diana for the laborious task of designing & making the Royal Wedding Dresses for Diana and her five bridesmaids & then later many other fabulous dresses for Diana's extensive Wardrobe

"This is the stuff of which Fairytales are made" Dr. Robert Runcie, Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, July 29th, 1981

A smiling & happy Prince & Princess of Wales	Leaving in the carriage decorated by Princes Andrew & Edward	A "Just Married" sign announces the marriage of Charles & Diana

Diana was dressed by David and Elizabeth Emmanuel, the designers of her magnificent wedding dress and was attended to by Barbara Daly who did her make-up and Kevin Shanley, who was her hairdresser. Lady Diana Spencer and Charles, Prince of Wales were married in St Paul's Cathedral on 29th July 1981, the event was televised to 700 million people in fifty countries around the world and was to be an event no-one was ever going to forget. Diana was worried about the walk her father would have to make, to escort her down the aisle of magnificent St Paul's Cathedral as he was recovering from a recent stroke, which he suffered in 1978, but the Earl seemed to cope admirably. During the ceremony Diana showed a touch of nerves - mixing up her husbands names, calling him Phillip Charles Arthur George. After the ceremony Diana joked to Charles that she thought she had just married his father. They had 5 Bridesmaids and 2 Page Boys. Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones was given the role of Matron of Honour, this meant caring for Diana's magnificent wedding dress which had a 25 foot long train, the longest ever for a royal Bride, designed by Elizabeth and David Emmanuelle who later went on to design many of the Princess's clothes. Dr. Robert Runcie, Dean of St Pauls. went on to declare the marriage as "the stuff of which fairytales are made". The official family portrait - the Windsors & the  Spencers (& a few extras)

The newly married Prince & Princess of Wales on their triumphant journey back to Buckingham Palace from St. Paul's Cathedral A relaxed and happy wedding portrait The Prince & Princess of Wales in the State Ballroom, Buckingham Palace

Broadlands, Hampshire - where Diana & Charles spent the first few days of their Honeymoon	The Prince and Princess of Wales face their first photocall as newlyweds

The newly wedded Prince & Princess of Wales were taken by a horse drawn carriage to Waterloo Station, decorated with Balloons, Ribbons, Streamers & the traditional 'Just Married' sign, by Princes Andrew and Edward. Charles and Diana spent their first night together at "Broadlands" in Romsey, Hampshire, the home of Lord Mountbatten, the Prince's uncle, after this they went to start their honeymoon, on board the royal yacht Brittania - Gibraltar was to be their first port of call. When they returned from their Honeymoon, they spent some time at Balmoral where the photo opportunity opposite occurred, when asked by the many hordes of Journalists gathered there, Diana said that she highly recommended married life and, when pressed, she said that she didn't eat Breakfast. A nervous, but glamourous, Diana on her first official photocall as a member of the Royal Family on the banks of the River Dee, Balmoral