How Prince William And Kate Middleton Used Princess Diana To Break Royal Tradition

Nowadays, Prince William and Kate Middleton are seen as the perfect royal couple. However, when the couple was planning their royal wedding in 2010, the two shunned royal tradition to make sure they enjoyed their wedding day.

One of the first steps William took toward breaking tradition was giving Kate his mother’s engagement ring. Prince Diana died in a car crash in 1997 when the Duke of Cambridge was a teenager.

According to the ITV documentary “Prince William at Thirty”, royal reporter Victor Murphy claimed Prince William wanted to make sure he kept his mother’s memory alive. “This was my way of keeping her close to it all,” William said during his engagement interview.

“It was a hugely personal moving decision, and he did it because he wanted his mother to be part of the wedding and part of their happiness,” Murphy added.

Kate and William also put an affectionate twist on Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s famous balcony kiss. When Diana and Charles married in 1981, they shared a sweet kiss on the balcony at Buckingham Palace.

However, Prince William and Kate shared two kisses in front of the screaming crowds outside of the palace. Royal reporter, Roya Nikkhah revealed that the cheering bystanders where just one of the elements that showcased the couple’s influence over the event.

“It was a mix of being a state occasion, incredibly formal incredibly grand, and a lot of personal touches. The hymns, the prayers, the flowers – all chosen by the bride and groom,” she explained.

“For a royal couple, even a private tenderness becomes a public expectation,” Nikkhah added.

While the public may have expected some of the most prominent figures to attend Prince William and Kate’s royal wedding, the couple was able to control their guest list.

In the documentary, the narrator explained the couple’s desire to make decisions about their wedding day. “Behind the scenes, William and Kate wanted to break with tradition and to do things their way,” the narrator revealed.

Royal biographer Katie Nicholl claimed the initially guest list consisted of members from various royal families. “Initially, Buckingham Palace had drawn up a very extensive guest list, I think over 700 names of Heads of State, Kings and Queens around the world,” she revealed.

However, Nikkhah claimed Queen Elizabeth gave Kate and William final say over the guest list “[William] then went to the Queen and said, ‘Is this really the way it’s going to be?’ And she said, ‘No rip that up! Invite who you want.’”

Prince William and Kate had a memorable wedding attended by their friends and family. The couple is now parents to Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.