Royal weddings are a monumental historical collection. Prince Charles married Princess Diana in 1981. Just a few years later Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson, in 1986. On most wedding days all eyes are on the bride and groom, but taking a closer look at the guests can tell us a lot about the nature of the pair getting married.
Looking at images of the two historical events, it appears the Queen cracked a smile more often at Andrew’s wedding.
What can her body language expert tell us? An expert gave her professional opinion exclusively to Express.co.uk.
Body language expert Judi James said: “It’s true to say that Andrew and Sarah’s wedding was a much more fun event than Charles and Diana’s, which seemed frosted by tension, both between the bride and groom, with Camilla sitting in the pews behind them, and worries about Diana’s father who had been very unwell just prior to the day.
“Some of that tension does seem to be reflected in the Queen’s body language, which looks more restrained and formal than it did at Andrew’s wedding.”
However, that doesn’t mean the Queen wasn’t thrilled at her first born’s nuptials.
Judi said: “Her lips appear pursed in one pose and she is smiling down at the crowds in another, in a look of subtler happiness and pride.
“At Andrew’s wedding she used a very similar hand clasp, with the upper hand clasping the wrist, but the grin on her face was wider and looks more congruent. She beams happily down at the crowds as she waves, while her two sons and her mother seem to be laughing and joking together.”
What can the images tell us about how the Queen felt about her daughter’s in law?
Judi said: “Her relationships with her two new daughter’s-in-law looks intriguing here, too.
“Diana and the Queen are showing some very powerfully mirrored body language in a lot of their poses, suggested like-minded thinking at this point, plus perhaps a desire from Diana to mimic her mother-in-law out of love and respect.
“With Fergie there is no mirroring and she appears to be doing her own poses at the end of the line-up.
“The subliminal signs of rapport that seem to exist between Diana and the Queen appear to be missing between the Queen and Sarah.”
There have been rumours Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson will reunite.
Judi James, who analysed images of the pair together at Ascot 2019, told Express.co.uk: “From the yellow rose in his lapel matching the colour of her dress to the rather relaxed body language displays together that still look heavily suppressed as though avoiding any obvious give-always, Prince Andrew and Sarah look far more like ‘currents’ than ‘exes’ here.”
Sarah Ferguson wore a bright yellow gown at the races today with her former husband.
Royal weddings: Meghan, Kate, Eugenie and Diana
Meghan Markle
Who: His Royal Highness Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex)
Where: St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle
When: 19 May 2018, Berkshire
Dress: Meghan wore a dress designed by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy. The white dress was made of silk and had a boat neckline. The veil was an incredible 16 feet long.
Tiara: The Duchess of Sussex chose the Queen Mary diamond bandeau tiara, made in 1932, with a flower brooch in the middle from 1893.
Cake: The cake was a made by Claire Ptak, based in London. It was lemon and elderflower cake, decorated with peonies and buttercream icing.
Notable guests: A-list guests included James Corden, tennis player Serena Williams, the Beckhams, Sir Elton John, George and Amal Clooney and Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford.
Princess Eugenie
Who: Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank
Where: St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, Berkshire
When: 12 October 2018
Dress: Eugenie’s dress was made by Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos and had a full skirt, long sleeves and was ivory in colour. The dress has a low back designed to show Eugenie’s scar from scoliosis surgery, a cause she has spoken out about in the past and since the wedding.
Tiara: She wore the stunning Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara, lent to her by the Queen. It has a huge emerald in the middle.
Cake: The cake had five tiers and was a red velvet and chocolate cake made by London-based cake designer Sophie Cabot.
Notable guests: Famous faces at the wedding included Robbie Williams, Naomi Campbell, Kate Miss, Jack Whitehall and Liv Tyler.
Kate Middleton
Who: Prince William and Kate Middleton
Where: Westminster Abbey, London
When: 29 April 2011
Dress: Kate wore a dress made by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. The satin gown featured long lace sleeves. It had a nine foot train and the lace featured roses, daffodils, thistles and shamrocks.
Tiara: Kate borrowed the Cartier Scroll Tiara, now known as the Halo tiara. It was bought by the Queen’s father, the future King George VI, for his wife Elizabeth.
Cake: William and Kate opted for a traditional fruit cake with eight tiers. It was decorated with sugar flowers. William also had an additional chocolate biscuit cake was made from a Royal Family recipe.
Notable guests: Guests included family and friends of the couple, as well as members of the military and people who work with charities the pair support.
Princess Diana
Who: Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer
Where: St Paul’s Cathedral, London
When: 29 July 1981
Dress: Diana’s gown was designed by the Elizabeth and David Emanuel and had an enormous 25-foot train. The dress was ivory and featured lace. In typical 80s style the rather large dress had huge sleeves. The dress was badly creased during the carriage ride to the ceremony, as it was so large.
Cake: Diana and Charles had a number of cakes including a five-foot-tall layered fruitcake. Another cake was made by Belgian pastry chef S. G. Sender and another by Chef Nicholas Lodge.
Notable guests: Guests includes foreign royals from Spain and Greece, as well as First Lady Nancy Reagan who represented the United States.