Weddings are delicate occasions where etiquette matters, and guests must be careful not to overshadow the bride and groom.
But as social media users have pointed out, even members of the Royal Family and their close circles can find themselves at the center of a fashion misstep.
The wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles on July 29, 1981, at St Paul’s Cathedral was a global spectacle. Often described as a “fairytale wedding,” it was watched by an estimated 750 million people worldwide. Street parties were held across the UK, and celebrations took place around the globe.
However, despite the grandeur, the marriage was far from a romantic success story, with much public speculation over Charles’s feelings for Camilla Parker Bowles, now Queen Consort.
Diana’s Claims About the Bracelet
In her interviews with Andrew Morton, Diana revealed that Charles had given Camilla a bracelet just days before the wedding.
“Someone in his office told me that my husband has had a bracelet made for her. I walked into this man’s office one day and I said, ‘Ooh, what’s in that parcel?’ And he said, ‘Oh, you shouldn’t look at that,’” she recalled.
“So I opened it and there was the bracelet,” Diana added, saying it bore the initials F and G—nicknames Charles and Camilla used for each other.
According to Diana, she wanted to call off the wedding after finding out, but was persuaded otherwise. Camilla was also rumored to have given Charles cufflinks with two Cs, which he allegedly wore during his honeymoon with Diana.
Camilla’s Appearance at the Ceremony
Diana also remembered seeing Camilla in the crowd as she walked down the aisle: “So walking down the aisle, I spotted Camilla, pale grey, veiled pillbox hat.” Over time, however, some have misremembered Camilla’s outfit as white.
One royal watcher wrote: “I stumbled upon people talking about how Camilla wore white to this wedding… In Britain, wearing white to a wedding is a big no-no. You just don’t do it. Guests will shy away from anything similar to white as well. White, ivory, cream is reserved for the bride only.
“So is the etiquette different for royal weddings or aristocratic weddings? Because this just puzzles me as I had thought royal weddings would be even more strict about etiquette than most weddings.”
Expert Opinion on the Outfit
Zoe Burke, editor at Hitched and a wedding etiquette expert, explained that the rules still apply at royal weddings. She argued Camilla’s attire was mainly grey rather than white.
“Whilst Camilla had some white in her attire, she did offset it in a sombre-toned suit with a matching hat (the famous pillbox hat derided by Diana in the most recent series of The Crown—I never realised ‘pillbox’ could be said in such a scathing manner!),” Burke said.
She added that some might feel the dark tones were too subdued for a wedding, likening it to protest dressing. “Going off the dress code and wearing colours that are traditionally frowned upon, such as white or black when not requested by the couple, is seen as a form of protest. But if the love of your life, who you were not permitted to marry, invited you to their wedding to someone else, you may well be tempted to stage a quiet rebellion.”
Interestingly, when Charles and Camilla married years later, Queen Elizabeth II wore white, while Camilla chose pale blue.