King Charles and Queen Camilla's wedding day 20 years on - from William and Harry's true feelings to late queen's 'funny' speech
Happy anniversary to the king and queen!King Charles and Queen Camilla celebrate 20 years of marriage today, having tied the knot in their wedding back in 2005.
To celebrate two decades of marriage, here’s an inside look at their wedding day – from Prince William and Harry’s true reaction to the late queen’s “funny” speech.
When did Charles and Camilla get married?
On this day 20 years ago (April 9), King Charles and Camilla tied the knot.
Their lavish civil ceremony took place at the Windsor Guildhall. This was followed by a wedding blessing at St. George’s Chapel. Charles’ sons, Harry and William, were in attendance, as were his siblings, Anne, Andrew, and Edward.
The only royals not present for the actual civil ceremony were Charles’ parents Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. However, they did attend the service at St George’s Chapel and then hosted a reception for the couple at Windsor Castle afterwards.
It’s believed that around 7.3 million people tuned in to watch coverage of day on the BBC at the time.
Charles and Camilla’s wedding was a ‘lovely affair filled with love’
To celebrate 20 years of the monarch’s marriage to his wife, former royal gardener and wedding guest Jack Stooks has spoken to Fruity Kings about the big day – and revealed some little known tidbits from the ceremony.
“There were elements of the wedding that felt lavish, such as the location and the guests,” he said.
Harry and William even decorated Charles and Camilla’s car with cans for when they drove off after the reception.
“But ultimately it was just a lovely affair filled with love. The reception at Windsor Castle was quite informal and people were able to mingle and chat. Charles and Camilla seemed so happy on the day and it was just like any other wedding reception.”
Jack also spoke about the speech the queen gave at the reception, which he described as being “funny”.
“The queen’s speech was really funny and she made reference to horses when she said that after everything they had endured, her son was home and dry with the woman he loved. It was also very touching. It was clear how happy she was for Charles and Camilla, and Charles was grinning from ear to ear,” he said.
Prince William and Harry ‘genuinely happy’ on Charles and Camilla’s wedding day
Jack also spoke about William and Harry’s reactions to their father’s big day.
“There was a lot of talk about how the boys felt about their father remarrying, but what I witnessed was two sons happy for their father,” he said.
“They seemed genuinely happy in the wedding photographs and Harry and William even decorated Charles and Camilla’s car with cans for when they drove off after the reception.”
Camilla’s wedding dress ignored tradition
The dress Camilla wore on the big day actually broke royal tradition – but not as much as Queen Elizabeth II did when she opted to wear white on the same day.
Camilla’s wedding dress was designed by Anna Valentine, a long-time favourite designer of the royal.
However, rather than wearing traditional white to the big day, Camilla instead opted for a cream-coloured gown.
For the reception, she wore a floor-length embroidered pale blue and gold coat over a chiffon dress.
It was the late queen who courted some controversy for her outfit though. The queen wore a white overcoat, matching white hat and black gloves. Wearing white if you’re not the bride to a wedding is usually frowned upon.
It’s believed she opted for this decision – which some have said is a wedding guest ‘sin’ – as Camilla wasn’t wearing the traditional white gown for her big day.
How soon after Diana’s death did Charles marry Camilla?
Princess Diana, Charles’ first wife, died on August 31 in 1997. They had split in 1992, and finalised their divorce in 1996.
Charles and Camilla then married eight years later.
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