Princess Diana: Ed Perkins on public’s reaction to funeral

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This week marks 41 years since Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince Charles tied the knot at St Paul’s Cathedral with 600,000 spectators lining the streets of London, and 750 million people tuning in across the world. The sheer number of viewers, it seems, took its toll on the royal couple — even leading to some stage-fright-style blunders. Diana and Charles’ nuptials is one of the most watched programmes of all time, and is thought to have been the most watched Royal wedding ever — with a much slimmer figure of 60 million tuning in to watch Kate and William tie the knot. 

Diana was just 20 years old at the time, and mistakenly called Prince Charles “Philip”, referring to his middle name.

The gaffe was explored in an unearthed BBC analysis, published in 1981, shortly after the ceremony.

It read: “Wedding day nerves were apparent during the ceremony. 

“Diana mixed up the Prince’s names, calling him Philip Charles Arthur George, rather than Charles Philip.”

It was not just Diana who misspoke during the vows — the then 32-year-old Prince Charles slipped up too.

Instead of saying “with all my worldly goods, I thee endow”, Charles professed it was “thy goods” he would “thee endow”. 

One of the Royal couple’s bridesmaids, Clementine Hambro —great-granddaughter to Winston Churchill who was just four years old at the time — also fell and banged her head. 

She then proceeded to burst into tears at Buckingham Palace following the ceremony, but was comforted by Diana herself.

Speaking to Mail Online in 2019, she said: “We all trooped down the picture gallery to get to the balcony where Diana leaned in, to a roar of approval from the crowd, for a kiss with her new husband. 

“On the way, I slipped on the wooden floor and banged my head. Diana picked me up and comforted me and asked if I had bumped my bottom.

“I was overcome with embarrassment that I could have possibly done such a thing and kept trying to explain that it was my head that was bumped — not my bottom!”

But Diana’s first mishap had taken place before she had even begun walking down the aisle in front of the congregation of 3,500.

She reportedly spilled her favourite scent — Quelques Fleurs by Houbigant Paris — on her dress, which left a visible stain. 

The Princess of Wales wore a now-iconic ivory gown designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, which had a record-breaking 25-foot train and was displayed last year in Kensington Palace. 

Diana had specifically requested the husband and wife duo design the gown, according to a BBC interview with Ms Emanuel in 2021. 

The dress cost approximately £9,000 in 1981 — almost £30,000 in today’s money.

According to a People magazine article from 2018, Diana’s makeup artist on the big day, Barbara Daly, advised her to hold her dress on the spot so as to cover the mark from the millions of people watching her. 

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The trials and tribulations of Diana and Charles’ relationship from then on have recently been dramatised in the likes of the hit series The Crown and Pablo Larraín’s 2021 film Spencer. 

The couple announced their separation in 1992 after 11 years of marriage and the birth of their two sons, Princes William and Harry. 

Diana and Prince Charles divorced in 1996 with Diana losing “Her Royal Highness” title. 

The following year, in August 1997, Diana died along with Dodi Fayed and their driver, Henri Paul, following a car crash in Paris while trying to escape the paparazzi. 

Her death was mourned around the world with 2,000 attendees at her funeral — including Stephen Spielberg and Tom Cruise — and watched by an estimated 32.1 million people, some other figures suggesting that number was closer to 2.5 billion globally.

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