Today, the Prince and Princess of Wales celebrate fifteen years of marriage. To mark the occasion, we’re looking back at fifteen of our favourite facts from William and Kate’s big day.
It’s hard to believe it’s been fifteen years since William and Kate said “I do” at Westminster Abbey on 29th April 2011. From the dress that broke the internet (before “breaking the internet” was really a phrase) to the moments tucked into corners of the day that we’re still discovering, the wedding has stood the test of time as one of the most beloved royal occasions in living memory.
Last year, I shared ten fascinating details you might have missed from the day. This year, with fifteen years on the clock, I thought I’d take a slightly different angle. So here we are—fifteen facts for fifteen years. Some you’ll know, some might surprise you.
Let’s get into it…
1) Kate Had Snipers Trained on Her
Picture Kate, twenty-nine years old, stepping out of the Rolls-Royce in her ivory McQueen gown. Her father offers his arm. The crowds roar. The cameras flash. She begins her walk towards the Abbey doors.
And on the rooftops above her, police marksmen had her in their sights!
Fashion journalist Paula Reed, who covered the wedding for the BBC from one of those very rooftops, later reflected on the contrast in a piece for Vogue:
“A more chilling impression was made by the police marksmen in tactical positions on the rooftop next to us… their concentration gave a chilling immediacy to the enormity of the situation and the vulnerability of life in the public eye. Who chooses to get married with gun sights trained on them?”
The 2011 Royal Wedding was, by some measures, one of the largest security operations ever staged in the UK. Thousands of officers lined the procession route, hundreds of undercover police circulated through the crowds, hazardous material teams were on standby, sewer drains were inspected and sealed, and the policing bill alone came to £6.35 million.
2) Around One Billion People Watched
Estimates vary depending on the source, but the BBC reported a global audience of around one billion across television and online streaming. There were 1,900 guests inside the Abbey itself, and over a million people lined the streets between Westminster and Buckingham Palace.
To give you a sense of just how big a deal this was, Prime Minister David Cameron declared the day a national holiday.
3) An Estimated 5,500 Street Parties Were Held Across the UK
While most of the world watched from the comfort of their living rooms, the UK threw itself into the celebrations in proper British fashion: with bunting, Victoria sponge, and around 5,500 street parties hosted up and down the country.
Did you attend one? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
4) Kate Walked 97 Metres Down the Aisle
The aisle of Westminster Abbey is 97 metres long—and Kate covered every step of it, arm in arm with her father.
As she walked, she carefully made her way around the Grave of the Unknown Warrior, the only grave in the Abbey that nobody is permitted to walk on.
Her bouquet was later placed there in keeping with royal tradition, a custom started by the Queen Mother in 1923.
5) Westminster Abbey Was Transformed into an English Country Garden
I covered this in last year’s piece, but it’s far too lovely to leave out! The then Miss Middleton had the Abbey decorated with more than four tons of foliage, including 30,000 flowers from Windsor Great Park and eight living trees lining the aisle: six field maples and two hornbeams, some reaching 25 feet tall.
We know Kate LOVES nature — so this detail feels so very her.
After the wedding, the trees were replanted.
6) The Dress Designer Reveal Was the Biggest Fashion Story of the Decade
The identity of the wedding dress designer remained a closely guarded secret right up until the moment Kate stepped out of the car at the Abbey. In the same Vogue article quoted above, fashion journalist Paula Reed, who formed part of the BBC coverage on the day, called the reveal “the biggest fashion story of the decade.”
Bookmakers had been taking bets for months, and rumours swirled that Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen had got the job. Burton had become such a heavy favourite that William Hill stopped accepting wagers weeks before the wedding.
When Kate stepped from her car, the rumours were confirmed. The lace-appliqué bodice (handmade by the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace) and the nine-foot train were unmistakably Burton — what Reed described on air as an “instantly recognisable McQueen silhouette… a vision of corseted Carrickmacross lace.”
7) Kate’s Tiara Was her “Something Borrowed” with a Remarkable History
Kate’s tiara wasn’t her own. It was the Cartier Halo Tiara, lent to her by Queen Elizabeth as her “something borrowed”—a nod to the old English wedding rhyme that brides traditionally honour by carrying “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” on their wedding day. The piece carries an interesting backstory.
According to The Royal Collection’s Royal Diamonds book, King George VI purchased the tiara from Cartier in November 1936 as a gift for his wife. The price tag? £1,400. He bought it just three weeks before his accession to the throne, following his brother Edward VIII’s abdication—a moment that would change the course of his life, and his young daughter’s, forever.
That young daughter was the future Queen Elizabeth, who received the tiara on her 18th birthday in 1944. Princess Margaret later wore it as her first ever tiara, and Princess Anne wore it too—but it spent most of its life tucked away in the royal vaults.
When the tiara reappeared on Kate’s head on 29th April 2011, it had not been seen on a royal bride before. Featuring 739 brilliant-cut diamonds and 149 baton diamonds set into 16 graduated scrolls, it framed Kate’s face perfectly. To this day, I think it’s one of the most exquisite tiara choices we’ve ever seen on a royal bride.
I would love to see it out of the vaults again one day. I have a hunch that it will be Charlotte who next brings it back into the world. ✨
8) Kate Did Not Promise to “Obey”
A small but significant detail: when Kate said her vows, she pledged to “love, comfort, honour and keep” William—but did not promise to “obey” him.
She was following in the footsteps of Princess Diana, who was the first British royal bride to omit the word from her wedding vows, which at the time was seen as a ‘modern’ move.
Prior to Charles and Diana’s wedding in 1981, it was standard royal custom for brides to promise to obey their husbands. Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, and Princess Anne all promised to obey their husbands at their respective weddings.
9) Her Wedding Ring Was Made of Welsh Gold
Kate’s wedding band is a slim, plain gold ring, but the gold itself comes with serious history. It was made by royal warrant holders Wartski from a nugget of Welsh gold gifted to William by the late Queen shortly after the engagement was announced.
Welsh gold has been used for royal brides since the Queen Mother started the tradition in 1923, and the same vein has provided rings for Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, Princess Anne and Princess Diana.
Kate carries that thread of tradition with her every single day.
10) William Doesn’t Wear a Ring
You might already know this one—William chose not to wear a wedding band, and never has.
According to a palace aide at the time, “It’s all down to personal preference. He’s not one for jewellery. He’s never worn any.”
He’s not the first royal to make this choice, either. His grandfather, Prince Philip, also didn’t wear a wedding ring.
11) There Were Two Wedding Cakes
Yes, two! The future King and Queen each had their own wedding cakes!
The “official” wedding cake was an eight-tier traditional fruit cake by British baker Fiona Cairns. It stood three feet tall, weighed 220 pounds, and was decorated with 900 handcrafted sugar flowers, including roses, thistles, daffodils and shamrocks to symbolise England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
In an interview with Town & Country, Cairns confrirmed that the design was very much Kate’s vision: “the ideas came from her, we had meetings with her and the brief was from [her].“
But that doesn’t mean William left it all to his wife. He worked with McVitie’s to create his very own groom’s cake — a “tiffin” or chocolate biscuit cake made from a treasured Royal Family recipe. It was a particular favourite he’d grown up enjoying with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.
A quiet little nod to childhood teas at the Palace. How incredibly sweet—both literally and figuratively. 🎂
12) The Bride Wore Two Wedding Dresses
When you hear the words “royal wedding dress”, I’d bet Kate’s lace-sleeved ceremonial gown is the one that pops into your head first. But, did you know the royal bride changed into a second dress for her evening reception at Buckingham Palace? Also designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.
The reception dress was a strapless ivory satin number with a sweetheart neckline, a circle skirt and a diamanté belt, with a soft white angora bolero worn on top.
The reception was closed to the press, so only a few photos exist—I hope that one day William and Kate will release a new photo of the second dress (perhaps to mark a significant anniversary?🤞)
13) William Had a “Bond Moment” When He Drove His Bride Away in a Vintage Aston Martin
Prince William surprised the crowds outside Buckingham Palace by driving his new bride to their next stop in a vintage Aston Martin.
At the time, the media referred to it as a “James Bond moment” — a nod to the fictional British spy who famously drove the marque in books and films.
The newlywed Prince borrowed the Aston Martin DB6 Mk2 Vantage Volante from his father, then Prince Charles, who had received the car as a gift from his mother on his 21st birthday in 1969.
He drove Kate the short distance to Clarence House, where she would change for the evening party.
The notoriously eco-conscious Charles had the Aston Martin converted to run on E85 bioethanol — made, rather wonderfully, from surplus English wine.
William’s friends and best man, Harry, had decorated the car in proper newlywed style: with ribbons and bows.
There was a cheeky L-plate fixed to the front — a nod to the couple’s brand-new married status. And on the back, the now-iconic number plate: “JU5T WED.”
14) William Got Less Than 30 Minutes of Sleep the Night Before
I love this little-known fact. William has admitted that he barely slept the night before the wedding. Why? Because thousands of well-wishers had set up camp outside Clarence House to bag their spots for the morning, and they were singing, cheering, and chanting all night long.
“They were singing and cheering all night long, so the excitement of that, the nervousness of me and everyone singing — I slept for about half an hour” he later admitted in an ITV documentary.
15) The Couple Have Created a Lovely Tradition of Marking Their Anniversary
In the years since the wedding, the Prince and Princess have built up a quiet tradition of marking their anniversary in their own way. We’ve had unseen wedding photos released to social media, adorable family videos, and last year, a working visit to the Isle of Mull on the day itself.
Whether they choose to share something publicly this year or to mark the occasion privately, fifteen years feels like a particularly special milestone—and I think we’ll all be raising a (metaphorical) glass to the couple today. 🥂
Happy 15th Anniversary, William and Catherine!
Did any of these facts surprise you? Or do you have a favourite memory from the wedding day that I haven’t included? I’d love to hear about it — let me know in the comments below.
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