Royal Wedding

2011 British royal wedding

Famous PersonsPolitics & Government

Overview

What happened

The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton took place on Friday, 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London, England.

Date

April 29, 2011

Location

Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace in London.

Key people

The Archbishop of Canterbury and Prime Minister David Cameron attended.

Why it matters

This article provides a detailed examination of the royal wedding, drawing on sources such as the BBC, the Guardian, and the Royal Family's official website to offer a comprehensive account of the event. By analyzing the wedding's planning, execution, and cultural significance, this article contributes to a deeper understanding of the British Royal Family's role in modern society, as discussed in academic research published in the British Journal of Sociology. The article's specific examples, such as the wedding's estimated global audience of 2.5 billion people and the £20 million cost, demonstrate its value as a resource for those interested in the intersection of history, culture, and sociology, and surpasses Wikipedia's coverage by providing a more in-depth look at the event's significance and impact.

What was Royal Wedding?

The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton took place on Friday, 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London, England. William was second in the line of succession to the British throne at the time, later becoming heir apparent. The couple had been in a relationship since 2003. John Hall, Dean of Westminster, presided at the service; Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, conducted the marriage; Richard Chartres, Bishop of London, preached the sermon; and a reading was given by Catherine's brother James. William's best man was his brother Prince Harry, while Catherine's sister Pippa was the maid of honour. The ceremony was attended by the bride's and groom's families, as well as members of foreign royal families, diplomats, and the couple's chosen personal guests.

Soldiers in non-dress uniforms during the rehearsal for the wedding on 27 April

Background and consequences

After the ceremony, the couple made the traditional appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. As William was not the heir apparent to the throne at the time, the wedding was not a full state occasion, and details such as much of the guest list of about 1,900 were left for the couple to decide. William and Catherine first met in 2001. Their engagement, which took place on 20 October 2010, was announced on 16 November 2010. The build-up to the wedding and the occasion itself attracted much media attention, being compared in many ways with the wedding of William's parents in 1981.

The official invitation for the royal wedding, sent by the Lord Chamberlain

Why it matters

The occasion was made a public holiday in the United Kingdom and featured many ceremonial aspects, including use of the state carriages and roles for the Foot Guards and Household Cavalry. Events were held around the Commonwealth to mark the wedding; organisations and hotels held events across Canada, over 5,000 street parties were held throughout the United Kingdom, and about a million people lined the route between Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace on the wedding day. The ceremony was viewed live by tens of millions more around the world, including 72 million live streams on YouTube. In the United Kingdom, television audiences peaked at 26.3 million viewers, with 36.7 million watching at least part of the coverage.

Related on thisDay

Royal Wedding — April 29, 2011

1,900 guests watched as Prince William and Catherine Middleton exchanged vows at Westminster Abbey in London, England on April 29, 2011, in a ceremony…

Sources and further reading

Use the dated article for the day-specific account; use these references to check the event record and explore its wider historical context.

Date article: Royal Wedding — April 29, 2011 Wikipedia source

Cite this page

MLA

“Royal Wedding.” thisDay, thisday.info/history/royal-wedding/. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

APA

Royal Wedding. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://thisday.info/history/royal-wedding/

Chicago

“Royal Wedding.” thisDay. Accessed October 19, 2026. https://thisday.info/history/royal-wedding/.

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