Weddings are generally once-in-a-lifetime affairs. Every bride and groom dreams of making their special day extravagant, magnificent, luxurious and whatnot. The definition of a royal wedding must be different for ordinary people, but, if we talk about a royal wedding of the British monarchy, you can definitely imagine the opulence the ceremony would have entailed.
The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana is still known as the most expensive wedding in the world of all time. Starting from their extraordinary ceremonial dresses to the arrangements for the guests, everything had people talking about it till today. Here’s everything you need to know about the most expensive and extravagant royal wedding in the world.
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The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer took place on July 29, 1981, and was famously known as the ‘wedding of the century’ for all good reasons. The lavish ceremony was held at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, and it cost approximately USD 48 million back in that time, which is equivalent to around USD 156 million today, approximately INR 1,000 crore.
In February 1981, just five months before their wedding, Prince Charles publicly announced his engagement to Diana. The royal wedding was held more than 42 years ago, but it still stands out as the most grand wedding ever. It was the first time in 300 years that a British citizen had married an heir to the throne. The ceremony was attended by 3,500 people in person and watched by 750 million viewers worldwide on television back in the time. The entire affair was incredibly expensive.
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The famous wedding dress of Lady Diana Spencer was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel. The dress was crafted from silk and adorned with real pearls. Its estimated value is around USD 490,000 today, which is approximately INR 4.1 crore. The gown took three months to be made and was crafted with ivory silk taffeta, which was dyed and woven into an ivory shade with ornate, hand embroidery that included details of over 10,000 micro pearls.
The gown featured puffy sleeves, a ruffled neckline, and a beautiful lace border, which was made from a bag of scraps that designers had acquired at an auction. However, the striking feature of the gown was its massive 25-foot-long train. Her wedding shoes were made of silk and accessorised with 542 sequins and 132 pearls.
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Lady Diana was driven to the cathedral in a glass coach and walked down the aisle beside her father, Earl Edward John Spencer. During the wedding ceremony, she broke from the tradition by omitting the word ‘obey’ from her vows to Prince Charles. This was a departure from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, which dates back to 1662.
The New York Times reported that the couple received over 3000 gifts on their engagement and wedding day, including expensive diamond and gold jewellery, rare and costly watches, and expensive crockery. The wedding featured live music from 250 musicians and was attended by 1400 guests. However, the couple's marriage was not a happy one. They eventually got divorced in 1996, a year before Diana's tragic death in a car accident along with her boyfriend, Egyptian businessman, Dodi Fayed.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s ‘wedding of the century’ was the world’s most expensive wedding but later it turned out to be scandalous. Share your thoughts on the same.
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