A young adult female wearing a white bridal gown with intricate lace detailing, standing alongside an adult male in a black military uniform at what appears to be Westminster Abbey during daylight. 10:22
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Charles and Diana's wedding, restored in 4K

The weather is perfect, "as if by royal appointment." Prince Charles is marrying Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral in London, and hundreds of millions of people are watching. more

AP Archive's restored 4K film of that summer day is sharp enough to feel like yesterday, and its commentator has a line for everything. At Buckingham Palace, a semi-state landau carries the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh off to the wedding of their son, the Prince of Wales.

Uniformed guards on horseback and in carriages stand at attention near a building entrance. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Mounted guards and carriages stand ready as the wedding day begins.

On the steps of St Paul's it is "a scene straight from a Victorian picture book." The bridesmaids wear wreaths of flowers in their hair. The pageboys stand straight and slim in 19th-century sailor suits, all under the "firm but pretty eye" of the chief bridesmaid, Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones. Inside, the guests include Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Nancy Reagan, wife of the American president. Family friends are there too, and many of the crowned heads of Europe, "quite happy for once to play a second fiddle."

Outside, a huge, cheerful crowd that has waited long and patiently roars its welcome. Beneath the pomp and titles, the groom is "a rather nervous young man." His brother Prince Andrew sits beside him, "wondering perhaps if he's forgotten the ring," while a Household Cavalry escort, "gleaming and bright," rides around their carriage. At Clarence House, mounted police wait for Lady Diana.

In St Paul's, the Queen and the rest of the royal family make their way past the other 3,000 guests to their seats. The Lord Mayor of London walks ahead of the Queen with the Pearl Sword, which Elizabeth I gave the City for the victory over the Armada.

People in formal clothes stand inside a grand hall with a checkered floor. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Guests in formal clothes stand inside the cathedral before the bride arrives.

The groom arrives exactly on time, in the uniform of a Royal Navy commander, with his brother dressed as a midshipman. The bride is not far behind. Her carriage passes through Admiralty Arch with her father, Earl Spencer, beside her. Lady Diana gives up a bride's old right to be late. She's on time too.

Then the world gets its first full look at her, "demure behind her veil," in a dress that has been a carefully guarded secret for months. It's ivory silk taffeta trimmed with antique lace, made by the designers David and Elizabeth Emanuel, with a train that runs a full 25 feet. She's 20 years old and, in the words of the day, "as bewitching and romantic a bride as ever touched the heart of the world."

A young adult female wearing a white bridal gown with intricate lace detailing, standing alongside an adult male in a black military uniform at what appears to be Westminster Abbey during daylight. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
The weather is perfect, "as if by royal appointment." Prince Charles is marrying Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral in London, and hundreds of millions of people…

"But that long train is a bridesmaid's nightmare." On her father's arm, Lady Diana Spencer sets off up the aisle "to join the prince of her heart." She carries a bouquet of orchids, pale gardenias, dark myrtle and golden Mountbatten roses.

So Charles and Diana come together "before God and the world," and the Archbishop of Canterbury takes the service. It's as formal as a wedding gets, with one change. The couple leave the old word "obey" out of their vows, the first British royals to do so.

A bride and groom sit side by side, both smiling slightly and looking forward. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Charles and Diana sit side by side on their wedding day.

Later, Charles and Diana step out onto the balcony at Buckingham Palace and kiss in full view of the crowd. Royal couples have been doing the same thing ever since.