250 thoughts on “Royal Rewind: The Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton”

1. Do any of us actually want to admit we got up at 5am to watch the lamebridge wedding? :-Z
   High hopes for them at the time and media whitewash.

   I remember feeling their wedding was anticlimactic. Whereas, I still get chills from Charles & Diana’s royal wedding clips. Even though their story had a tragic ending… What a wedding!

   In retrospect, william was so squirmy. Like he absolutely found the whole thing amusing and awkward. Compared to other royal weddings, (wax-max & vic-dan) they looked like friends tying the knot.

   The eyeliner was harsh. I wasn’t wowed by the dress. Fergie’s dress had more of an awe factor.
   A reminder to us all – classy Kate’s smirk during william’s “for richer or poorer” vow…
   http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8WiVm1M8pCM/TbxnbldDkfI/AAAAAAAAAGE/6d_UuUxQlEI/s400/for+poorer.png

   And her cheshire cat grin while curtseying to the queen.
   http://media.oregonlive.com/oregonian/photo/2011/04/9531005-essay.jpg

   1. “Richer?” *smirks*

      Now I have to rewatch it, so many details I didn’t pay attention to.

   2. William’s bald spot is so clear in the photo.

   3. I was waiting to board a flight for a tropical vacation blitz during this. It was all that was playing on the terminal tvs. Only reason I knew it was happening. There were sooo many comments against both of them from people all over. That he wasn’t cute and she was excited for the money. Even then there was little love for this couple independent of the press telling us there’s love for this couple.

   4. I know I’m repeating the obvious, but both Middleton girls look so hard and cold. That photo of Pips with her determined, severe expression. And KM up close looks weathered. No amount of makeup can make them look warm.

2. This was the most bland and boring royal wedding ever. Even the wedding of Letizia and Felipe was better and that wedding took place only a few days after a terrorist attack in Madrid and it was raining cats and dogs.

   Kate’s dress was disappointing and her makeup a disaster. I still can’t understand why there are so many Kates Makeup tutorials on YouTube. Plaster your face with matte foundation, apply two heavy, 80ies style stripes of pink blush all over the cheek and paint harsh black lines around your eyes. Ready!

   And now, five years later, nothing has changed. It’s even gotten worse….except for Harry. The beard he is sporting now really suits him. 🙂

   1. Didn’t she do her own makeup? I remember hearing about how people thought that was so “normal” and they were so impressed. I don’t know many people who do their own makeup for their weddings. I certainly wouldn’t have knowing that millions of people were watching.

      1. I did my own makeup, however, if I had the money and/or was going to be on TV, I would have a professional do my makeup. It would be stupid not to and I would learn from it as well

   2. I hated that her dress was a v-neck. Most wedding gowns have boat, crew, or sweetheart necklines. I’d never seen a v-neck on a wedding dress before and I know why now. It makes the dress look like a sweater.

      1. Yes, a sexy see through sweater in the Abbey. That was a lovely personal touch of foreshadowing. Show as much as possible while attempting to appear covered and demure. It’s her MO, we just didn’t clue in back then.

      2. Yes! I recall hating it as well. Especially as you could see her ribs through it. I thought she looked skeletal. It was not flattering. A higher neck would have been much less distracting. And far more appropriate for church.

   3. I heard that it was intentionally dark to catch people’s eyes. Especially since she wore a face-veil.

3. There are different versions of the wedding video. The official British Monarchy version is highly edited. The original broadcast has many interesting moments. The glazed look that washes over Kate’s face when a priest speaks to her before she emerges from the car at her arrival. The way she rolls her eyes when she speaks her ‘richer or poorer line’. The most intriguing, IMO, is when they are declared Man and Wife, Kate shoots Will a look, and Will stares at the floor with an expression best described as “fuck my life”.

   1. I know there are bits and pieces around from ITV, are there any other clips on YouTube besides the full British Monarchy YouTube channel version?

   2. I noticed that also. My first thought was “Oh crap”.

   3. Do you have links to the not-so-edited account of the day?

4. Thank you, KMR, this is a great recap. I did watch some footage of the wedding at the time to check on Kate’s dress, but was also disappointed: it’s pretty, but boring, just like her hair and make up. The bridesmaids dresses have more personality than hers. I’ll never understand how people think she’s a fashion icon.

   It’s interesting to think how her style choices have basically stayed the same. I know five years is not much, but a lot has changed in her life (two children!) and we don’t see these changes reflected in the way she dresses.

   Some other things:

   -Am I being nitpicky or was it kind of rude of KW not to attend the pre-wedding dinner? Maybe for Kate it would have been harder because it was the eve of the wedding and she would have had to dress up etc, but William could have just slipped a tux in and shaken a few hands (meh who am I kidding, he doesn’t bother to do that even now).

   -Absolutely loved Sofia’a dress for the dinner. Not a fan of the silver pattern on QEII dress.

   -Regarding the wedding looks, Charlene’s was my favourite, simple and so elegant. Autumn seems like she’s being swallowed by her dress, it’s too large. And IMO not everybody can pull of full patterned skirts. Maxima probably would have looked incredible in it.

   -The York girls dresses… Bea’s ok, but Eugenie’s is bad. Maybe she was trying for a bolder look? The dress does stand out, but not for flattering reasons. And man, Chelsy. I like her and I’m trying to find something positive to say about her outfit, but I have no words. Now I understand why some people say she would have been a mess as a royal.

   -Hooray for Harry in a black uniform! He was so baby-faced.

   Maybe I’ll rewatch part of the ceremony. I’ve read people saying it’s cold and kind of boring, specially comparing to the SRF weddings.

   1. I really think that it is the height of rudeness for them not to attend a pre-wedding dinner held in their honour, especially since it included many of the royal guests that wasn’t invited to the actual wedding party. Very bad manners, but sadly that is nothing new from these two. There a many stories about Kate’s lack of basic manners. One commenter on LoveLoa was at the same destination when they had they honeymoon and said that Kate’s rudeness caused a lot of talk among the other guests at the resort.

      Since Britain and Denmark are only one hour apart I watched the wedding in the afternoon. To me, after watching the Scandinavian royal weddings, this was a odd muted and seemingly not very joyous affair. I must admit that I didn’t make it through the entire transmission because I lost interest.

      I know a lot of people had high hopes about them. I didn’t because I was aware of their behaviour pre-wedding. Both Kate’s laziness and William’s bad behaviour. Suffice it to say that they haven’t changed their behaviour.

      1. I just watched Princess Victoria’s wedding and wow, do she and Daniel glow with love! Daniel wiped away tears at one point during the ceremony. Watch out takes of Victoria’s wedding and compare them to W&K’s. The emotional differences are amazing.

   2. Other royal women have attended their pre-wedding dinners. I’m specifically thinking of Princess Sofia. A lot of “ordinary” people weddings have rehearsal dinners the evening before. I don’t think it’s that much to ask that you eat dinner with your guests. Especially because they are royal and even more because they are royal and apparently weren’t invited to the wedding party.

      I think this ties into something I’ve talked about before. I find it completely rude how the British royals seem to distance themselves completely from the continental royals. There appears to be such a friendship and camaraderie between many of the other European royals. Then we have the BRF off to the side. It seems snobby.

5. Le sigh. I had such, such high hopes and enthusiasm for this wedding. I got up to watch it at 4 am while chatting to a friend. And it was a happy experience because I believed W + K were at the beginning of (in Star Wars terms) A New Hope. I loved it all- the dress, tiara, Pippa’s flat booty, the dress uniforms, and seeing everyone in the BRF look happy.

   And here we are, 5 years later with 2 kitchens, a £4.5 million KP renovation, and a broken 115-year tradition with no real work record to compensate and an alarming amount of weight lost, we’ve gone from Cambridge to Lamebridge.

   Diana would roll in her grave at this ginormous laziness and mediocrity, but the Cambridges will roll her back over for the 20th anniversary of her passing.

   If there is anything I hope for, it’s that little George and Charlotte turn out to be really grounded, happy kids eager to use their royal status and legacy as Diana’s grandchildren for public service.

   1. Wouldn’t it be great if George and Charlotte rejected their parents lack of work and were the total opposite: intelligent, active and engaged? Traits do skip generations…

      1. It would be very sweet if both George and Charlotte grow to embody Diana’s people savviness and the Queen’s duty. Hopefully a relationship with Uncle Harry makes that a reality! 😀

   2. Don’t feel too bad, a lot of us fell for the “fairytale” selling point, again. There were several aspects of the wedding I thought were odd at the time (her neckline, Pipa’s dress, the trees in the abbey) but I let them go as quirks on an otherwise happy day. Looking back now it all seems so much worse. I especially hate her shallow curtesy to the queen.

      1. I remember thinking Pippa’s dress was very informal and that her spray tan was orange! But I figured the dress was a modern take for fashionable, even if the skin tone was decidedly not!

6. I didn’t watch the wedding until later. The only thing I liked were the stunning hymns. I love choral music.

   It makes me think of walking though the abbey myself last year and how claustrophobic it seems. I can’t imagine how worse that feeling was on the wedding day. St Paul’s is more open and soaring and has more of a… I don’t know, God’s-presence kinda feeling (we went to a service there). I think Kate and Pippa looked trashy especially in a church, with the low cut-dress, cone boobs, the emphasis on Pippa’s rear, the heavy make-up…

   Kate’s dress – meh. Could have been so much better. Madonna cone boobs? The perma-smirk? The hideous makeup that made her look like a stripper? I remember everyone praising how gorgeous and beautiful and stunning and well-prepared (not Diana, folks!) she was. And how great it was she did her own makeup. And her family’s so rich! (Har har Uncle Gary and Middleton money.)

   William looks good in uniform but I prefer the black frock coat for him. He looked like everyone else did: this was a funeral, not a wedding. Anne’s comment that was caught by a lip reader–‘From rags to riches’–says it all; as does Kate’s constant asking of William if he was happy, if he was okay, when he should have been asking if she was alright but we all know she loved the attention and adulation. Shows their relationship, I think: cold, and how her focus is him at all times…

   1. Wait…. Anne really said ‘from rags to riches’??? I never heard that and WOW! l also thought it was strange that Kate asked William if he was happy. I never even thought of asking my husband that on our wedding day because it was so obvious how happy he was. I feel kind of bad for Kate having the need to reassure herself that Will was happy on a day when it should have been obvious. This once again shows how she put William first and her life on hold. It is and always will be all about him.

      1. The Middletons may be social climbers and their money may come from a shady place, but Anne’s remark sounds mean and snobbish. I hope the lip reader got it wrong bc I really admire her.

         1. I’ve read she said that multiple times, I forget at what point, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she did. We all know the Middletons are ambitious social climbers and Anne saying so would call them out on it.

            1. Anne tells the truth. It’s to her credit and one of many reasons I respect her.

            2. I’m conflicted here on if the comment is “honest Anne” or “snobbish Anne”. She had to know there were cameras around and they might be on her. One wonders if she wanted the Midds to hear it. If it was intentional, that’s pretty mean spirited in my book. Plus, aren’t both of her children without a title and didn’t they both marry pretty ordinary commoners?

            3. I think it’s snobbish, yes, but honest. A rude comment but it’s truthful as well. Anne does not suffer fools and tells it like it is, no matter what, which is to her credit most of the time.

         2. I feel the same, Lindsey, it’s like she’s mocking where they came from, not the fact that they climbed their way up. And “rag” seems really pejorative to me, but that may be because I wasn’t familiar with the ‘rags to riches’ expression.

            1. Mike Tindall is not ordinary . He’s been captain of the England rugby team and a World Cup winner. These things are achieved by years of hard work, dedication and giving up many other things. Just because he isn’t an aristocrat does not make him ordinary.

            2. You’re right, Birdy. I apologize. The use of “ordinary” wasn’t correct here. I suppose I was asking that didn’t her children marry untitled, not particularly “old-money” wealthy types? Thanks for that correction. I certainly wouldn’t call Mike Tindall, “ordinary” either. If anything, his accomplishments mean more because he did work hard for many years. I mostly find it hypocritical of Anne to insult the Middletons when her children didn’t marry aristocrats, either.

            3. I also think that her children are not Royal so their spouses don’t get the ‘riches’ . I think Anne already knew what we now know ie Kate wanted the money but didn’t have the work ethic. Nevertheless it was rude to make her feelings so obvious on this particular day, but she has a long history for calling a spade a spade.

         3. Paula
            Ann is snobbish. She’s got an unapologetic history of this. Love her for it though. She doesn’t take the BS. And she’s not making similar comments to others in that position of marrying into wealth. I think this was more towards Kate because she did nothing except let herself get mistreated for the ultimate reward of financial security.

            1. Let’s face it, Anne was equally rude about Diana, Fergie and Camilla. With Diana and Fergie she said they’d caught red carpet fever which was a better way of saying they were fame junkies and fame thirsty and behaving like starlets in pursuit of it.

               As for Camilla, Anna and her cousin Alexandra are the instigators of the change in the order of precendence such that Princes of the Blood have higher status no matter what. Thus they didn’t have to curtsey to Camilla who isn’t a blood Prince (obviously). That change in the order had a knock on effect because it meant Kate has to give way to Beatrice and Eugenie for similar reasons. It makes me laugh that as status conscious as Andrew is, he didn’t and hasn’t pushed it to that extent like Anne, especially since he is the Queen’s favourite child and could easily grab all sorts from her to enhance himself and his daughters.

   2. Elllie, I so agree. St Paul’s has such a spiritual feel to it. So magnificent and seems so much closer to God than the Abbey, which I also find claustrophobic.

      I’d watch Diana and Charles’ ceremony any time. Knowing the outcome makes one weep more than the tears one sheds in happiness at a wedding. Diana was a true Princess Bride. She was just gorgeous and that long walk down the aisle? Just gives me chills remembering it.

      Will and Kate’s wedding was a snooze fest to me. Boring, bland, and may I repeat the word again, BORING! i I really disliked Kate’s gown — particularly those pointy boobs. Her veil disappointed me, too. Very flat. Very unimaginative. I prefer those long cascading veils that fall to the floor. Of course, the gown needs to have a different style to support that look.

      KMR, thanks for the review, though. Loved seeing the way the guests dressed at the dinner the night before and at the wedding. Special nods to Victoria and Daniel for looking so dear and so well dressed. Also, Leti’s gown was truly magnificent. Didn’t like her wedding day look however. Gosh, she looked so teeny tiny standing next to her husband . Way too thin — and it almost seemed like a gust of wind could take her away!

      Loved Charlene. She looked amazing and this so close to her own special day!

      Harry? Well, magnifico! And, Lady Louise was so darling!

      Pippa’s gown irritated me then and it does now, too. Why Kate chose such a form fitting dress for her sister, while her own gown was fuller, made o sense to me at all. And, wouldn’t most brides want the attention on them, not on their sister’s bum?

      Mary Elizabeth always says that Mike Middleton reminds her of the actors who play the Chimney Sweep in theatrical productions of Mary Poppins. I’m sorry to say, I agree. Not in a nasty way. He’s just a fun looking fellow. Oh, maybe, he should have been signing the song from My Fair Lady — “Get me to the Church on time.” He reminds me a bit of Eliza’s dad, too.

      That’s all I’ve got. Except, for this: Happy Anniversary W & K.

      1. I found Pippa’s cleavage worse than her bum

      2. I agree with everything (except Mike M, who’s dutifully doing his part until he can get back to his lounge with a steel lock). I saw some of W&K’s wedding and it lacked personality. It felt very contrived. I always thought the day was about Pippa getting on Harry’s grid, with the wedding secondary. Ma Midds was successful with one, and had her eye on getting the other one too (IMO). I don’t dislike Pipps but I am so glad he’s in a different direction. I don’t like the principal Middleton trait of physical and emotional manipulation. Especially as there’s really nothing else as the Midd clan has limited to nobe personality.
         Vic
         I think Vic was the big winner. She really found Prince Charming, and appreciates all she can do in her role. She’s the only woman I would ever want to trade lives with if I could.

         1. I think Max has done well, too. The king seems to be completely enamored with her.

         2. Mike M was photographed back home mowing his lawn a few days later! Whilst I think he wants his daughter happy and wealthy I’m not convinced he likes the Royal limelight. I may be wrong he may be the power behind all this .

            1. Mike Middleton was the driving force behind the coat of arms, going as far back as 2008 to enquire after them, so i wouldn’t say that he wasn’t involved in Carole’s ambitions. He’s just more subtle about it.

            2. I do wonder where he is now. Carole is often around helping out with her grandkids ( which I am fine with, that generational relationship is often very important). He seems to have vanished. I really hope all this Royal hunting hasn’t marked the end of their marriage. I always felt he didn’t want the fame and she did, but Herazeus I take your point. Who knows?

      3. Jenny, did you walk up to the top of the dome? We did. What an amazing view! The service was also lovely. The diocese they prayed for in the service was my granddaddy’s–he was the first bishop of the Diocese of Southeast Florida. It was a shivers-down-my-spine moment. He died 16 years ago. I think that’s one reason visiting St Paul’s moved me so much, but it did feel more…godly than Westminster Abbey, which was stark, claustrophobic, and oh so Gothic. Lovely but cold.

7. I didn’t watch their wedding and still never have. I was married in April the same year as Will and Kate, so I didn’t really pay attention to their wedding until afterwards, when all the magazines came out. My first thought was ‘that is the dress?”. And then I also thought how pretty Kate was.

   Before the wedding, the only memory I have of Kate, is seeing a magazine at the grocery store check-out line and thinking she wasn’t very pretty/I can’t believe Will is dating her. I think it was probably right after university. Kate became much pretty once she had the money-naturally she is cute. Now all she really has is looks.

   I just never paid any attention to her. Though, when I was a teenager I had a crush on William ;). After the royal wedding, I became so intrigued in their ‘love’ story. This beautiful commoner stole the prince’s heart. I totally fell for it like the rest of you. It is amazing to look back at their wedding and how different I felt about it 5 years ago. How different I felt about them! I can’t believe it has only been 5 years. So much has changed with them in that time frame. I just wonder if we have ever seen the REAL Kate.

   Looking back at the wedding, I don’t see the love that the press tried to push or an amazing wedding. I see a pretty woman with a nice smile in a plain wedding dress. And the pomp that the BRF does well. That is about it. It is kind of sad really. It is kind of sad seeing how they changed or how our view of them has.

   Oh well, it is their 5 year anniversary, but it is also mine and I will take my love story anyday :)!!!!

   1. Happy anniversary!!

      I was always kind of disillusioned by these two and I remember thinking the love story was pretty hilarious considering the things I’d heard (like I said one of my college professors was at St Andrews at the same time). All this chatter about Kate being the most well-prepared bride to marry in, how discreet she was, how introspective and oh so smart… Yeahright!

      The engagement interview was fairly telling I think. Referring to more than just the one public breakup…

   2. Happy anniversary, Overit!

      Oooh Ellie what things did you hear? Can you share with us? 🙂

      1. A lot of the same stuff that has been said, about Kate being a guard dog with William, and how he rarely showed up to lectures, slept during them, or was hungover, that kind of thing. He just got away with a lot. And Kate was not known as a nice person–very dull, cold, and cultivating the right friendships for that social set. Just stuff people have been saying but he confirmed a lot of it when he was asked about those two in class. He worked at one of the pubs and they were both always indescribably rude to anyone, especially William who wanted to be treated like God come to earth.

         1. Well, no surprises then, but thanks Ellie for confirming their characters. It fits right in with other accounts of them. I’m sure the faculty at St Andrews was glad to see the back of William: turn a blind eye and give the tosser a degree he’ll never use!

         2. Thank you, Ellie. I didn’t know any of that, haven’t been following the BRF for long. I mean I knew they were entitled and lazy, but I was hoping they would at least be polite.

         3. Thanks Paula and Ellie for the Anniversary wishes 🙂

            Ellie, I wish more stories like that would come out. Why doesn’t anyone who went to university with them tell the truth? I know Kate’s boarding school was forbidden from saying anything, but I dont’ think people at St.Andrews were. Also, I can’t believe William didn’t see right through Kate and how manipulative she was

         4. Maybe people don’t say this stuff more in public is because it’s mostly gossip, misunderstanding and fabrication. I don’t know- I wasn’t there! Were any of you? If not then it’s all just gossip and tabloid bs.

         5. Zoe, I believe it because someone I know who would have no reason to lie said it. And it’s been corroborated by many, many people besides–their behavior, that is. They just aren’t decent people. I wish they were. I used to have a slightly different opinion of Kate, that she had more potential but stories I’ve heard of her freezing people out once they were no longer of use to her, her rudeness to people she has met in public, her ignorant comments… I think she and William are both pretty boorish people in different ways. This was before the wedding, when they were still dating.

            1. I appreciate and thank you for explaining why you come to your conclusion Ellie. Maybe you really do know someone who knows them who has had a bad experience with them being rude in college. I am not a ‘KW hater’ (nor am I a blind follower) so my opinion is likely in the minority on this thread. But I have a very hard time believing innuendo and gossipy comments. I come on this thread because I find it interesting to hear other people’s interpretations of events like this. So- I don’t mean any disrespect in my criticism. I just don’t believe statements based on hearsay. When I read things like “stories I’ve heard” and “someone I know” I just have a head time accepting this as truth. I don’t mean this to sound disrespectful to you. But- this is the internet- and anyone can say anything without consequence. Because of this I tend to be overly doubtful of unsubstantiated (and in this case impossible to substantiate) statements.

   3. Happy Anniversary!

   4. Oh, Happy Anniversary Overit. May your love story live on and on!

   5. Happy Anniversary from me, as well, Overit! I was married in April too and had the full gamut of Alberta spring weather (rain, snow, wind, sun), good times?

      1. Happy Anniversary to you both!

      2. Thanks Rhiannon, Jenny, Ray and RunawaySnarker. I will definitely take my 5 years to theirs 🙂

         Happy Anniversary to you as well Ray.

      3. Oh, thank you very much, ladies!

         1. I too married in April very many years ago and all my guests wore hats!!! My mother had an outfit made especially for the first time in her life and nearly upstaged the bride. I love Carole’s outfit I think she looked totally appropriate and beautiful. I’m not a fan but credit where it is due.
            Happy Anniversary to you all.

            1. To you as well, Birdy!

      4. Happy anniversary! We got married in May, but considered April. Memorial Day weekend instead!

   6. Happy Anniversary Overit

8. I also never understood the fascination with Pippa’s butt after the wedding or really Pippa in general. I think Kate is the much prettier sister.

   I love the photo of Will and Kate with the bridesmaid’s and pageboys. The kids are doing their own thing and Kate has her hand on Will’s lap. Such a difference from the formal picture above. Kate looks like her neck might snap she is holding it so stiffly. It must have started to ache.

   1. Me neither. Have always found the the big PR push for Pippa rather strange. She does seem a little more lively than Kate, but she is hardly a fashion icon/socialite/book author/chef/whatever.

      I’ve never understood the big deal made about Kate’s dress. IMHO, it’s quite ugly. And there were headlines about how she “brought sleeves back” — really?

      She did look happy and animated.

9. Anne said “from rags to riches”? But weren’t both her husbands commoners? Oh, she probably meant that the thought Kate was a gold digger.

   Anyway, I HATE the boob cones. Hate them. Who actually thinks they looked good? And the v-neck showed off her bony chest. I hate when women lose so much weight that you can actually see their ribs.

   A few things I noticed on rewatching the wedding: when they are singing the first hymn (as a Jew I didn’t know any of these hymn and thought they were beautiful) Pippa is walking back to her seat after taking Kate’s bouquet and, I assume, lifting the veil off her face. The Queen gives her a long look- like, she can’t believe sis is showing so much cleavage in church. Prince Phillip also checks out her butt.

   When they’re all pulling up at the palace after the carriage rides around the city- after kate and will get out of their carriage and are starting to walk to the door, there’s a bit of a ruckus behind them, it looks like one of the littler bridesmaids slipped and fell. I think it was Grace. Poor Grace, it wasn’t her best day. She hated the noise, and couldn’t see well because they took away her glasses (which I thought was very cruel).

   But overall a snooze fest of a wedding, though I agree that Carole Middleton looked great, I loved her dress and hat. I liked Camillas dress too.

   1. The took away the glasses from a girl with poor eyesight! Wow.

   2. Not sure if she had glasses at three, but she does now, plus 8-year old Grace is killing animals with her father: http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/478210/Prince-William-goddaughter-in-gory-hunting-photos-Grace-Van-Cutsem-deer-heart
      I’m sure this is child abuse. This set of William’s, himself included, are awful.

      I watched the wedding from Australia. The pomp is something the Brits do brilliantly, great to see. I thought William wooden, Kate controlled but really, knew little about them at that stage. It was the lack of warmth on their parts that struck me. Five years on, it’s the same and then some.

      1. I correct myself: here is Grace with glasses at three: https://emshoots.wordpress.com/people/#jp-carousel-85
         Very cruel, I agree, Corgi, to remove her glasses. Totally unnecessary and would have made her day a little more stressful.

      2. The article says that William cares about animals enough not to hunt them.
         I’ll believe it when he stops being royal.
         http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/12_03/middDM1812_468x670.jpg

   3. Then William was really cruel when he imitated Grace. He thought she was being funny. I didn’t know at the time of the wedding. Also the article I linked the image from says he was being “attentive” and “caring”.
      http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/04/30/article-1382172-0BD7DC2500000578-494_634x396.jpg

      1. Oh, now I remember him doing that when walking down the stairs enroute to the evening party. Holding his ears and imitating poor little Grace. If her glasses were taken away from her for the ceremony, shame, shame, shame!

         Gosh, Kate clumped down those stairs, didn’t she? And, again, those pointy boobs! And, that annoying little sweater. Ugh.

         I don’t want to be mean, but I guess I am. At any rate, like any couple, that day must have been filled with high hopes. Here’s to happy times for them, but some solid work, too.

         1. Ya, Kate has never been the most graceful walker. I will say though, at this point she seemed more open and friendly to those around her. Where as Will was pretty brief

   4. Kate’s dad was the one to lift the veil, I’ve always been so disappointed that they didn’t show that part on TV as it’s one of my favorite bits at a wedding.

      1. Mine too. My dad who swore up and down he wouldn’t cry started crying at that moment when I got married!

      2. Me too Lauri! That’s such a sweet moment.

10. Thank you KMR for the retrospect.

    We all have to go back and remember how our own lives were then. It was a working day for me and had to watch it later, too. I remember loving the Cinderella story and falling for the fairytale of Kate Middleton. I actually loved both Kate and Pipa. For me back then, Kate looked very ‘proper’ and grand but in a subtle way while Pipa looked sweet and even a bit sexy. It was also Carole’s big day who made every effort to look aristocratic.

    Five years later and I can see Kate’s faulty make up and cone boobs. At the time, I also admired her confidence; I thought she was hardly the blushing bride type (as opposed to Diana) which was good for a woman of her age. What a difference to today’s ‘insecure’ and ‘terrified’ image.
    As for Pipa? little did I know that it would be second class all the way from then. I’m so glad the then speculations about her and Harry didn’t come true.

    Another difference with then: appreciating the other European royals. Leti and Victoria looked fantastic (a big wow for the red Escada) at the pre wedding dinner but also on the day.
    Happy anniversary first to our fellow KMRer Overit, and then to W&K: I’m sure it’s a much different time for them too.

    1. Thank you Elina 🙂

11. I remember the first thougt that came in my head when Kate was walking in to Westminster Abby. The camera zoomed in her face, and I thought that she looked like a clown. The rouge, the mascara lumps and that awful eyeliner.

12. Boob flaps?! lolol I really love the flap over boob flaps! I think they’re trying really hard to maximize their assets. What little they have.

13. Thanks for including photos of the wedding guests.Crown Princess Victoria in that peach outfit is one of my all time faves from her.Color really suits her.
    Kate’s wedding dress was overall nice.Though not my favourite.The lace was very pretty and I liked the veil a lot.Her makeup,although not bad was not the best-a bit too much blush and eyeliner.Jewellery and hair worked well together.Shoes were pretty too.However,the collar and the sweetheart neckline I dislike.
    I liked Princess Beatrice’s coat.On the other hand her choice of fascinator was unfortunate.
    P.S:Pippa has no special ass.I still don’t understand what all the fuss was about.

    1. I found it sad the way the lovely Cartier Halo Tiara got lost in the veil. CP Mary had the same problem. Then again you all know how I feel about tiaras. To me bridal veils are less important than tiaras.

14. Boob cones and eyeliner.

    Sums up Kate, really.

15. i remember being totally underwhelmed by the dress when she appeared. and horrified by the make up.
    back then i didn’t know about the other european royals too. thanks to KMR for introducing us to the other royals.

16. I was a bit underwhelmed with this wedding mostly because I had just watched Daniel and Victoria’s wedding the night before and the love between them was so amazing to see. And after years of reading the KM and PW “love story”, I just couldn’t get excited. Couldn’t figure out how KM could feel special when PW had dumped her so many times (3 or 4?) and only came back because Jecca Craig, Isabella etc. didn’t want him.
    But I loved the story of how Prince Harry bought the young girls toy worms so they wouldn’t be too bored. I think he got the best characteristics from Diana and Charles.
    Story here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1383382/Royal-Wedding-photos-Prince-Harry-bought-bridesmaid-Eliza-Lopes-wiggly-worm.html

17. Thanks for re-visiting the ‘Royal Wedding’ of 2011, KMR. Personally I feel that the wedding of Charles & Diana is the only one that is fit to be called Royal Wedding. Diana really epitomized the young, demure, beautiful and bashful bride and while Charles didn’t really looked like a dashing Prince Charming, he still looked genuinely happy. Their love story (even though one sided) to me, was pure.

    As for Will & Kate, I didn’t believe it one bit. I really didn’t believe the whole ”fairytale” love story of Prince and the Commoner. I am old fashioned and a firm believer of traditional values and principles but before I go any further, I really wanna apologize if I offend anyone – I just can’t bring myself to believe their love story was like a fairytale with Kate being Will’s call girl/mattress and wasting her life doing nothing of substance. Hell, even Cinderella spent all her years being a maid before she caught the Prince’s attention! At least she was working! And the fact that they lived together/cohabited for many years before marriage? I’m sorry, that is certainly not a fairytale love story to me. This is just what I feel.

18. I took the day off work and watched and analyzed every moment. I fell for the story of chaste Kate and chivalrous William. Harry and Chelsy were pegged as the overzealous lushes. I remember being touched that Scarole wore Oldfield as an homage to Diana. I hated the description of the York girls. I thought it was trite. Victoria and Dan looked so loved up and beautiful.

    I will admit that I loved the flowers. I was shocked at the sight of Kate’s fembot boobs and clown makeup. Pippa looked like an orange dipped popsicle stick. Both women had way too much decolletage for a ceremony in the Abbey.

    I thought the ceremony was cold. I didn’t see the love story that was sold. However, I chalked it up to nerves. I remember thinking Harry was the only jovial one there. I loved how he crouched down sith the kiddies in the carriage. Even their carriage ride was glum. I watched footage of Andrew and Sarah and realized that was love, not this. All the SRF weddings run laps around this.

    I had such high hopes. This was the girl who was going to breathe life into the BRF. All she has been since is a manufactured visage of a “normal” duchess.I would like to think that there’s hope for her, call me Pollyanna, but I’m not so sure. In retrospect, they seem like two friends who made a business arrangement.

    Thanks for the retrospective, KMR! The best thing that this event was you creating this community of wonderful people.

    1. Hi Rhiannon! I sure you’re making mental notes of all the things you and Harry won’t have at your wedding 🙂

       At the time I was a bit surprised at the lack of emotion, the lack of passion in this wedding but I just chalked it up to formality and not wanted any PDA in front of the Queen. Looking back (yes, I still have the whole damn thing on tivo’d) I can see the lack of passion as just that, a lack of passion, at least on William’s part, Kate looks as adoring of him then as she does now.

       I agree that the very best thing to come out of that event is this wonderful blog that KMR created and the wonderful community here!

       1. +1 million

19. Thanks KMR as ever a great post. I’m always surprised that people are surprised by the hats. People often wear hats at English weddings it is a lovely excuse to get out a hat.

    The foreign royals look amazing. Like others I barely knew they existed at the time of the wedding. CP Vic looks gorgeous in both outfits. I think overall W&K were rude to the other royals..if they didn’t want to attend the dinner then they should have found another occasion to spend time with them all. Kings and Queens travelled to this wedding which is why I am so shocked and disappointed that we only send Ed and Sophie ( I like Sophie but she is too junior to represent HM at Royal events like weddings IMO).
    I spent the day with girlfriends drinking champagne from early morning, and had to walk home in my posh frock and high shoes( why did I dress up???!!!). I was the only one disappointed by the dress, everyone else was caught up in the fairytale. It was a magical day, the Brits are very good at these events with all the servicemen in their very best, the horses and carriages the huge crowds on The Mall. But the bride and groom did not stand out as the main event.
    Someone commented on St Pauls. All Royal weddings including the Queen are at the Abbey, St Pauls is a long way for the horses and the heavy carriages. Charles and Di did because their wedding had become a world event and over 2,000 people were invited including so many Heads of State they wouldn’t have fitted in the Abbey.
    Rhiannon, when you marry, remember you are dressing for the TV as much as for the KMR team in the abbey. The dress has to work from a distance, so tiny intricate details get lost. And please discuss how to wear your tiara with Art Historian.
    Im disinterested in Chelsea overall, but boy does she look rough here.

    1. Wouldn’t that have been a perfect time for Kate to make connections? Max and Vic would have certainly been good mentors and a relationship could have been fostered there.

       This is where Im different from Kate: I make no illusions of my knowledge of dresses and tiaras. This is why you have to call out the heavyweights, in knowledge not size, and ask for help.

       Chelsea looked rough indeed. I wanted to give her a comb and a wet wipe.

    2. Hi Birdy, I guess I’m the only one who doesn’t have a problem with W&K not attending the pre-wedding party. In fact I’m always surprised to see other couples attending the festivities the night before their big day. If it were me I’d be trying to relax, spend some quiet time with family and close friends, generally just trying to get my nerves under control before the big day.

       1. Actually I don’t disagree with you, my point was they should have found some time to meet the visiting royals personally – perhaps coffee the morning after, or afternoon tea the day before , just some acknowledgement and as Rhiannon says a chance for Kate to meet some of the commoners marry-ins who could have given her so much help. I know people say Sophie could have been allowed to help. But she is never going to be queen so her position is never going to be so heavily scrutinised.

          1. Hi Birdy,
             I wonder if W&K deliberately didn’t attend because they both are terrible at “small talk,” which shouldn’t be challenging if staying at least with common courtesy and minimal interest in what the other kings/queens are doing in their countries or charitable pursuits. It really shouldn’t be that hard, but the picture of Kate and Maxima in Nov last year kind of summed it up that Kate will smile but she has nothing to talk about. Max looked like she was politely enduring until she could leave. Sophie seems to have a personality that people can connect with, and manners that create respect. The Queen has confidence in her, and she’s doing a good job. I appreciated Sophie recent appearance played field hockey, messing up with her shot, and covering her mouth rather than he-haw pictures.
             I do wish Kate and Will a happy anniversary. I’m sure seeing India and the Taj Mahal will always keep this one as very special.

       2. I do think there are cultural differences at play here. Where I come from rehearsal dinners aren’t really a thing so when someone hosts a party in honour of your upcoming nuptials then you’d better show up!

          The use of engagement rings aren’t really a big deal either. It is not an ingrained tradition. In fact, there’s actually a special word in Danish for people who get affianced with a ring.

          1. Thinking about the pre-wedding party, I can understand why W&K didn’t attend; William was planning on having a quiet dinner with his immediate family, in fact Charles and Camilla only spent a short amount of time at the party, while Kate’s family had rented out the Goring hotel to host all of their invited guests so she probably stayed there to visit with her extended family. At the time I thought that the Queen was in charge of the pre-wedding party and hosted it mostly for the visiting royals, not so much to celebrate the soon to wed couple like the other royal families do.

             AH, I have read that in some cultures the engagement ring and wedding ring are one in the same. Is this true in the Danish culture?

             1. In Denmark engagement rings aren’t commonly used, only the wedding bands exchanged at the ceremony itself and these are mostly unadorned (at least among the middle and working class). However, they may be certain social strata were things are done differently.

20. Okay, I admit it, I was up at 2am to watch the wedding here on the West Coast. I’m such a royalty geek 🙂 I had champagne, smoked salmon, capers and all the goodies set up to really enjoy the festivities.

    I didn’t know much about Kate before the wedding so I was very much taken with this young woman who won the heart of a Prince. I feel for the love story hook, line and sinker, the beautiful commoner and the handsome prince…sigh…the stuff dreams are made of…sigh…

    I absolutely loved the entire wedding! I thought the dress was sublime (but was a bit embarrassed for her as the designer made her nipples look so prominent in this dress and the reception dress), the choice of tiara was perfect, the groom was handsome, etc… My only complaint was that I thought she went a bit heavy handed with the makeup, especially the blush, but I chalked it up to her not accounting for her own heightened coloring due to nerves. I actually thought it was sweet that she did her own makeup. In the interest of true confessions here, I will admit I bought the Bobby Brown lipstick Kate used on her wedding day and even the potted eye liner. Please don’t judge 🙂

    Second to the bride, I have to say I liked Carole’s outfit the best. Very elegant, subdued and absolutely perfect for the mother of the bride, especially a bride marrying into the royal family. I also thought it was incredibly thoughtful of her to wear one of Diana’s favorite designers, I thought it was a nice nod to William.

    I know that lots of people didn’t care for some of stiff formality at this wedding but I have to say I rather liked it. I absolutely adore pomp and circumstance, royal etiquette, formality and all that stiff upper lip stuff! Gosh I’m such a geek! And I found the glances William and Kate exchanged during the proceedings to be sweet and genuine. And wow Kate looked so nervous while reciting her vows but she powered through and I thought she was incredibly steady and strong for getting through it so well.

    It pains me now to say that I’ve judged every other royal wedding by this wedding and have, at the time, found them all lacking (even Vic’s and Dan’s) Sorry! How did all go so wrong so quickly?

    1. But to be fair to the other weddings, we saw a lot more than William and Kate’s. We got to see the banquet.

       1. Yeah, I wish we could have seen photos of the wedding breakfast and the cutting of the cake.

          1. +1 Lauri. More photos of her second dress and the evening event would’ve been nice. Maybe of the first dance or cake cutting.

             1. Right?? It seems this was the start of William’s privacy paranoia, oh hindsight is always 20/20. I think seems to be the problem (well one of them at least) with W&K, is that there was so much good will flowing their way (maybe in some corners there still is)but instead of giving a little bit of themselves to those who support them, making the nation feel included in their joy, they would much rather hide away and scream Privacy, Privacy and whine about duty. The reception photos from Vic & Dan’s wedding or CP’s and Sofia’s were lovely and as an outsider it felt wonderful to be “included” in this way. Sometimes such small things can go a long way. Sigh…they just don’t get it.

             2. I think part of this continuing issue is that Will wants to be like his friends. Isn’t that why they had a reception in the first place? It’s my understanding that a reception isn’t the normal standard for royal weddings.

                In all honesty, I don’t think it’s that much of an invasion to you or your guests to allow a photographer in the room for 10 minutes to take a few quick shots. I would’ve loved for them to do something similar to CPV and Daniel in front of thier big cake. It’s charming and you’re right, it does make the public feel more included. I still cannot get over the fact that other royals weren’t invited to the reception! Completely rude!!!

             3. I’m pretty sure that the other royals were invited to the wedding breakfast just not the reception held in the evening, that was for close friends and family only, you know 300 of their closest friends (eye roll). You are right the second reception isn’t normal for royals but W&K’s friends all had these types of party/receptions so of course W&K wanted that too. I guess all the millions spent on the wedding and security weren’t enough for them, they had to have one more party so everyone could celebrate them…again.

       2. I love that the public got the see and hear the speeches at the banquets in the Scandinavian weddings.

    2. There are some vicious rumours about Carole and her outfit. She had chosen another designer who wouldn’t let the half finished outfit leave her shop so Carole could show it to her friends. So Carole was very rude and got a whole other designer outfit made. I can’t find the link but it was headline news at the time- Carole acting above her station.
       That said I think her final outfit was beautiful.

       1. I recall reading about that incident too Birdy! I wonder if it really happened that way or has it been embellished over time? I would love to be fly on the wall when Carole’s around, does she really cater to William, side with him in arguments, act the the Queen of the manor? She is a bit of an enigma to me and that really stirs up my curiosity.

       2. It was Lindka Cierach the designer who did Sarah Ferguson’s dress

          http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3180758/SEBASTIAN-SHAKESPEARE-Exit-dress-designer-dared-clash-Carole-Middleton.html

          1. Interesting that it only took one run in with Carole for Lindka to leave the design profession and take up healing work. Carole must be a real peach.

             1. It was actually 4 years later. That article is from last year. It was the first one I found that told the story and I didn’t look any further for one from 2011.

                If it is true, one could almost wonder about Carole’s true motivation. Had she found something she liked better and was trying to get out of the original deal – did she want a seamstress to see it to have a cheaper copy made. Inquiring minds want to know but alas, I don’t think we ever will.

          2. It’s an odd request by Carole in the first place; why would anyone want an incomplete outfit sent to their house? Unless, of course, they were going to fiddle with it … much like Kate does now with designer clothes, cutting here, stitching (badly) there? Just a thought. Designers have every right to maintain the integrity of their intellectual property. How many times have we here at KMR been appalled at the hacking by Kate/Tash of a designer’s outfit? It shows a special type of arrogance as well as whatever the visual form of tone deafness is.
             The Middleton woman seem to have rudeness as part of their dna; stories here and there over the years consistently point to this. Hard as nails. I see that Pippa in her latest engagement is playing ‘the demure one’ in a quest for goodness knows what… public rehabilitation from being an orange fame whore, acceptance by her would-be in-laws?

             1. Maybe Tash isn’t the main culprit behind the wardrobe chop shop, she could just be doing as she’s told….by scary bossy grand mere (My brain is conjuring up Bette Midler in Hocus Pocus for some odd reason…but with a face swap)

             2. Oh Ray, I’d say complete subservience would be the first item in a job description for the Cambridge’s! But it starts to make sense of Kate’s not attending fittings/ill-fitting clothing since Carole has form in mucking with designer clothes.
                If Carole refused the designer’s offer to travel to her home and pin the dress on her, you can bet all the money in your pockets that she had another idea in her big head ie re-design bits of it and have someone sew it. I doubt the designer would have ever seen it again.
                It all boils down to arrogance, wastefulness of money, and and lack of respect for others’ time and expertise. Kate follows in her mother’s footsteps, for sure. These people are so in need of a reality check.

       3. Hi Birdy,

          Found these links on the incident you mentioned:
          http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/04/18/carole-middleton-has-bust-up-with-her-royal-wedding-dress-designer_n_7410218.html
          http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/royal-wedding-carole-middleton-snubs-123358

          Apparently Carole also snubbed the hat designer too(>-<).
          http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/04/24/carole-middleton-drops-hat-designer-one-week-before-the-royal-wedding_n_7410108.html

          And I agree with you that Carole looked very nice in that outfit at KM's wedding.

          1. Who changes their mind about what to wear to their daughter’s wedding a week before the big day? I wonder if these designers still charged Carole for the services they had already performed?

             1. I’m sure they did charge Carole for their services; the original designer completed and sent the outfit, along with the balance owed. She would have a strict ‘Terms and Conditions’ in place for bespoke clothing. Carole would not dare to renege on payment; how would that look to the world?
                I think Carole was carried away with herself; it was HER big day too. She had engineered this match, navigated her daughter through the breakups etc for years. In short, she achieved her goals.

          2. Thanks Satsuki! Glad I wasn’t imagining it.

    3. So, Lauri, do you still feel that same way now when you watch the wedding?

       1. Oh boy, that’s a loaded question Overit! Unfortunately I have to say no, I don’t feel the same and it makes me mad! As I said upthread, there was (maybe still is in some circles)so much hope and goodwill flowing toward this couple and in just a few short years they managed to throw it all away.

          At the time of the wedding I really didn’t know much about Kate, just what the press at the time was pushing, but after the wedding I read a couple of books about her and was appalled by the way she basically gave her life away to William and as a mother of a daughter who is a few years younger than Kate, it made me a little heart sick that her mother would not only allow, but encourage her daughter to become a beck and call girl for any man even if he was a Prince. And where was Mike while all that was going on? He’s her father for goodness sake! While Mr From Ca is stepfather to my children, he really is the only father they’ve known and let me tell you if any man, regardless of who he is, hurt his little girl or treated her the way William treated Kate well, it’s a big desert out there and he’s got a shovel, no one would ever find the body!

          Sorry to go on so long but as I said you asked a loaded question and got both barrels for an answer 🙂

          1. I’ve wondered why Mike and Carole – I hold them both equally responsible – would bring up their daughter to offer herself up as, as you say, ‘beck-and-call-girl’ rather than pursue her identity as an independent woman.
             Their prioritising of the physical – not health – is anachronistic, and calculated to entrap. I can only conclude their desire for status was and is all-consuming. One thing for sure: Kate and family will never, ever let go of the RF.

21. I hated her dress. I’m sure her dress is expensive but when you compare it to Diana’s her dress feels cheap. Even Camilla’s second wedding dress (the grey one) looks better on camera.

    I liked her dress at night after she changed from her wedding gown because she was more herself.
    http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/04/30/article-1382015-0BD6BDF000000578-682_634x958.jpg

    1. Oh no that awful fluffy cardigan!!?

       1. The fluffy cardigan is in a different shade of white than the dress. Completely ruins the look. But that’s our Kate for you: the fashion icon who cannot accessorize properly, even with endless money and assistants at her disposal.

       2. I thought she looked like a Barbie doll in that dress. god even then her posture was atrocious.

       3. The problem with this dress is that you can see all the design tricks meant to make her have a figure. The boob darts to give her a bigger bosom and padding below the belt to make her hips look bigger are designed to give her an hourglass figure. But these close-up shots reveal the truth.

       4. Kate looks horrible in that photo. Her body looks bizarre and that dress and fluffy cardigan are hideous.

    2. You would think a designer as prominent as Sara Burton could find another place to put a seam than right on top of Kate’s nipples. I thought that was tacky and drew too much attention to the area.

       1. LOL, omg you are too funny Lindsey!! I was actually embarrassed for Kate back then, imagine having all the attention literally directed to one’s bosom. Of course, 10+ flashings later I wonder if that little “addition” was requested by Kate.

    3. Even the second dress had pointy boobs!!! Gasp!

22. Great post.

    Massive eye roll, they skipped the pre-wedding dinner Lady Elizabeth Anson hosted… ofcourse they did.

    Would you be willing to do a post on the dinner. So glad we’ve come to know (and love) so many other royals who really fly the flag well and are coming to give credence to why royals for those that think they serve no purpose. I’m grateful for these women. And ofcourse Harry 🙂 and Charles too actually. I love that Camilla is so something about regarding sexual assault. I have massive respect for Queen Elizabeth and appreciate the role she took on and navigated as a women, young mom and wife in leadership long before the women in leadership was an accepted thing. Some people are understated in the change and reform they bring, and workin within the restrictions of her role I think only in the future will she be truly appreciated.

    Sorry, I know this post isn’t about her, don’t know why I want there, but I’m grateful for her and other royals who’ve changed the dialogue and perception on issues in society and often times without massive recognision, Diana was probably the only modern day exception to that one.

23. KMR,

    First let me say that I adore your site and your coverage of all things royal. A special Honk for Harry! Also, love the other royals from other countries that you write about.

    I think it’s incredibly ironic that WillKat blew off the pre-wedding dinner for the royals that were in town for the wedding. It was a foreshadowing of what was to come from then. So disappointing and rude.

24. I was working at my full time job that day (something that Kate has never done before!) and I didn’t really care about this wedding nor was I fascinated by this couple. I thought it was interesting how times had changed that a direct heir was allowed to marry a commoner/middle class lass. I didn’t find Kate to be beautiful either, just pretty and I had a coworker trying to convince me how beautiful Kate was and her beauty should be appreciated? So all Kate fans only like her are for her “looks”; what about personality, intellect? And I thought her makeup was atrocious and the cone boobs ridiculous.

    Happy Anniversary to Overit!! I’ll be five years married next year!

    1. Her beauty should be appreciated? Lol, that is funny.

       Thank you Red Tulip! I honestly can’t believe how 5 years has flown by. I hope you enjoy your 5th wedding anniversary next year as well 🙂

25. Great post, KMR! Glad you included the European royals in your retrospective, as I wasn’t so aware of them back then.

    I watched everything, was so excited about the wedding. I was almost 7yrs old when C&D married and I will never forget watching it on tv. I was enchanted, and for years my family bought me royal wedding souvenirs/ books/trinkets-I have most of them still! I thought Kate looked so beautiful that day, but I think I was caught up in the moment. Looking back it’s very plain, her hair and make up are poorly done. I remember reading she wanted to do her own makeup, so that William would recognize her when she came down the aisle. Weird comment that always stuck in my mind. Also always thought that picture of her in the Abbey, Michael must have just handed her off because her veil was still down, made her look crazoo! That could have been the folds of the veil, but YIKES.

    I loved Victoria’s dinner dress, Beatrice’s wedding outfit (even that hat!), and Charlene’s beautiful boat neck jacket. But my favorite is Letizia’s wedding outfit. She looked very 1920’s and it suits her to the ground- she pulls it off perfectly.

    I’m on the fence about the pre wedding dinner. Ok, yes, busy time for both of them BUT that was a serious guest list and don’t most of us have a “rehearsal dinner” of some sort the eve of our big day? They should at least have made time to pop by for a quick meet and greet, even if they had their own post rehearsal plans. Seems the respectful, polite thing to do.

26. This is random, but we keep hearing all these little back stories…things that make you go hmmmm (anyone…anyone?). I seriously can’t wait for the tell alls to start coming out, how much longer do you think it will take before someone breaks the seal? I can’t be a fly on the wall, so I am looking forward to this guilty pleasure. And I know that makes me sound awful, ugh, but I love hearing all those stories brought to light. What was rumour, what wasn’t, what was a complete whitewash, what we were never told….all those humanizing details that get rid of the pedestals and put us all on the same level playing field. You know, it’s the whole -they have issues and problems too, the perfection doesn’t exist and now we have proof!

    1. I’m with you, Ray. Can’t wait for a tell all book. However, as long as W & K stay married, I don’t think one will be released too soon. If the marriage went up in smoke, the books would be written and boy, would they fly off the shelves.

       It will be interesting to see what happens. If W & K keep burning their bridges, maybe some books will be published. I think Tina Brown would do a bang up job!!!

       1. Or Charlotte…”Confessions of a Disillusioned Modern Princess”. Actually, no, I don’t want to wait THAT long. But that would be a juicy one haha

    2. I’m so with you Ray. I wish the truth would come out, but I am afraid a tell-all won’t come out until they are much older, if that 🙁

    3. Things that make you go hmmmm. Got it!

       1. ?

27. KMR, I’m in awe of YOUR work ethic!

    Thanks for the recap of the other royals who attended the wedding. I haven’t seen these photos any where before.

    But, I just don’t like KM. Didn’t like her dress, smallish bouquet, and scary looking makeup. She is not a blushing or even pretty bride although she’s trying very hard to be. She seems so contrived, a check-the-boxes
    sort of person. No warmth, surprising charm or sense of love. Only triumph.

28. Wow, i’d never noticed how much Harry and Lady Louise resemble each other. It makes sense since they both strongly resemble Queen Mary, the Queen’s grandmother.

    I’m genuinely surprised the hats at weddings/church was a surprising thing to non British viewers.

    It shows cultural differences that can be taken for granted in one country and surprising to people from another country.

    @Elina: the music was principally curated by Charles. Hymns were all Diana’s favourite hymns, so we should have been forewarned about William’s Diana obsession. St the time i thought it was sweet and thoughtful.

    Not surprising that they skipped out on the pre-wedding dinner, especially William. He wasn’t very involved in the organisation. Harry had to frequently stand in for him, otherwise it was all BP and the middletons.

    1. Not everyone owns a fancy hat. To be honest, I think wearing a hat should be a choice not something you think you need. Plus the fact that only women can wear them indoors is weird.

       1. It’s a wedding. Surely if you make an effort for the outfit you wear attending, why not extend that to a hat? Or a fascinator or hair ornament if a hat isn’t your thing?

          Obviously, at the higher end of society, the hats cost a bomb, but you can buy a fancy wedding hat /fascinator / hair accessory for very little money at the lower end eg accessories has hats starting at £20 and the most expensive is £60.

          1. I have never been to a wedding where people wore hats. It’s just not something done here.

             1. When i briefly lived in USA, i was fascinated by the differences. The big lie is that we are the same simply because we both speak English, but i found myself sufferring major cultural shock.

                Not negatively i must add. Just things i took for granted that i assumed would be the same in America.

                In hindsight, though i grew up internationally, we lived in primarily ex-British Colonies/Commonwealth and they incorporated many British cultures as well as the British absorbing aspects of their cultures into British culture.

                America was truly new to me.

             2. I’ve never been to a wedding where people don’t wear hats!

             3. It is actually considered disrespectful to wear a hat in most churches in the USA. I have only seen hats at weddings outdoors and that was just to block the sun

             4. No hats here! Though we used to wear hats when I was a little girl in church.

                I did have people show up to my black tie wedding in jeans and Hawaiian shirts though. So classy.

          2. Didn’t Kate used to rent hats from designers?? Thought I heard something like that once upon a time…

             1. I read the same thing Ray, it seems like a great idea. Why buy and try to store a big hat that you might only wear once?

             2. She used “Get Ahead Hats” for a few hats. They were recently auctioned off. I can’t blame her, these were both very large and would need a lot of space.

                http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2152795/Two-hats-worn-Duchess-Cambridges-set-fetch-1-500-auction.html

    2. I remember reports that William never showed up to the rehearsals, but Harry stepped in. Shows his state of mind with t his, eh?

    3. Traditionally black churches and black church ladies in the US LOVE hats and do wear their hats in church.

29. I will confess to getting up with my Mom at 4AM east coast time to watch just like we did with Charles & Diana and Andrew & Sarah. I will even reach back into the ancient mists of time to a vague recollection of watching Charles’s investiture as Prince of Wales. I think that one was tape delayed to the states rather than live. I think the main reason we got up to watch this one was because we had watched Will’s parents back in the day.

    I thought Kate’s dress was pretty but nothing really spectacular. It sort of looked like a dress from a local bridal shop. A lot of the detail didn’t translate to television. I didn’t realize there was lace applique on the lower skirt and train until the magazines came out the next week. To me, royal wedding dresses should be over the top gorgeous. I know Diana’s dress was very 80’s and had some problems, but there was something magical about it. It was big, over the top and it suited the bride and the church.

    Five years on, Kate’s dress looks limp, like it is missing a petticoat underneath. The veil is skimpy and flat and her hair does nothing for her. Her makeup and Pippa’s vaguely resembles the Oompa Loompas from Willy Wonka. The entire wedding party has a rather old fashioned note, which makes Pippa’s dress stand out as a jarring modern appendage. I wonder if I am transferring my utter disappointment with Will and Kate onto their wedding… No, don’t think so, it was rather ho hum.

    As for the wedding guests, I loved Charlene, Max, Leti and Sophie. Applause to Angela Kelly for getting the Queen to abandon her usual black shoes and bag for cream with the lovely yellow outfit. While I like the color of Victoria’s outfit, it looks too tight and almost too low cut. Add in the hooker shoes and she is heading towards tacky.

    Leti’s dress from the pre-wedding party is my favorite by far. I have seen pictures of Sophie’s dress before but for some reason, today the boob flaps remind me of pictures of the Opera House in Sydney!

    1. Hi Sue, I think Kate’s wedding dress will stand the test of time but boy her makeup and Pippa’s orange skin certainly look dated already.

       I loved, loved, loved Charlene’s outfit at the wedding. Of course I’m super partial to grey but I thought she looked so elegant. I loved Leti’s dress for the pre-wedding party but the dress she wore on the day of wasn’t her best look and the hat really overwhelmed her. I agree with you about Victoria’s dress, the color was great but it was a tad too tight and those shoes really didn’t help the overall appearance.

       1. Hi Lauri,
          I think you are correct that Kate’s dress will stand the test of time because there is no getting around the fact that it is a classic design. However, is it a “Royal” design? Not in my opinion. I guess my problem is that too many friends and family, including a now ex-sister-in-law in the early 90’s and an aunt in the 50’s (I wasn’t at that one! HA HA) have all worn very similar dresses.

          1. I agree. I think her dress was classic and will probably still be in style for years to come. However, that doesn’t make it particularly exciting. I found it a boring, safe, choice. Women have worn similar gowns at many weddings I’ve been to, both before and after the royal wedding. It was pretty. It wasn’t jaw dropping. I wish there would’ve been some element to take it up a notch. Her hair and make up only detracted from the look. Perhaps a larger tiara or something along those lines would’ve helped.

             1. It really was a omen of boring fashion to come…sigh

30. I was at work that day and live-streamed it on the BBC iplayer – up until I saw ‘the dress’, got bored and switched it off! I wasn’t a Royal watcher back in those days (I didn’t even recognise Pippa) but I was caught up in the hype around it and thought I’d see what was going on. Have to agree with others – it was DULL! Even then they had no personality, warmth or anything interesting about them. I didn’t know much about them but seeing them, even in their wedding day, turned me off with their blandness and smug expressions. And now I am here and enjoying the snark! I just can’t warm to them and can’t be bothered to try.

    Thanks KMR for the other Royals. Oh my, how good did Charlene look! Now there is someone with ‘it’. (IMO obv)!

    1. For me, the best thing was the attendants. The blonde boy was very excited and cheeky, ditto the other little girl ( not Louise). Of the two littlest attendants, one looked uncomfortable and held onto her hair ornament like it wasn’t safely secured and the other looked very, grumpy and annoyed throughout.

       1. I think that the “Grumpy” little girl was Grace who usually wears glasses but didn’t for that day. The poor thing would have been hot, tired, confused and sick of the whole thing. I feel for the little ones.

31. I love it!!! Harry stole the show today with this video!!!

    http://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/665757/Invictus-Games-President-Obama-Prince-Harry-Michelle-Queen-twitter

    Interesting that none of the British papers are saying anything about the 5th Anniversary of the Duke and Duchess today, maybe they’re just respecting their privacy. lol Also, rather surprised that none of the other more pro-Kate sites haven chosen to cover this special day either.

    1. I just saw it on dailymail and I’m still laughing my you know what off. This is so great! I love, love, love him! And I love the Queen even more for joining him. You can literally feel her delight through these pictures! Well done, Harry! Well done!

       1. Go Harry, I watched this video when I first woke up this morning and I loved it!

    2. Very good job, I love the video, the relationship with Obamas, the supporting cause.

       I wait for the next week : more infos about Harry makes me happy…

    3. Read this Twitter conversation and you’ll know why there are hardly any articles about the 5th wedding anniversary of “the two of them” out there

       https://mobile.twitter.com/RoyalReporter/status/726081463804936192

       1. Damn.

       2. About time the press united. They have more power than they think. I really don’t understand what being a BRF lackey gets the reporter; the stories and images are all the same. May as well be an independent observer.

       3. You go, Richard Palmer.

          I’m thinking of joining Twitter just to encourage him to not be a KP boot licker!

    4. The Queen has always had a great sense of fun, she is loving this little “burn”

    5. I love the Queen for doing the video with Harry! I like seeing the family side to her 🙂

       I think their will be more articles surrounding Charlotte’s first birthday than about Will and Kate’s anniversary

       1. Do you think a new photo will be released of Charlotte? I’d love to see one of her where she is more active, not just sitting passively on someones lap.

          1. There were three photos of George released for his first birthday. I am fully expecting we’ll get at least one for Charlotte’s. Possibly one on Sunday and more on Monday (her actual birthday). For George, they released one the Sunday before and then two more on his birthday. But then again the palace/press relationship has changed dramatically since then, so maybe not.

             1. If they release them through social media I wonder if the press will pick them up and put them on the front page or not?

32. We DVRed it and raced home from work with a bottle or two of wine, expecting to be entertained for an hour or two and cheered by love shown. An hour in, with the parade of random rich British people seemingly endless, we decided to start fast forwarding. Eventually we fast forwarded her getting to the Abbey, and settled in. We’d heard so much about this modern bride, this modern woman, first college degree, etc. She wouldn’t be saying obey, etc.

    And then she stuck out her arm to the priest so her father could grab it, hand it to the priest, and hand her arm to Prince William to symbolize the passing of her from one to the other and I turned it off and went to bed. Modern? Absolutely not. My friend gasped out loud as it happened.

33. This thread is moving very fast so I can’t remember which of you lovely posters stated that William couldn’t be bothered to go to the rehearsals and Harry had to step in………I seem to remember that Harry was the one who went to Westminster Abbey about a year after the wedding to unveil the tablet to comemorate the wedding. Why on earth didn’t W&K go. It was their wedding !!

    1. Wow that is bizarre! William couldn’t be bothered to go to the rehearsal for his OWN wedding? No wonder Kate kept asking him “if he was happy”? On their wedding day.

       1. He did spend an extra week of their honeymoon without her. Remember the Falklands? Kate went back to “nest” and William remained for a week. What Kate went back to was her parents and shopping. Now, all relationships are different, but Kate’s behavior has always been to jump when William says. And William’s has been to dismiss Kate when he had enough.
          AND as far as honeymoons go… you spend every last private moment you can get together. Even if they’ve been dating almost a decade. It’s a revival of that spark with a marriage vow. That always struck me as odd.

          1. I read somewhere that friends joined them on their honeymoon, I wonder if that’s true.

             1. There were pictures of the friends within the same prox as them so it’s likely.
                What’s interesting is now we know Kate couldn’t stand them and doesn’t even tolerate them for appearances now. So that was likely all William.

34. Let’s not forget the real star of the wedding, Princess Beatrice’s hat! I swear that hat got as much coverage as the wedding, and was included in all the magazines that covered the wedding. It had its own Facebook page and spawned dozens of Internet memes. My favorite was the one that compared it to Cathulou, a demon-like character that had recently aired on an episode of South Park.

    1. That hat has also worked more than WK because Beatrice auctioned it for charity and raised over £80K split between charities – Unicef and Children in crisis.

    2. At the time I actually thought Eugenie’s dress was worse than Beatrice’s hat, it just seemed to bit too snug on her and the heels the girls wore were imo way too high. But I loved the way Beatrice handled the uproar over the hat, selling it donating the proceeds to charity was perfect!!

35. I am very surprised the d.m. has not celebrated the anniversary! buyoubuzz has an article on km younger sister, sorry I have no link.

36. Kate and William, Imma let you finish, but Victoria and Daniel had the best wedding of all time… ::drops mic::

    1. Lmao! Good one!

37. I found the article about Carole Middleton’s designer
    http://fashionetc.com/news/celebrity/1520-carole-middleton-royal-wedding-dress

38. Another choice moment was when Kate held up Charles, Camilla, and William, on the way to the BP reception, so she could chat with the photographer and check herself out.
    Wouldn’t a newly married couple want to walk with one another? They look like two distant party guests. Not a loving couple, who just wed.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT9Qy8vbON0

    1. I actually thought she was being nice. The photographer was talking to her and wanted to show her something on his phone (I don’t think it was a photo of her). She was nice and didn’t want to cut him off. I actually thought she appeared quiet friendly here, where as the others were very brief.

       1. Imo there is a time and place. Maybe the photog should’ve been the one to remain focused?
          It seemed awkward to leave the rest of the party waiting like that, whilst they had a quick chat.

          Agree to disagree? 🙂

       2. I agree Overit, it was a nice gesture on her part. I do think though it was the first sighting of William’s exasperation with his wife.

       3. I agree

39. The three things that stand out for me with this wedding were 1. The clown make up. Kate had someone to do it for her but she was not happy with the job that they did so she wiped it off and started again. 2. The boob cones. I just can’t un see them now. 3. When Wills was trying to get the ring on her finger it was very hard to get on. Not sure why this has stuck in my mind but it is there to stay.

    I also adored the way that Harry was with the little bridesmaids. I think that it is terrible that they took the glasses off the little one. That is disgusting, she would have been stressed enough without that happening.

    1. Tanya S,
       About William’s problem with the ring, apparently Kate purposely ordered a ring that was too small. I had heard the story on TV, I thought that day but maybe not. Any way, I found a mention from Katie Nichols in the DM about it. Shades of things to come, even then she couldn’t order things in the right size.

       http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1387249/Royal-Wedding-Why-Prince-William-struggled-fit-ring-Kate-Middletons-finger.html

       1. Ahh it is coming back to me now Sue. I remember hearing something about that now. It certainly was shades of things to come LOL.

          1. I found it also really odd that William didn’t want to wear a ring. What does that mean?
             http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1372078/Royal-wedding-Palace-confirms-Prince-William-wont-wear-ring-marries-Kate-Middleton.html

             1. Some men just don’t like wearing jewelry, even wedding rings. My grandparents, though they had wedding rings, never wore them because neither of them liked wearing jewelry.

             2. Well, in general everyone has the right to choose if he/she wants to wear a wedding ring. In this specific case it was very telling for me that he didn’t want to wear it. Of course I don’t know for sure but at the time I read this I had a feeling that William is not really committed. Not to Kate, not to his role, the image of the Royal family,… A wedding like theirs is actually not a private matter. It is a lot about symbolic actions, about the visualization of core values.

             3. Traditionally, posh Englishmen don’t wear wedding rings. They only wear a signet ring.

             4. William has clearly inherited his fathers big sausage fingers. I’ll shade him all day long but not for not wearing a ring. To my knowledge, he has never been photographed wearing a ring on any finger, ever. I’m pretty sure his non-ring situation would be the same no matter who he married.

    2. Will not wearing a ring doesn’t worry me all that much. Hubby has a wedding ring but he doesn’t wear it due to his work. But I like the signet ring that Charles wears.

40. I finally just watched bits of the wedding since all I had ever seen before was their vows. I was struck by a few things:

    1. William looked like was about ready to fall asleep during the sermon

    2. I found it strange Kate never closed her eyes during the prayer

    3. Why did they both try to look so serious? During their vows Kate tried to keep from smiling her normal smile. Why??? This day of all days is one it is okay to smile on. They both looked so subdued. I am really glad I never watched the full thing before. Will and Kate look like they went to a Sunday morning service and are bored, not like a couple getting married.

41. What I see in these videos and pics are two people who look tired but happy. Kate’s make up is WAY too heavy. And they both look exhausted. My sister and bro-in-law got married recently and they had the same look in a few of their pics. Weddings are stressful! And they didn’t have the pressure of being watched my millions of people! The moments when they look like they’re nodding off or glazed over were the same moments when (to be honest) I was nodding off and glazed over. Maybe it’s because I’m not religious but I dread church ceremonies because they drag on sooooooooo loooooooong. I couldn’t imagine sitting up there in formal wear and sitting through a sermon.

    I LOVE this dress. I thought it was a breath of fresh air. So simple and elegant. I still love it. I thought the use of green and real trees in the abbey was also lovely. It fit them I thought at the time and still do.

    Oh man- I WISH there would have been some pics of the after party, dinner reception hoopla. If anyone knows of any pics from this I’d love to see a link.

    1. Weddings are stressful when you have to do the work. My husband and I paid for our wedding and had do a lot of the work because we couldn’t afford it. In fact, the week before our wedding I cried so much and slept maybe a few hours a day. Will and Kate didn’t have to worry about any of this! The day of the wedding, people made Kate look good, so she didn’t even have to worry about that. I spent my morning doing my makeup and hair. And there isn’t one photo at my wedding of my husband or I looking tired. Because even though it was tiring leading up to the wedding, when the day came, all that faded away. We weren’t tired until we got back to the hotel and laid down. It is like an adrenaline rush, nothing phases you until you stop. We were just so happy to be marrying each other everything faded away. I was on cloud 9 and the weariness faded away!

       So, in regards to Will and Kate, you nodding off is not the same as them nodding off since it was their wedding. Most people don’t look glazed over at their own wedding because it all happens so fast. Are you married? Because most married people will tell you that your wedding day is a blur and it truly is. Not a time to glaze over. On your own wedding, you are just trying to savor every moment and take it in because, God willing, it only happens once. I glazed over watching their wedding because it was dull. But had I been in Kate’s place, I would not have, I would have been wide awake taking it all in. I don’t know anyone who was bored at their own ceremony.

       The truth is they have no reason to be exhausted. They didn’t stay up late the night before putting finishing details on their wedding or finishing last minute things (I was up finishing my nails). Nor did they even go to the reception and are tired from that. I think you are just trying to give them a pass. Which, is what people have been doing the last 5 years. I am so thankful my husband didn’t look like Will on his wedding day. My husband could hardly contain his joy. Sorry if this seems harsh, but I get tired of excuses and as someone who put so much time into my wedding and was really stressed/tired, hearing this excuse for them puts me over the edge. Kate looked happy later, but at the ceremony, they both looked bored.

       1. I think they were bored, she was triumphant, and wanted it over as soon as possible. I also don’t think he was happy; he did it because he had to, he’d strung her along, he’d made the agreement to marry her. I doubt they are religious people who found much meaning in the service. (I did like the sermon. And the music! But Charles has impeccable taste in music.)

          I remember those nights staying up late doing things. My makeup and hair gal never showed so we did it ourselves! Thank God for my maid of honor and my stepmom who are whizzes with hair. 🙂 I did my own makeup and did not look like an Oompa Loompa…

          I was still super happy and loved the day. I remember something my cousin said–take moments to tell yourself to remember things, as you will remember it; the day is a blur. I do remember certain things, telling myself to take it in.

       2. Well said, Overit.
          William and Kate seem to bore very easily, except for holidays and meeting certain celebrities, but beyond that? I’d imagine that boredom in church would be par for them given a lack of faith.
          Someone in another blog wrote that William and Kate are very ordinary people who have been given extraordinary roles. They are just not up to it, pure and simple.
          Goodness know why people need to give them a pass so often. Their work ethic over five years is nothing short of appalling. Because everything bores them.

       3. Ha! You don’t think you’d be nervous and have some sleepless nights before you’re about to be presented in front of millions of people?? You don’t think you would have some anxiety the days before an event like this? If not then good for you! I totally disagree with your assumption that they weren’t stressed. Also- that your experience is what every other bride would feel. Your name says it all and I get it. You’re over it. You don’t like them or anything about them and you never will. I’m not going to change your mind and wouldn’t try to. But I think your viewpoint is based on your personal experience which I don’t think is a valid comparison. And I think you’re attempt to dig at me by questioning my marital status hilarious. I don’t have to ‘give them a pass’ they didn’t do anything to me. I was just expressing my observations but I don’t assume to know anything about what they did or didn’t do; feel or didn’t feel. “The truth is” you have a right to your speculation and opinion and so do I even though neither of us has any fact behind our flapping gums. Let’s try to remember that when we use words that sound like fact but in actuality are pure speculation.

          1. Zoe, you are so wrong about Overit’s stance on W&K. Go waaaay back and read archived comments and you’ll see what I mean. She is one of the first to give credit where it is due when it comes to the Duchess and gives her more rope than many.

             1. Fair enough. But with a user name like ‘over it’ paired with the comments I don’t think my assumption was completely without merit. Even if overit does dislike them what’s wrong with that? She is more than welcome to her opinion. I was reacting to the slanderous language she (and others) use on this site. Anyone is welcome to speculate but when the statements are written to imply some factual knowledge that bothers me. My intention was never to personally attack anyone making comments here. So- if she or you were offended by my post then I apologize. My opinions are my opinions and that’s all they are.

             2. As their opinions are theirs, Zoe. And this is a critical site of Kate Middleton, so keep that in mind and all will go swimmingly?

          2. Her hairdresser said she had absolutely no nerves on the day HE WAS THERE. She was totally calm everyone else was nervous. Neither could she be exhausted because she only had to lift a finger to do her make up. Your comments on Overits name are also personally offensive, you have no idea if that is her actual name or has some meaning. She is a wonderful commenter on here whom we all love for her insightful and thoughtful comments.

             1. You think her real name is over it?

          3. Ray and Birdy- Thank you so much for coming to my defense! I really appreciate that. I even gave credit to Kate on this thread above, lol. I am not even going to justify Zoe comment with a response to her. She said up above she isn’t a blind follower, but how defensive she got for Kate says it all. But you two stepping in made me feel so good. I love the community on KMR-the real commenters :). I really need to try and ignore people who are obviously just passing through.

             1. What a snobby elitist attitude you all seem to have. Just because I disagree with your opinion doesn’t mean I’m feeling defensive on behalf of a person I have no personal relationship or affiliation with. Going back to my original observation- I said they all looked tired but happy. That’s really all I said. Then instead of allowing for a differing opinion, Overit reacted by belittling it- at least that is how I perceived some of her comments. Look- I never comment on these blogs or fan sites or whatever because of pod-moments like this. What a stupid stupid thing to argue about. I have nothing against Overit or anyone else here. And whether you consider me a “real” commenter or not makes no difference to me. I apologized already in an earlier response to Ray and I meant it. I do not come on here to fight or argue. That’s not me.

                I have enjoyed this site for a long time because I find it interesting to view the Royals from a different point of view. But I hate gossip, speculation and hearsay. And I hate personal attacks on the children. Some comments on the children when the birthday pics came out were SO out of line! And no one on here said anything about that. That was disappointing. I mean, I know we’re all anonymous people sitting in front of a computer screen but there has to be some sense of responsibility when you put vile negative, harmful words out there. …Sorry- that last rant was not about you Overit. You are not the person who made the inappropriate comments about the kids. I have always liked this site a lot but reading those comments really put a bad taste in my mouth.

             2. Zoe-

                I wasn’t going to respond to you, but after you last comment I will and this will be the only time I do. There are few of your comments I want to respond to and to make it easier, I am just going to number them:

                1. “What a snobby elitist attitude you all seem to have”-As of late, this site has been getting a lot of Kate fanatics in disguise coming on here to defend Kate and put us commenters down. Your second comment to me was very personal and quiet rude/aggressive. So, a few loyal commenters came to my defense as you started to make this personal. That isn’t elitist, that is just making sure that the Kate fanatics are not just trying to cause trouble. It is honestly just a good community of making sure no one is making personal attacks. You may see that as elitist since they weren’t defending you. But I hope you can see what I am saying about the many personal attacks longtime commenters have been getting and the need to support one another. Since you are a new commenter and made personal attacks against me, that is why people rallied around me. I’m sorry if that put you off and I can see why you may feel that way, but I hope can understand it has been happening a lot and we never know if someone is just trying to stir the pot.

                2. ” Your name says it all and I get it. You’re over it. You don’t like them or anything about them and you never will. I’m not going to change your mind and wouldn’t try to”. This is what I mean about you making a personal attack. You think you know all my opinions because of the moniker I chose for a fan site? I have been commenting on KMR for several years and at the time I chose a name to be funny. I wanted one that would stand out from all the names so I wouldn’t get confused with others. I was ‘over’ the Kate worshiping sites, where unless you praised her, you were viciously attacked! So, don’t assume for a minute you know anything about me by my ‘name’. If you really were a reader of this site you would know, as Ray and Birdy said, that I give Kate plenty of praise when praise is do. There are things I like about Kate and things I don’t. The thing I get tired of is the excuses people make for Kate-trying to make her sound the victim. Your comment came right after I made an above one about them looking bored. You thus made it sound like poor them with all they had to do. Which, that is your opinion, but why then is it not okay to give my opinion in response to yours? I didn’t say ‘be quiet, your opinion is wrong.’ No, I disagreed with you and gave my reasoning why. You keep saying differing opinions are fine, but then why when I gave mine did you then turn around and make personal attacks against me?

                3. “But I think your viewpoint is based on your personal experience which I don’t think is a valid comparison. And I think you’re attempt to dig at me by questioning my marital status hilarious.” First off I didn’t ‘dig at you’. I honestly was asking if you are married because if you are not you don’t understand the process of a wedding. That isn’t mean, but the truth. Just like women who have not gone through labor, don’t fully understand that. Of course a person without experience can comment on things they don’t understand, but having firsthand experience makes it easier to fully relate. So, of course my opinion of my personal firsthand experience of my wedding affects my viewpoint, as it should since I know the stress and what happens on a wedding day. I know what the bride and groom can feel and go through since I was a bride. In fact, when I asked you ‘if you were married’ it was because I was commenting on how on your own wedding day it is a blur. And asking you, was to see if you have been married and then would understand the comment about the wedding being a blur. I am not even sure how you turned that into a dig? I am not sure how my experience is not a valid comparison? When it comes down to it, on a wedding day, it is the bride and groom and nothing else matters. No, I didn’t get married on TV, but that doesn’t make my experience and knowing a little of what they might have felt any less valid. Once again, you say different opinions are fine, but you just conveniently negated mine and said it wasn’t ‘valid’. You can’t say all opinions are valid, but then tell someone else’ their is not valid. It doesn’t work that way and is a total contradiction.

                4. ““The truth is” you have a right to your speculation and opinion and so do I even though neither of us has any fact behind our flapping gums. Let’s try to remember that when we use words that sound like fact but in actuality are pure speculation.” Talk about speaking down to someone! I never said my opinion was the God-given truth. This is a fan site, it is all speculation and most people know that coming on here. We come on and speculate about things. I was stating my experience with my wedding and how I thought theirs was different.

                5. ” I was reacting to the slanderous language she (and others) use on this site. Anyone is welcome to speculate but when the statements are written to imply some factual knowledge that bothers me.” Slanderous language??? Seriously, what did I say that was slanderous? That is why you came off as a Kate fanatic, because I critiqued Kate that made my comment slanderous? Who says my comments are false? No one knows and yet you are assuming we are all wrong. How come you are then right and the rest of us are slanderous? And once again, my comment never even implied factual knowledge. This is why I said you were taking it personally and therefore trying to defend Kate. I am honestly flabbergasted by this.

                6. “But I hate gossip, speculation and hearsay.” I already mentioned it, but that is what these sites are, speculation. Even the praising sites are all gossip and speculation. No one here or on any of the sites really know the truth. Although, we have had a few on here meet Kate and William-then it is not speculation. You called someone out way up in the post when she said her professor met them. It just seems like when people who have met them or know someone personally who have and their opinion wasn’t glowing, you take it as speculation/gossip. It just seems like that unless it is praise, it is slander/gossip/speculation. That is also why I thought you were just one of the Kate fanatics coming on here to insult. If you are not, then I apologize.

                7. I know your last rant was not directed at me since I have never said anything about the children. I see why this bothers you and KMR and others on here have said stuff when people made personal attacks about the children. Since they are just children and haven’t done anything. There are plenty of us on here who do say stuff when it gets taken to far. I believe KMR even addressed it once in a post.

                I hope you stay and comment, but do realize you are on a critical/realistic Kate site. As for me I will not be responding again to this thread. Please know though, that all fan sites, critical or praising are all speculation/gossip. That is why they exist-to bounce ideas and opinions off each other. And varying opinions are always welcome here. But what is not, is personal attacks (which I have already mentioned) and that is when people will protect one-another. If you give an opinion and then someone responds with another opinion please don’t make it personal. Mine are never personal and should never be taken that way (tone doesn’t come across on a computer). Take care and I may have asked questions above, but they are rhetorical since I won’t be reading this again.

       4. I think it would be stressful to have a wedding no matter how much work you put into it. Just getting married in front of people in general, let alone 1900 in the church and millions watching on TV, would be stressful. What if Kate fell while walking into the church, down the aisle, or up the steps? What if Kate’s tiara or veil fell off, or she stepped on her dress? What if she said William’s name wrong like both Diana and Sarah did? There are many things to still be worried about, even if Kate didn’t lift a finger in planning the wedding.

          Personally, I don’t think William and Kate are very religious, and I think for someone who is not religious, having to sit through an hour and a half long ceremony filled mostly with hymns would be a boring chore. William and Kate’s part only took about 20 minutes total. The rest of the time they were just sitting listening to singing. For non-religious people, that would be boring.

          I, personally, thought their wedding was rather boring and I skipped a lot of the singing.

          1. William is a future head of the Church of England, if he’s bored at his own wedding the C of E has a problem ( I’m not at all religious by the way ).

             1. Oh I fully agree. As I’ve said before, William being the future head of the Church of England and not seemingly religious is a huge problem.

       5. Well thank you for responding. I don’t believe for a second that you won’t be reading this but if you choose to not respond that’s fine. You took a LOT of time to respond to me and I appreciate hearing your thoughts but to be honest don’t you just want this to be done?? How stupid is this? You are obviously a smart woman with a good sense of humor which explains your name! Which I think is perfect for a site like this. You’re over it and so am i. Maybe I’m not cut out for a site like this because I do hate speculation and gossip dressed up as fact. Your comments- in my opinion- were an example of this and I called you out on that. I truly am sorry if you didn’t like that and got offended. That wasn’t my intention. Let’s all be over it now!

    2. Oh I hated the trees in the Abbey. I thought it cluttered up the place and made the Abbey feel very claustrophobic. But then again, I love old art and architecture, so the Abbey is beautiful enough in my opinion and didn’t need any extra stuff added to it.

       1. I sort of understand the idea of trying not to make the abbey so cold as it can be, but it takes away from the gorgeous art and architecture of the place. Like I said I found the place claustrophobic and I think the trees would have enhanced that feeling. I also think they tried to echo an English country wedding with it, funny considering their nightclub reception.

          1. I actually don’t think Westminster Abbey is claustrophobic most of the time. I think it’s a gorgeous piece of Gothic architecture. But it did seem very claustrophobic with the trees. I get that Kate and William wanted to make their wedding “their own” but I think the tree idea was just stupid. From the get-go it put me off them since if they thought that the Abbey needed a sprucing up, then clearly them and I have very different opinions on things. If I were to get married in the Abbey, I would want that Gothic architecture on full display.

             1. I love the Abbey it feels like a very special place to me. What an honour to get married there and to walk past the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Kate was so much luckier than Diana she was able to invite so many more of her friends . It should be a totally happy day for a bride not something boring.

42. I didn’t remember her make up and tan being that bad! Maybe because I was in a heavy make up and tan phase myself? But then you would think some experts would have the authority to tell her to tone it down?

    The dress was always a bit dull for a Princess but gosh her and Pippa are striking in how badly the tan and make up look 5 years on.

43. On another note – the celebrations for King Carl Gustaf’s 70th birthday are in full swing in Sweden today.
    There are a lot of pics here:
    http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.dk/2016/04/royal-fashion-awards-king-carl-gustafs.html

    Estelle is adorable – as always.

    1. I’m going to cover that tomorrow.

       1. Great! Thank you! 🙂

44. I was always puzzled by a photo of Kate taken in a long hallway at Bukingham Palace on the day of her wedding, so I goggled it again. Initially, I had seen the photo of her face only and thought she looked so alone. She appeared to be by herself on her wedding day, making her way down a long, dull hall! When I googled it, I saw it’s actually a full-length photo and apparently, she had just walked down a reception line . William must have walked in front of her and was no longer in view. Strange to me! Why wouldn’t the bride and groom walk closer to one another on their wedding day? Or, is that protocol? I thought it was a sad looking picture that was taken on such a special day. I still do. Someone should have had a hand out to the bride, or an arm around her (William)! She really looked quite lost.

    Other than that, I don’t really have too much to say about the day. It paled in comparison to the magical wedding ceremony of Diana and Charles. Although, look how that marriage ended.

    I think it must have been a very stressful day for the couple (W and K). After all, the eyes of the world were on them. Still, I did not feel much joy between them. In my opinion, the entire wedding ceremony was so stiff. And, Kate’s dress added to that look. It just was off.

    I remember being so very disappointed in the dress, the tiara (which seemed to get lost in the veil) and the overall lack of happiness between the key players. Mike Middleton looked so very stilted walking a very stiff daughter down the aisle. Wish I had seen the moment Lauri mentioned when he lifted her veil .

    All in all, when you look back, there’s not much romance and wow to this wedding. I hope the couple remembers it far differently. I am not huge fans of W and K due to their apparent disinterest in working hard, but every young couple deserves a wedding day made in Heaven. A marriage made in Heaven, too.

    This took a good deal of work, KMR. And, on the heels of William and Kate’s huge trip abroad. Thank you!

45. Hi all!
    I tried to read everyone’s posts and couldn’t but: happy belated anniversary Overit, Ray and their respective spouses!

    So on my Facebook and TimeHop yesterday, I was reminded of all the posts/comments I made on social media regarding the wedding ceremony. Here are some of my thoughts regarding my posts from 5 years ago:

    1) I was super excited to see B & E and I’m still an unapologetic fan of the York girls. I hate how they’ve been treated by the media but they were lampooned, blasted, etc and the worst was the “Cinderella/ugly step-sisters” meme. Beatrice’s dress was actually quite nice but it’s the toilet facinator that killed it. I’m glad she got the last laugh via auctioning it off for charity. Also, Eugenie’s color and look was a bit harsh, especially for her skin tone and body frame. I don’t know if the girls did this intentionally or what. (Many outlets have stated how the York girls and the Middleton girls don’t get along at all.)

    2) I was also excited to see Anne all dressed up and I still think she looked lovely in that purple gown. I also love how she apparently called out Kate for being a gold digger (“rags to riches” comment).

    3) I posted that Kate’s gown was lovely was underwhelming and I still stand by that comment. Also, looking at it 5 years later: cone boobs! Concave chest! Shouldn’t have done her own make-up!

    4) I was excited when Charles drove up to the Abbey as well was HM and Prince Phillip

    Five years later….

    ~Pippa looks like an Oompa Loompa skin-tone-wise but she looked good. Much better than her sister. She has the confidence that Kate still lacks.

    ~I’m disgusted that they took away little Grace’s glasses! Why?! For vanity purposes?! Lady Louise is still darling and Princess Margaret’s granddaughter, Margarita is still lovely and I’m sure will be a knock-out when she’s older. Also, those pageboys were adorable!

    ~LOL! I totally see what you mean by “boob flaps” (regarding Sophie’s dress) but that shade of red looked lovely on her and it’s a stark contrast to the bland khaki/tan/beige gown she wore the following day.

    ~I think the reason why Autumn Phillips looked (for lack of better term) so awkward is because of the fact that she was between pregnancies. She’d just had Savannah 4 months earlier and would give birth to Isla 11 months later. That had to have been rough on her!

    ~Princess Victoria looked fab in that peach colored dress and hat! It had that va-va-voom without looking trashy! Also, Letizia looked great in pink and the hat was very flattering, very 1920s-looking and her purple gown at the pre-wedding dinner had a Disney princess feel to it! Maxima? Meh. She’s done better.

    ~Finally, Chelsy Davy. Sigh. You know, I actually like her. At least SHE had personality and you could tell that she and Harry both liked and loved one another but at the wedding? She looked like a hot mess.

    1. My goodness Chelsy was a mess. 5 yrs later, i don’t think she looked so bad, but i think that’s because the worst pics have been removed and i haven’t watched videos again. On the day, she looked like she was hungover, rolled out of bed late for the wedding, grabbed the nearest outfit (which needed ironing) and rushed to the church!!!

       I feel terrible writing this about her because this is the only time i’ve felt she looked bad, whereas the rest of the time, the press and public rag on her in the same way they do the Yorkies – ie based on nothing.

       5yrs later, i still adore the attendants, i think William looked good in his uniform, but i love him in uniform, it’s the only time he stands straight and usually doesn’t have a sour expression on his face. Exception his RAF uniform. I don’t know why his RAF uniform does nothing for him, but his Irish Uniforms look so good on him!!

       Harry looked hungover and his uniform didn’t fit. The only time that has happened. He looks much better later, on the Balcony, but prior to that, i thought he looked hungover awful. Wasn’t surprised to learn that he’d attended a pre-wedding party at the Goring that ended at 3am the night before, where he was one of the last guests to leave.

       Pippa looked good, if orange. Her dress holds up for me.

       The only thing i liked about Kate’s dress was the back and side view. Otherwise underwhelming. Her make up was awful. We hissed in my house when we saw her properly. We all thought she looked trimphantly smug though she was trying to keep it down and keep a poker face. The discussions in my house centred around how she had the right to be trimphant and smug seeing as she’d waited so long and we’d heard the William cheating stories for years. My mum and aunties were very opinionated on the subject.

       We all agreed that this was a marriage of friends, not of passion or lovers, and as a result would stand the test of time.

46. Wonderful post, KMR. Like you, at that time I had no concept of other royals, so it was delightful to see them in their 2011 incarnations and feel that I now “know” them. I liked the sort of chatelaine look to Kate’s gown and veil, and I loved the lacework in close-up.

    For anyone interested in Lady Elizabeth Anson, the New York Times ran an article about her a week ago: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/24/style/queen-party-planner-lady-elizabeth-anson.html

    Off topic, but speaking of getting to know other royals through this webside – I now know that King Carl Gustav and I are both celebrating our 70th birthdays today. I’m having fun imagining the contrast in scope and degree of lavishness of the celebration 🙂

    1. Happy birthday Constance, and many more to you. I’m sure your celebrations will be just as lavish in terms of affection given to you.

       1. Thank you, Jen. Indeed, I’m so grateful for my loving family – and I’m still smiling over the rendition of “Happy Birthday” sung to me by my two little granddaughters over video chat this morning. No better gift 🙂

    2. Happy birthday!

       1. Thank you, Birdy!

    3. Hi Constance,
       Thank you for the link on LadyElizabeth Anson, I have read articles on her before, she is a interesting character and this piece was just as fascinating .

    4. Constance, I am late 4to the party. I hope you had a wonderful birthday and that this will be an especially happy, healthy year! I love the fact that your little granddaughters sang to you.
       Best present, I am sure.

    5. Happy Birthday Constance!
       (Sorry I’m a couple of days late)
       I hope you had a very enjoyable day?
       🙂

47. Because I’m a sad old lady with nothing better to do I’ve just watched clips of Max, Mary and Victoria’s weddings. The thing that strikes me is that they were couples happy to be married almost in their own private love bubbles. I just don’t get that from Will and Kate. They may have been and still are very much in love, but their body language doesn’t suggest it to me. I hope I’m wrong.
    What did we do before you tube??!!!

48. I forgot to mention before that me and my husband are sharing the same wedding anniversary with Kate and Will – only it’s our tenth. For us that was a very lucky date 😀

    1. Happy anniversary, PolishGirl!

    2. Polish Girl, a happy anniversary and new year of life together to your husband and you!
       How’s Robbine Jr.? Keeping you busy, I will bet!

49. I agree Kate must have been tired. Her 10 years of waiting about to end. I bet she had nightmares Will would put off the wedding at the last minute, leaving her up the creek without a paddle. She didn’t look radiant at all. Can’t relax until she gets the ring on.

    I still don’t understand the fuss over Pippa. I didn’t like her dress at all, especially the low-cut cowl neck. It didn’t go with Kate’s traditional dress.

    No, Kate didn’t bring sleeves back. Judging from the bridal TV shows, 90% of wedding gowns are strapless.

50. I loved watching Diana’s wedding, I loved the change in tiara with Sarah’s wedding which I thought was a lovely touch. But Kate and William’s wedding left me cold.
    My first feeling that Kate would not quite be up to it was when I saw the photos of her outside the Goring, it was the falling down hem on that cardigan/ jacket she was wearing. It may seem like I’m being mean but (sorry) I do expect people in the public eye like that to be better turned out. It just looked scruffy to me and made me say “oh no”.
    Then to see Kate in a nice dress, too low cut for a cathedral wedding, but all that fake tan, too much makeup and all her smirking left me cold.
    Like others have posted, I don’t understand the fuss over Pippa’s rear end either. Looking at the photos now I can see Pippa’s dress was too low too.
    As for Carole wanting the outfit she had ordered from Lindka Cierach to be sent to her house? At the time I thought that was an odd thing to do. Now I can see what others suggested up thread, that Carole may have wanted to change some things about the outfit herself, is that where Kate learnt the habit of butchering her clothes?
    I still hold big hopes for Harry’s wedding (are you ready Rhiannon?)

    1. I’m ready. Hoping to score a press pass for Harry’s polo event too.

       1. Have fun Rhiannon!
          We will all be waiting for your news afterwards!
          🙂
          Especially after the Polo
          😉

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