Thursday 29 July 2010

Charles Diana Wedding Anniversary

Twenty nine years ago today Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married in St Pauls Cathedral London in a ceremony watched by millions around the world. The weather was pefect and I was there having spent all night in the mall to keep my place at the front of the crowd.
I kept a diary of the three weeks I stayed in London for the wedding and I read in my diary that one man changed into pyjamas and slept in a sleeping bag in the Mall. I managed about ten minutes sleep on my little folding stool. I also note that the 3am queue (the last time it was possible to leave your spot, others in the crowd willing to mind you spot) for the ladies toilet was hundreds of yards long and with an Amercan woman I met we went into the men's toilet which had no queue, after that the crowds were so deep impossible to move. A perfect day.
Below is one of the many samplers embroidered for THE day This one is the design of the Radio Times for the wedding week. It's an ebay purchase and has been expertly hand embroidered on Linen
The sampler below is a Royal School of Needlework design and also expertly stitched, this one has the name 'Worked by Zandra Grindley in California 1982' though it was an ebay purchase from the U.K. I was silly enough to get into a 2am (my time) bidding war with a bidder in America on this one and paid a bit too much as there are a few of this sampler around. Still I am very happy with my purchase but I never bid at 2am now. Lots of wedding china around, the Wade bell on the right would have been full of Bell's Scotch Whisky, I bought it empty at a market. The african violet pot was spotted at a local florist about 10 years ago and the ginger jar from an antique fair.
A very unusual china lamp below Made in England by Derek Fowler Studios. There is a hole just above the faces where the light shines through.


One of a collection of posters I have from THE day. So sad the fairytale wedding ended so badly.







3 comments:

  1. Has it really been 29 years? Goodness I feel old! ;)

    And of course your collectables are wonderful!

    Happy Day to you!
    xo Catherine

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  2. I remember watching the whole wedding with my MIL because we were in Italy on holidays and our then 10 year old sun had an insolation and layed in bed with 40° fever ! what a day ! From the TV I had to run into the room ... not very romantic, lol !

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  3. I got up at 4AM here in Louisiana to watch it on TV. I always get up to watch the goings on with the Royal Family!

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