Kate Middleton And Prince William's Royal Wedding: The Hidden Meanings From The 2011 Date
Including the significance of the Duchess of Cambridge's earrings
It has been a decade since the UK grounded to a halt amid the mayhem and excitement of Kate Middleton and Prince William's royal wedding. And, when we say 'grounded to halt', it was a national bank holiday so people actually stopped working.
Royal weddings in this country are surrounded by huge fanfare - cast your minds back to just three years ago when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tied the knot at Windsor Castle - so when the wedding of an heir to the throne and future queen was announced, naturally hysteria ensued.
But, amid the national outpouring and very public televised ceremony, Kate Middleton and Prince William managed to keep some things for themselves, in the form of hidden meanings and symbolism during their big day.
We take a look back at just what they were - see if you remember spotting them.
The Royal Wedding Bridesmaid Dresses
Pippa Middleton, sister of the Duchess of Cambridge, served as maid of honour to the bride on her big day. The bride also chose four of her friends' children to serve as bridesmaids: Lady Louise Windsor (daughter of Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex) Margarita Armstrong-Jones (granddaughter of Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones), Grace van Cutsem (daughter of William's friends, Mr. and Mrs. Hugh van Cutsem) and Eliza Lopes (granddaughter of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall).
The bridesmaids' dresses were made by childrenswear designer Nicki Macfarlane using the same fabric as Middleton's Alexander McQueen wedding dress, but featured a secret detail which you no doubt missed.
Hand-embroidered into the lining of each dress was the bridesmaid's name and the date, as a 'special momento', the royal family confirmed.
The Page Boys (William (Billy) Lowther-Pinkerton (Aged 10 – son of Mr. and Mrs. Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton - Prince William's former private secretary) and Tom Pettifer (Aged 8 – son of Tiggy Pettifer, Harry and Charles' former Nanny) were effectively 'mini Prince Williams', wearing a uniform in style of the Foot Guards which draws its badge from the Irish Guards, which the Duke of Cambridge was made Colonel of in the months before the wedding, hence his outfit too.
Kate Middleton's Wedding Day Earrings
Kate's earrings for the wedding day - and possibly counting as her 'something new' - were a gift from her parents Carole and Michael Middleton.
What's more meaningful is that jewellers Robinson Pelham took the inspiration for the design from the Middleton family crest, which includes acorns and oak leaves.
The diamond earrings featured 'stylised oak leaves with a pear shaped diamond set drop and a pavé set diamond acorn suspended in the centre', according to the royal family.
Michael and James Middleton's Pins
Also paying tribute to the Middleton coat of arms was the father of the bride and her brother, James.
Both of the men wore a gold stick pins on their ties, one had featured a gold acorn at the head while the other had an oak leaf, also designed by Robinson Pelham.
Kate Middleton's Wedding Flowers
Despite looking simple in contrast to many bride's wedding bouquets, the flowers included in Kate's wedding day bunch were all chosen for a particular reason.
According to the royal family's website, the bouquet - assembled by florist Shane Connelly - featured myrtle, lily-of-the-valley, sweet William, ivy and hyacinth.
Myrtle is the emblem of marriage and love which can be traced back to Queen Victoria, her eldest daughter was the first royal bride to use it in her bouquet as a symbol of bridal 'innocence'.
Lily of the valley is supposed to symbolise happiness, hyacinth - the constancy of love, ivy is a symbol of fidelity, marriage, friendship and affection and we're interpreting that Sweet William was a nod to her beau.
The bridesmaids carried mini replicas of the bride's bouquet.
The Bridesmaid's Head Wreaths
The four bridesmaids wore head wreaths made of Lily Of The Valley flowers and ivy, which the bridge chose as a tribute to her parents as her mother Carole wore one just like it on her own wedding day to Michael Middleton in 1981.
Kate Middleton and Prince Charles' Wedding Day Car
One of the more non-traditional elements to the royal wedding was the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge driving off down the Mall in a convertible Aston Martin, with a 'JU5T WED' number plate on the back.
The car was actually loaned to them by William's father, Prince Charles, who was gifted the car on his 21st birthday by his mother, the Queen.
Kate Middleton's Tiara
The Duchess of Cambridge's 'something borrowed' was her tiara, which was leant to her by the Queen.
The Cartier 'halo' tiara holds particular significance for Prince William's grandmother. It was a gift from her father (King George VI) to his wife, her mother, three weeks before he became King after his brother abdicated from the throne. It was then passed on to Queen Elizabeth II on her 18th birthday.
Kate Middleton And Prince William's Wedding Day Music
In a nod to Prince William's late mother, Princess Diana, some of the songs sang during the wedding ceremony had ties to the Princess of Wales.
The hymn 'Guide me, O Thou Great Redeemer’ was sung at Princess Diana's funeral - also held in Westminster Abbey - in 1997, while the music Kate walked down the aisle to with her father was 'I Was Glad' by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, which according to Channel 4 News was also featured in Charles and Diana's royal wedding.
Last year, Prince Charles discussed how he had selected some of the music for Prince William and Kate's wedding, telling Classic FM: 'I know my eldest son was quite understanding and was perfectly happy for me to suggest a few pieces for their wedding.. I hope that gave some people pleasure, but it's rather fun having orchestras in for great occasions like that, and why not suggest a few pieces occasionally? Anyway... I do enjoy it.’
Kate Middleton's Wedding Dress
The bride's Alexander McQueen gown, designed by Sarah Burton, has gone down in history for its grace, elegance, iconic status and celebration of British fashion.
Included in the details of the dress were lace flowers to symbolise Great Britain. Handmade lace roses, thistles, daffodils and shamrocks were woven into the gown.
The Queen's Brooch at the Royal Wedding
From her collection of many, the Queen chose to wear Queen Mary's Lover's Knot brooch for her grandson's wedding. Of course, the 'lover's knot' is an appropriate choice for a wedding, but the monarch has also worn it on several high-profile royal and state occasions before, including the wedding of her late sister, Princess Margaret, according to the Court Jeweller.
Kate Middleton and Prince William's Wedding Cake
More than 900 sugar paste flowers were etched onto the royal couple's cake by designer and baker Fiona Cairns. Sweet William and myrtle to symbolise love and marriage - just like in Kate's bouquet - were some of the flowers adorned on the cake, as too were flowers replicating the lace design of the bride's wedding dress.
Layers of the couple's cake were preserved and later used at the christenings of their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
The Trees In Westminster Abbey
In addition to the decadent flowers, florist Shane Connelly also designed the interior of Westminster Abbey to look like a mini forest, where flowers were sourced from royal estates like Windsor and Sandringham and trees were chosen, too.
The Maple trees were part of Kate's plan to simplify the wedding and show her country roots, he told the BBC.
'The aim is the abbey looks unpretentious and simple and natural and that it reflects the fact that Catherine is a country girl at heart and that the couple are the best of British. The trees are field maples, which is a very English native tree and the field maples symbolise reserve and humility,' Connelly said.
Olivia Blair is Entertainment Editor (Luxury) at Hearst UK, working across ELLE, Esquire and Harper's Bazaar. Olivia covers all things entertainment and has interviewed the likes of Margot Robbie, Emma Stone, Michaela Coel and Ryan Gosling over the years.
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