Capturing history! If you ever wished you could be a fly on the wall of the wedding of Prince Charles to Princess Diana back in 1981, now you can—sort of. Sneak a peek at 14 never-before-seen photos that are being auctioned off in Boston in September now.
The candids, taken by the assistant to the couple’s royal photographer, Patrick Lichfield, are set at the reception held at Buckingham Palace, following the couple’s July 29, 1981, ceremony at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
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Each photo captures behind-the-scenes shots of Diana—in her amazing silk taffeta wedding gown featuring a 25-foot train, designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel—and her wedding party as they share sweet moments together and pose for portraits. The youngest bridesmaid, Clementine Hambro, who was 5 years old at the time, even makes Diana—who divorced Charles in August of 1996, after raising their two sons, princes William and Harry—smile.
One striking photo even shows the royal couple’s view of the crowd in front of them as they were introduced for the first time to the nation as newlyweds.
But in the photos, Princess Diana—who had only been engaged to Prince Charles for five months before tying the knot—looks mostly serious, a melancholy she admitted to years later. “I can’t marry him, I can’t do this, this is absolutely unbelievable,” she confessed to her sisters before the wedding, according to her biographer, Andrew Morton. Her sisters told her it was too late to pull out.
The auction of the beautiful, historic photos, managed by RR Auction house, will take place on Sept. 24 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge, Mass.
What do you think of the photos? Tweet with @UsWeekly using the hashtag #stylebyUs!
