14 Forgotten Moments From Kate Middleton And Prince William's 2011 Wedding
From celebrity serenades to sullen flower girls
Cast your mind back to April 29, 2011. The sunny day marked Kate Middleton and Prince William's royal wedding.
The last ten years of the Cambridges' marriage, which has seen them welcome three adorable children - Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis - into the family, has been a joy to watch. But it was the pair's 2011 wedding day above all other milestones that will forever go down as one of the most memorable moments in British history.
The wedding, which took place at Westminster Abbey in London and viewed on television by a staggering 17.6 million viewers, was a star-studded affair with famous faces like Victoria and David Beckham, Elton John and Prince Harry (the Duke of Cambridge's best man) all in attendance.
The day was a fairytale like no other, from the couple's adorable balcony kisses (remember there were two?) at Buckingham Palace to the Duchess of Cambridge's Victorian-inspired wedding dress for the ceremony, created by Sarah Burton, creative director at Alexander McQueen.
However, there were several moments we totally forgot happened amid the frivolity and romance on the day, from the cartwheeling clergyman to the grumpy flower girl.
To commemorate the Duke and Duchess's 10th Wedding Anniversary, here are some of the best moments you most likely forgot happened at the Royal wedding:
The Beckham Bump Touch
Not many children could say that they attended the Duchess and Duke's wedding, however Harper Seven Beckham was an in utero exception to the rule.
To style the bump during the 2011 celebrations, Victoria Beckham wore a navy-hued dress from her own clothing brand, paired with custom-made Christian Louboutin heels and a pillbox titfer by milliner Philip Treacy.
At one point before the ceremony, the famous footballer could be seen resting a loving hand on his wife's bump, with a cheeky grin on his face.
Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice's Hats
Fascinating fascinators usually take pride of place at weddings and sporting event like Ascot, however none have been as memorable as the two worn by Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice to the Cambridge's wedding.
The hats became a major talking point - for both positive and less favourable reasons - among fashion critics at the time. The sculptural headpieces were designed by the royals' favourite milliner, Philip Treacy, and received mixed reviews.
Fortunately, in May 2011 Beatrice put the accessories' 'fame' to good use when she auctioned them off in Auction For A Cause eBay sale. The two items went on to raise £94,241 for various charities, according to CNN.
Pippa Middleton And Kate Share A Loving Look
During the royal wedding, a photograph of Pippa Middleton's carrying her sister's train while wearing an ivory, satin-based crepe dress caught the world's attention as a result of her sculpted physique.
However, talk of the younger sister's derrière sadly overshadowed a sweet moment she shared with the bride just moments before they entered Westminster Abbey.
In the photo, the Duchess Of Cambridge is seen looking back at her sister - who acted as the maid of honour on the day - with a beaming smile, which was reciprocated by her sibling. It's one of the rare photos we saw of the Middleton pair in their moment of sisterly affection before the ceremony.
The Wedding Ring Mishap
The wedding day was a fairly seamless affair, however one moment that resulted in bated breaths across the world was when Prince William seemingly struggled to place the wedding ring on his bride's finger.
During the nail-biting moment, the bride can be seen smiling at her husband while he pushes the ring across her knuckled and successfully slots the band into place.
Just before the couple read aloud their vows, Prince William could be seen whispering to his wife: 'You look (beautiful), you are beautiful.' *Swoon*
Couple Exchange Vows
During the exchanging of vows, the Duchess of Cambridge noticeably opted to drop the word 'obey' from the phrases and instead uttered the words 'to comfort'.
The decision was near identical to Princess Diana's at her 1981 wedding to Prince Charles, during which she omitted the word 'obey' from the Book of Common Prayer.
Years later, Meghan Markle and Princess Eugenie also chose not to use the word 'obey' in their vows during their unions to Prince Harry and James Brooksbank, respectively.
The Cartwheeling Clergyman
It's not often you see members of the Church Of England 'cutting it loose' while wearing their full garb, which makes this video of a clergyman performing cartwheels down the aisle of Westminster Abbey after the ceremony all the more delightful.
In a video posted to Channel 4's YouTube channel in 2011, a clergyman who presumably helped preside over the wedding, can be seen joyfully cartwheeling in his robe. Meanwhile, onlookers can be seen laughing and gleefully smiling at the uncharacteristically casual display.
Royal Carriage
On looking back at photos of the royal wedding, we totally forgot why the carriage the newlyweds rode in during their procession to Buckingham Palace looked so familiar.
The reason is because the carriage was the same 109-year-old State Landau carriage used by Prince Charles and Princess Diana, as well as Prince Andrew and Sarah Fergurson on their wedding days.
The Grumpy Flowergirl
Frowning three-year-old Grace Van Cutsem became the breakout star of the wedding, when she was photographed covering her ears and frowning as Prince William and Kate Middleton had their famous balcony kiss.
The toddler's reaction to the noise from the crowds watching the couple kiss below Buckingham Palace still makes us giggle and it's unsurprising her pout resulted in countless Facebook fan pages and memes.
Van Cutsem, who is now aged 13 , is the daughter of Rose Astor and Hugh Van Cutsem, who has been a friend of the Duke of Cambridge for several years.
Royals Leave Wedding Reception
The newly married couple left Buckingham Palace after their ceremony on April 29, 2011 in a convertible Aston Martin Volante.
The car - which was originally owned by Prince Charles - was decorated with red, white and blue streamers, rosettes and an 'L' learner plate on the front. Balloons were also attached with the couple's initials on them, and their rear number plate read 'Just Wed'.
As Prince William drove his new bride into their future, the Duchess of Cambridge could be seen waving at well wishers lining the Mall.
The vehicle and its decorations were believed to have been organised by Prince Harry.
Kate Middleton's Reception Dress
The image of the Duchess of Cambridge's wedding gown sweeping across the historic Cosmati pavement in Westminster Abbey is one that we'll never forget.
So it's no wonder the 58 gazar and organza-covered buttoned dress with its nine-feet-long train almost overshadowed the royal's reception dress, which was also designed by Burton of Alexander McQueen.
The white strapless satin evening gown had a sweetheart neckline and and a jewelled belt which she accessorised with a white shrug.
Prince Charles Gushes Over Daughter-In-Law Kate Middleton
Following the reception in Buckingham Palace, guests recalled how Prince Charles spoke fondly of his daughter-in-law and poked fun at his son's head of hair.
Dr Robert Acheson, the Duchess of Cambridge's former primary school headmaster, told The Telegraph after the wedding: 'William spoke very well but it was Charles who really gave high praise to his daughter-in-law.
'He [Prince Charles] said they were really lucky to have a daughter like her. The speech really brought a tear to the eye. She was a delightful child and is now a delightful young woman.'
Susie Lea, who is reportedly a friend of the Middleton family, said: 'The Prince of Wales made jokes about his bald patch and his son’s bald patch, saying it must be hereditary.
'He was stood slightly up on a stand so he was looking down on William to his left. William smiled, he was amused. Kate looked amused as well.'
Christopher Warren-Green, the principal conductor of the London Chamber Orchestra, reportedly added: 'During his speech the Prince of Wales spoke so fondly about his son and his new daughter-in-law, and how he remembered building a house out of chairs in the living room for Prince William when he was small.
'There was a lovely moment when he [Prince Charles] recalled giving his son a pedal car and telling him there was only one thing he should not do, and that was drive the car into the cedar tree in the garden. Of course, he did drive the car into the tree - and that was the end of both the car and the tree.'
Ellie Goulding's Reception Performance
Prince William and Kate Middleton's big day was attended by pop culture stars and royals alike, including singer and friend of the family Ellie Goulding.
But it wasn't just her appearance in the Abbey that was required on the day, but also her singing talents at the evening reception.
Footage of her performance on the night still remains to be seen, but during an interview with Vanity Fair in 2016, Goulding said of the wedding: 'I did their first dance and like, talk about scary. I was so nervous, my hands were shaking.'
The Grammy-nominated singer performed her own version of Elton John’s 'Your Song' for the newlywed's first dance.
'That’s one of my memories, looking down at them [my hand] and just seeing this,' she told the publication, imitating her shaking hands.
'I thought I was a decoy,' she continued. 'I thought I was a decoy for someone else. It could happen! At the time, Gaga was everywhere, and rightly so, she was killing it, and you know, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, and then you know, me.'
Larry the Downing Street Cat
If you type in ‘royal wedding 2011’ into Google you'll be surprised to find that some of the most popular pictures aren’t of Kate Middleton nor Prince William, rather photos of Larry - The Downing Street Cat.
Larry was adopted in 2011 and has been living at Downing Street, the official home of the British prime minister, since February that year. In the years since, he's become the first cat at Number 10 to be given the official title Chief Mouser, the BBC reports, and even has his own Twitter account.
The series of portraits of the Number 10 feline, which appear in photo searches for the wedding, show him dressed up in a large Union Jack bow-tie the night before the union.
Buckingham Palace Door Removal
The cutting of the wedding cake is undoubtedly one of the most memorable moments at a wedding celebration, so you can imagine just how high the expectations were for the intricate design and care which were required for the 2011 royal wedding cake.
According to royal cake maker Fiona Cairns, it wasn't just the making of the cake that made the process all the more nerve-racking though, rather an unexpected run in with The Queen.
'I was told that her majesty would be coming through the doors of the picture gallery at midday,' Cairns explained. 'So, no pressure of course...' Cairns explained in a recent ITV documentary titled The Day Will And Kate Got Married .
'When the Queen came to see us the cake wasn't completely finished. I can remember her saying, "I hear that you've been dismantling my house" and I said to her, "Well, we had to take a door down from the room below for the trolley to go through with the cake." But it was all put back in the end so it was fine.'
The baker also opened up about the pressure of making and dismantling a royal wedding cake, saying 'terror, worry and sleepless nights' kicked in when the Cambridges selected her as their cake maker just two months before the wedding.
Cairns said the couple 'love' fruitcake and slices of the bake were decorated with 900 sugar-paste flowers, which were kept and later served at their children's christenings and auctioned off.
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