Where has the tradition gone?! There are many aspects of the latest royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton that hold to tradition. A lengthy guest list, a top designer made gown, and of course all the media hub bub you can tolerate. However, a breath of fresh air has blown in regarding the differences between Princess Diana's wedding and her son. These differences are proof that even the royal family is a "modern family". Some of these differences include, but are not limited to donations to charity instead of gifts, Kate being a commoner vs. Diana as an aristocrat, and WHAT!?!?! No tiara? Below you will find a great comparison chart!
Criteria: Diana/ Kate
Occupation: Kindergarten Teacher/ Project Manager
Social Status: Aristocrat /Commoner
Age at Marriage: 20/ 29
Age Difference of
Couple: 13 years (Charles was older) /5 months (Kate is older)
Early Interest in the
Prince: Had a childhood crush on him /Had a poster of him in her dorm
Pre-marriage Roomate: 2 female friends/ Prince William
Courtship length: approximately only 13 dates/ 8 years
Gift Registry: Everything. 6,000 gifts! /assigned 26 charities to donate to.
Guest Count: 3,500 /1,900
Tiara:wore a tiara her family already owned./ Kate doesn't want to wear one!
Another thing that gives the Royal Wedding between Kate Middleton and Prince William more modernized is the fact that the viewing of the wedding will beat out Princess Diana's wedding by far! With the help of the internet an estimated 2 billion will be watching!
Time Table:
Between 0815 and 0945 - The general congregation will arrive at the Great North Door of Westminster Abbey.
From 0950 - Prime ministers and governors-general of various Commonwealth countries, the diplomatic corps and other guests arrive at the Abbey.
1010 - Prince William and Prince Harry leave Clarence House for Westminster Abbey.
1015 - Prince William and Prince Harry arrive at the Abbey.
1020 - Members of foreign royal families arrive at Westminster Abbey from Buckingham Palace.
1020 - Kate Middleton's mother, Carole, and brother, James, leave the Goring Hotel.
1025 - Minor members of the Royal Family leave Buckingham Palace.
1035 - The Duke of York and his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, leave for Westminster Abbey along with the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Princess Royal and Vice-Admiral Timothy Laurence.
Royal Family members will arrive after other guests
1038 - The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall leave Clarence House for Westminster Abbey.
1040 - The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh leave Buckingham Palace.
1048 - The bridesmaids and pages leave the Goring Hotel.
1051 - The bride, accompanied by her father Michael, leaves the Goring Hotel.
1100 - The marriage service begins and is relayed by speakers along the route.
1215 - The carriage procession of the bride and bridegroom with a captain's escort of the Household Cavalry, followed by the Queen's procession with a sovereign's escort of the Household Cavalry, leaves Westminster Abbey for Buckingham Palace.
1230 - The bride's carriage procession arrives at Buckingham Palace.
1240 - Members of the Royal Family and members of foreign royal families arrive at Buckingham Palace.
1325 - The Queen and the bride and bridegroom, together with their families, appear on the balcony.
1330 - Fly-past by the Royal Air Force and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.