Prince William and Catherine Middleton: Church Service - April 29, 2011


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Thena said:
One of my favorite moments was very early on. When William and Harry were moving into their places just as the bride was arriving at the abbey, he passed through the aisle between the royal family and the foreign royals. Tim Laurence was seated at the end of the row, and when William passed by looking very nervous, Tim gave him a reassuring smile. It was a quick moment, but it was nice to see William getting a little support at a crucial moment.

Just before that, Harry was fiddling with a program. He handed it to a footman (I think?) who didn't take it, but a guest sitting nearby grabbed it instead!

I noticed Harry too!! So much nervous energy!!! LOL. It's stuff like that that are totally endearing!!
 
The press has butchered poor Lalla Salma's name. She has been identified as Sheikha Mozah of Qatar, Lalla Salma of Thailand, and Princess Fadwa bint Khalid of Saudi Arabia!
 
LOVED every moment .the dress ,the music , the ceremony(love that reading by her brother WOW) and of course the balcony and the 2 kisses. her second dress is lovely as well it kinda looks 50's inspired. over all it was a wonderful day .
May the Duke and Duchess live happy for many years to come.
 
I just noticed this now watching a replay of parts of the wedding; the Queen was wearing what looked like a brooch fashioned after the Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara. That's a nice little nod to the dukedom she gave William.
 
I was very pleasantly surprised. The British and American tabloids constantly yammered about William and Kate putting their own "non traditional mark" on every part of the ceremony, but all I saw was reverence for tradition, dignity and deep spirituality...not Kanye West leading the congregation in a rap version of "God Save The Queen" like stupid Star or People Mag seemed to insinuate!

Good taste dictated the entire day from start to finish.:)
If they had made all those "non traditional marks," it'd just be another splashy wedding and no one would pay attention. The whole allure of royalty IS the tradition, the rites and ceremonies. Some people think those traditions are archaic and old-fashioned, but that's what makes them so interesting.
 
The press has butchered poor Lalla Salma's name. She has been identified as Sheikha Mozah of Qatar, Lalla Salma of Thailand, and Princess Fadwa bint Khalid of Saudi Arabia!
well i think she should appear more in these events so to they can identify her easily:lol:

by the way Sheikha Moza didn't attend?
 
I think one of the problems is that people are able to see all the different ways that the different royal houses do things and expected the Brits to do the same things as other royals do.

The British do things there way - and the way they do things is exactly what happened yesterday - pomp and circumstance, dignified and traditional religious ceremony, short balcony appearance and then privacy.

The British public though are encouraged to join in by having their own parties etc and that is how they get involved.

I prefer the British way - but maybe that is because that is the one I grew up with and I like the British way of keeping a large part of the day private and share the important part - the religious service (even with Charles and Camilla - it was the religious blessing that was shared with the world).

Exactly! Aside from that other royal weddings are not broadcasted around the world. No doubt, Prince Albert's wedding will be because of who his mother was, but other than that other Royal weddings have only been viewed by those in that country where it's broadcasted, or by loyal royal followers that just love to see Royal Weddings and can view them with the internet.

With this wedding, there was world interest and there was far more pressure and attention on the bride and groom because of that. No doubt they were stressed, nervous and exhausted from lack of sleep. Judging by the dark circles under Kate's eyes, she probably didn't sleep at all, or slept very little.
 
i notice that she was not ther too Humera.
oitty she couldn't come she was in Europe anyway.
 
Did anyone see Harry wave to Chelsy? I'm watching a talk show and one of the guests said that was here favorite part.
 
Yes, it almost looks like she got lost in the whole outfit and head piece. Even the color is not very good on her. Princess Letizia's show off was for sure the night before, that dress was beautiful.
 
Oh CBS has interviews with guests- wonderful to hear from their perspective !
 
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip sat on chairs donated by Canada Club in 1949:

In 1949 the Club presented two chairs and faldstools of native birch in memory of Canadians who died in the 1939-45 war. These are used by the Sovereign and consort when they attend services at the Abbey. Canada - Westminster Abbey

timestranscript.com - Canada Club chairs represent royal tie | by chris morris - Breaking News, New Brunswick, Canada

Thanks very much for posting these articles, especially the one with
the picture of the chairs. The Times Transcript is my home paper and I missed that one.
 
I think at times we got to watch too much of the choir and the bands. But I'm very thankful we were able to see this beautiful wedding. I loved all the prayers and meaningful ceremony.
 
Last edited:
Thank you for the picture of her father taking back her veil I hated that the tv didn't show this. The other one was the curtsey to Her Majesty. I always loved watching the brides do this and we just caught a glimpse not the full view.
Maybe someone has a pic of that.
Think the party is still going on?
 
You know I am not even enjoying this board today which is a shame. I was looking forward to coming here and sharing the magic of the day with so many of you that I have shared the excitement and build up to this day. Unfortunately, there seems to be an element here today that can't do anything but be negative and spoil it for others. What a shame.
You and I have had our differences but I have the following to state and it may be of interest. Of course I agree with you that it is a downer for some because Kate was not a clown or advertisement for bridal gowns but a truly beautiful and demure bride-she looked like a Byzantine icon. ST. Catherine...... The now Duchess looked like a Grecian maiden even though there was identification with Grace Kelly's gown I found her very different in spirit.She was calm and lacked bravado which was refreshing.The only fault in the design of her dress which Grace would have checked was that the skirt was to bulbous for her frame- hence shortening her a bit and should have been tapered a bit at the sides-to be slimmer otherwise perfection.The ceremony was outstanding considering that the Queen did not smile even once I think . She looked like she was in Lala land or something.Kate Middleon's mother looked worried... or is that the Middleton look? Her dad was fine!Her siblings were decent..... The service was different from Diana's in that I did not see many royals enter or leave as I did years ago at Diana's wedding.because of the abbey setup I appreciated the service which had substance and kneeling-great! and the actual prayer Wills and Kate composed. Ihope God blesses them and they have a happy ending. Is it true they are going to Corfu on honeyomoon?
 
Last edited:
I've liked all the royal weddings I've seen so far. I thought Charlies and Diana was lovely, very grand but lovely. And the modern ones including Princess Victoria were very well done. They're a reflection on the couples and their cultures, how each traditionally does it. I think Victoria's wedding was romantic , everything you imagine. The current wedding was sweet, traditional, lovely, but not that obviously romantic the way Victoria's was. But you still felt the love and intimacy.
 
Thanks very much for posting these articles, especially the one with
the picture of the chairs. The Times Transcript is my home paper and I missed that one.

You're welcome. The credit goes to the CBC where one of the journalists pointed this out, I think it was Heather Hiscox.
Their coverage of such events is always good and informative. They were quick to point out Catherine's actual title and the fact that she's not 'Princess Catherine.'
 
I've liked all the royal weddings I've seen so far. I thought Charlies and Diana was lovely, very grand but lovely. And the modern ones including Princess Victoria were very well done. They're a reflection on the couples and their cultures, how each traditionally does it. I think Victoria's wedding was romantic , everything you imagine. The current wedding was sweet, traditional, lovely, but not that obviously romantic the way Victoria's was. But you still felt the love and intimacy.
Victoria's had a bit of Bollywood thrown in with all that melodrama.Or was that exuberance....?
 
I'm watching CBS's hour-long recap right now, and I'm struck by how very happy Philip looked at the end of the wedding and on the balcony. Nice to see from the old Duke!
 
I have to say -- I really thought it was sweet that William didn't turn around to see Catherine as she walked up the aisle. That way he was the very last person to see her in that dress when she stood alongside him at the altar. Very romantic.
 
Sister Morphine said:
I have to say -- I really thought it was sweet that William didn't turn around to see Catherine as she walked up the aisle. That way he was the very last person to see her in that dress when she stood alongside him at the altar. Very romantic.

Agreed- and it was cute Harry peeked ;)
 
If they had made all those "non traditional marks," it'd just be another splashy wedding and no one would pay attention. The whole allure of royalty IS the tradition, the rites and ceremonies. Some people think those traditions are archaic and old-fashioned, but that's what makes them so interesting.

I completely and 100% agree. Without tradition, history, timeless religious ritual and yes even a bit of boredom, all you have is just another celebrity wedding.

As another poster pointed out, I prefer the British way of doing it.;)
 
I agree with you. Even now there are no reports about the other royals who attended the wedding. Very disappointing. I missed the emotions, too. Victoria, Crown princess of Sweden, had to follow the protocol at her own wedding but there was still so much love...

Prince William seems to be a person that values his privacy, and he doesn't like public displays of affection, which, personally, I admire him for. I get pretty turned off by people who grab each others rear ends and have 10 minute kisses in public. He was acting like a person with dignity and decorum, which seems to be missing these days.
 
Watching some of the replays, it appeared that as the royals were leaving Westminster Abbey, the Queen allowed Prince Philip to get into the carriage before her. Normally, it's the other way around since she outranks him, but I remember her doing the same with Diana's father, Earl Spencer, because of his health issues. Did anyone else catch that, or was I imagining it?
 
Per a lip reader on 20/20 William said to his bride in the carriage - '' You have to wave back even if it's too much for you''

But another article said he said '' you don't have to wave back if it's to much for you''

So....take it whichever way you like ;)

And 20/20 said William cut the cake with his sword ....lol, hope that's true

And the RAF helicopter above them was a surprised even for them......oh and BW is talking to King Consatine of Greece who attend both receptions, wonder what he'll share :)
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom