
As a future king, his wedding was always going to be big news. For years, Prince Charles had been the subject of chatter about who and when he would marry and when he did announce his engagement to Lady Diana Spencer, on February 24th 1981, it made headlines around the world. The moment the couple appeared before the cameras for the first time as bride and groom to be captured imaginations with one part of the press call producing a very famous image indeed. In this occasional series, Royal Central takes a look at some of the most well known royal pictures of all.
The Image: The Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer, February 24th 1981, Buckingham Palace, London
[getty src=”3296039″ width=”416″ height=”594″ tld=”co.uk”]The Story
Speculation about the possible engagement of Charles, Prince of Wales had been mounting for several weeks when Buckingham Palace made a short announcement confirming he was to marry Lady Diana Spencer. Soon afterwards, the couple appeared before the press in the Palace grounds. One part of that photocall became iconic.
The moment the couple stood coyly on the steps of Buckingham Palace with Charles’ hands on Diana’s shoulders came to encapsulate the day which was heralded as the start of a fairytale royal story. The picture had everything including a first glimpse of Diana’s famous sapphire and diamond ring which was shown to perfection by an already camera savvy bride as she rested her hand on her elbow.
This one moment of Charles and Diana’s engagement announcement winged its way around the world and was used countless times in the run up to the wedding as well as on memorabilia found across the country. It was everywhere in 1981 and remains one of the best known of all royal images, four decades on.
The Legacy
The fairytale engagement was followed by a fairytale wedding and for a while, what appeared to be a happy ever after. As we all know, the marriage of Charles and Diana eventually broke down. They were divorced in 1996, a year before Diana’s death in a car crash in Paris. It was a sad ending to a story that had begun with hope, 40 years ago today.