Do You Remember?

Do you remember the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana?

I do.  Even though it was nearly 40 years ago. I remember being woken up in the middle of the night to gather around the television. My mom, my gramma and my aunt. I remember watching in awe.  It was an event. It was a celebration.  750 million people watched that wedding, all over the world. Their wedding still remains the most-watched royal wedding in history.

July 29th, 1981. So long ago.  I was 10.

That gown. That train.  The crowds.

It was like watching a fairy tale.

Diana was a rule breaker in her day. It’s why many believed she was never accepted into the royal family.  It’s why she was given such a hard time.  She tried to modernize the royals. Make them a little more “human”.  And it started with her vows.  According to a New York Times article from 1981, Diana was the first royal to leave out the word “obey” from her wedding vows.

I’m not sure what it was about that wedding, or Lady Diana herself, but that one event drew me in to the royals.  I’ve followed them ever since.  Fascination. Curiosity. A bit of envy maybe?

She was young. She was beautiful.  He was a prince, destined to be King.  What an incredible love story.  Or so we thought.

We know the fairy tale wouldn’t last and the heart break of losing Diana so young and so unfairly.

But for that moment in time, it was simply amazing to watch.  A moment in time to get caught up in a fairy tale and the hope of something incredible to come.

Categorised in: Afternoons

This post was written by Carrie Buchanan