I know that I normally don’t post on Thursdays, but today is an outlier! It is the 10th anniversary of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding, and I wanted to celebrate on the day. I’ve been a royal watcher for my entire life. The earliest royal moment I remember seeing as it was happening was the late Princess of Wales funeral (sadly). However, as an adult, the 2011 royal wedding was the first big royal occasion for me as an adult, and as an historian. Today, in honour of the anniversary, I will be sharing my memories of the 2011 royal wedding!
My Start As An Historian
29 April 2011 turned out to be a fairly important day for me personally. I presented at my first history conference, which really clinched for me that this was what I wanted to do. Presenting on less than 3 hours of sleep may not have been my best idea, but it was wonderful. My paper was on court astrology in sixteenth century Germany (those Habsburgs were fascinating people), and aside from one errant question about connections to the Victorian workhouse, it went swimmingly. I feel quite lucky that my first conference was a graduate student conference, with a mix of graduate students and postdocs, and a few of us undergraduates. But onto the wedding!
Waking Up at 345am…
Luckily I was sharing a hotel room with my very good friend, and she was okay with me having the tv on before the crack of dawn. I wanted to see everything leading up to the ceremony. I woke up at 345am CST to catch the pre-interviews, the crowds waiting outside the Abbey, on the Mall, and at Buckingham Palace. CBC found different Canadians there, and I loved seeing their interviews. Pre-6am is typically too early for me, but I loved seeing it all as it was happening.
The Ceremony Itself
I thought the ceremony was perfectly suited to the couple, and entirely beautiful. There were a few surprises for me, like seeing trees in Abbey, but all in all, it was exactly what I expected of a royal wedding. Considering that nearly every big royal event shown on Canadian television prior for me was a funeral, it was so lovely to have a positive and exciting event happen.
The Fashion
I know that I’m not alone in this- I think that Catherine’s Alexander McQueen wedding gown was gorgeous, and it is still a popular style now, a decade later. (Few people can say that!) I do hope that I can see it one day in an exhibition. And of course, the rest of the fashion! I loved seeing all of the guests’ attire, and I still enjoy looking at photos now. (And no, I don’t actually think that the Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie’s hats were that outrageous.)
If you didn’t know, I was lucky enough to see the Countess of Wessex’s ensemble from the day at the Royal Women exhibition in Bath. (You notice a lot more of the detailing when you see it close up!)
How I’m Celebrating Today
Well, I’m going to start the morning off by rewatching the whole royal wedding, including the “extras” before. (Thankfully I will start around 7am, not 4…) I do have a copy of it, but you can also find it on Youtube, see below. The Wedding Breakfast tea from Fortnum and Mason has long been one of my favourite teas, so I will be enjoying a cup (or three) while I watch. I’ve also made a Victoria sponge cake, so I will most likely have a breakfast slice of cake, because why not?
After that, it’s back to history readings and getting ready for a history conference to start.
2011 Royal Weddings Memories Project
If you would like to send me your memories of the 2011 royal wedding, I would be quite grateful! I’m planning on doing a bit of an anecdotal article about the royal wedding and how we all remember it, and the more memories the better.
It can be a few sentences, several paragraphs, or anywhere inbetween! You can click here to send me an email– please use “2011 Royal Wedding” for the subject.
What are your 2011 royal wedding memories? What stands out to you now?
Cheers,
The Historian
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