20 Little Known Facts About Kate & William’s Wedding Day

We freely admit it: We'd been mildly interested in Prince William over the years, mainly because he was the son of Princess Diana, and a cutie to boot. But when we heard that he was engaged, our interest turned into a full-on obsession — not necessarily about him, but about the fact that there was going to be another fairy tale royal wedding with a pretty bride. We had to know all the details.

After months of obsessing about what tiara Kate would wear, who would be invited, who would make the wedding dress, which military uniform Will would don, what the church would look like, and every other aspect of the wedding, the day arrived. It did not disappoint — and it launched another obsession: To examine the thousands of pictures and videos of the day, and become experts on every detail.

We thought we knew them all. 

… but we were wrong.

When we got over the shame of our incomplete education as royal watchers, we thought how that's not really all that surprising. After all, it was a $34 million spectacle with a ton of moving parts, characters, and locations — a wedding attended by 2,000 people, watched by 2 billion more. There were bound to be things we missed. Even if someone is not a fan of monarchy or the royal family, it was fascinating to watch something like this go down, basically without a hitch. And even more interesting to investigate all the thought that went into it: The subtle symbolism of everything from the flowers on display to a very special pair of earrings.

There are surprising facts about the wedding list, the raucous pre-wedding parties, and the guests. There are instances of royal protocol being smashed to the ground, and several sartorial secrets tucked deep within the bridal party's outfits. In short, a lot of new details have emerged since the 2011 nuptials. Want in on them? Read on and relive the royal wedding of the century with a fresh perspective with these little known facts.

The Queen Told William to Rip Up the Guest List

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Paul Gilham/Getty Images

When William received a list of 777 people that palace officials said needed to be invited to the wedding — none of whom he and Kate knew — he went to the Queen to ask about it. "I said, 'Listen, I've got this list, not one person I know — what do I do?'" William remembered in an ITV documentary about the 2012 Queen's Jubilee. "And she went, 'Get rid of it. Start from your friends and then we'll add those we need to in due course. It's your day,'" he said. 

Gotta love a doting granny!

William Had Serious Pre-Wedding Jitters

On the eve of the wedding, William did an unplanned walkabout, greeting fans who were camping out along the route to Buckingham Palace. He told well-wishers that all he had to do was remember his lines, but he later said that he got just 30 minutes of sleep that night. A few days earlier, he'd also headed out of town to play soccer with friends, and shake the nerves. 

Good thing he didn't get cold feet!

Harry May Have Partied Too Hard -- Even for Him

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Pawel Libera/LightRocket via Getty Images

Harry had a long bad boy phase, and he was still in the middle of it when William and Kate got married. According to reports, he got a little wild at the wedding eve parties, jumping out of a window and twisting his ankle, and may have had a bit of a limp at the wedding. We admit, we totally don't know if that really happened, but it sounds like Harry, and we love it.

This Was Kate's 'Something Blue'

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Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images

Kate Middleton checked all the boxes related to the old wedding day good luck nugget that suggests brides wear "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue." We all know that her something old was her engagement ring, which used to belong to Princess Diana. Her something new were both her brand-spanking new, custom-made, $434,000 Alexander McQueen dress, and a pair of diamond earrings that her parents gifted her. For something borrowed, she had the Cartier tiara, on loan from the Queen. And her something blue? A ribbon sewed right into the inside of her dress.

William & Harry's Uniforms Had Their Own Secrets

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Andrew Milligan - WPA Pool/Getty Images

How's this for an obscure royal wedding fact: Those dashing military uniforms that William and Harry wore for the wedding were slightly altered to suit the day. William had his tailor added sweat pads and special material to wick sweat away so he wouldn't faint under the hot lights of Westminster Cathedral. Meanwhile, best man Harry had a tiny pocket added to one of his cuffs, where he stored the wedding ring. 

Good thinking, boys!

Guests Arrived at (Almost) the Crack of Dawn

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Danny Martindale/FilmMagic/Getty Images

The guests at Kate and William's wedding — all 2,000 of them — were told to arrive early to the Westminster Abbey … like, really early. Guests started lining up outside the historic church at 8:15 a.m. for the 11 a.m. ceremony. That means that a lot of people were up at at pre-dawn to get ready. Fashion maven Victoria Beckham, one of the most high-profile guests, may look effortlessly put together, but trust — she gulped coffee and left nothing to chance.

Kate Went Against a Royal Request to Wear Her Hair Up

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Carl De Souza/AFP via Getty Images

OK, this is kind of nuts. Not sure why the royal family would be against Kate wearing her famous glossy chestnut locks down (guess they wanted a more formal look?), but they did, and they asked her to wear an updo to her wedding. Kate's response? "Nah, son." Probably not in those exact words. But ultimately wore a half-up-half-down style, so maybe that was a compromise.

Westminster Abbey Smelled Like Orange Blossoms

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Dave Thompson/AFP via Getty Images

When Meghan and Harry were planning their wedding, a rumor went around that she'd requested St. George's Chapel to be scented, and was shot down because it was considered a huge insult to the historic building and the Queen. The rumor was never confirmed, but the use of candles in an old church is not even scandal-worthy: Kate had Jo Malone Orange Blossom candles burning inside Westminster Abbey. It must have been glorious.

Kate's Theme for the Day: The Language of Flowers

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Richard Pohle-WPA Pool/Getty Images

When the big day arrived, Westminster Abbey was lined with two types of ancient English trees that echoed the church's arches, and a massive array of different types of flowers that have symbolic meaning. Everything in the display was handpicked by Kate, who has an art history degree and is familiar with the way flowers were used in olden times to symbolize qualities like humility, or send messages between lovers. She also insisted on being as eco-friendly as possible: All the flowers were seasonal and, as much as possible, potted rather than cut. The trees — English field maple and hornbeam — were replanted after the ceremony.

Kate's Bouquet's Flowers Had Special Meaning

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Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Kate picked out seven types of flowers for her bridal bouquet, including myrtle, which has been traditional for royal brides since Queen Victoria first used it — and which is a symbol for marriage. Here are the names and meanings of the rest of the flowers: Lily-of-the-valley signifies a return of happiness; sweet William symbolizes gallantry (and duh, the hubby connection); hyacinth means constancy of love; ivy stands for everything we want in a marriage: fidelity, wedded love, friendship, and affection.

The Bridesmaids' Flower Crowns Were a Tribute To Kate's Mom

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Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images

Kate is extremely close to her family, and so it's no surprise — but, oh so sweet — that when it came to figuring out what type of headwear the young girls in her bridal party would wear, she turned to her own parents' wedding for inspiration. The wreaths were modeled after the one worn by mom Carole Middleton for her own wedding in 1981. Such a lovely way for Kate to honor her parents' lasting union.

Kate & Pippa's Dress Had Similar Details

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Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images

Kate didn't just honor her parents in her wedding. She also found a way to honor the deep connection she has with her sister and maid of honor, Pippa. Pippa's dress — which made her shapely tush globally famous — was also made by Alexander McQueen and included details shared by Kate's dress: lace trim, and buttons covered with gazar and organza and fastened by Rouleau loops.

Some People *Actually* RSVP'd 'No'

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Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Are we really telling y'all that while the closest any of us could get to the royal wedding was a TV, that there were some people who turned down an invitation to witness it firsthand at Westminster Abbey? Yup. It's true. The list includes the kings of Spain, Belgium, Jordan, and Sweden, and the Queen of the Netherlands. Granted, they all had pretty good excuses — like protests in their country, surgery, and long-planned special events. But one couple, the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk, did not go because they'd just announced their separation

Seriously, guys? Wild horses couldn't have kept us away.

William Didn't Put on a Wedding Ring

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Dave Thompson - WPA Pool/Getty Images

William may have slipped a golden wedding band on Kate's finger after exchanging vows, but he left Westminster Abbey barehanded. While the reason he doesn't wear a ring has been stated as a "personal preference," it's actually long been a tradition for upper class British men to forgo wearing any type of jewelry, wedding band included. It's considered gaudy. Insert eyeroll. Among the royal men who don't wear a band is Prince Phillip, the queen's husband. Prince Charles does wear a wedding band — and he did when he was married to Diana as well — but it's tiny and tucked behind the signet ring he wears on his pinky, which is kinda hilarious. Prince Harry made the choice to wear plainly noticeable one, right smack on his ring finger. He doesn't have a problem with jewelry.

Kate's Tiara Was Sewn Into Her Hair

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Fiona Hanson - WPA Pool/Getty Images

If we had borrowed a tiara from our MIL — the one her mom gave her as a special gift — we wouldn't want to be the borrower who dropped the diamond-encrusted thing on the ground to shatter into a million pieces. So to keep the Cartier Halo tiara safe from harm, and prevent an embarrassing hair disaster, Kate's hairdresser, James Pryce, sewed it onto her hair. Yup. Ya read that right: "We backcombed the top to create a foundation for the tiara to sit around, then did a tiny plait in the middle and sewed it on," he said. And get this: He practiced for the big day by using a $10 tiara from Claire's on an assistant. 

Royal hairdressers — they're just like us!

... and It Symbolized Her Transformation From Commoner to Royal

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Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images

Kate chose to wear the Cartier Halo tiara for her wedding, on loan from the Queen. Considering the incredible — and much bigger — tiaras that are in the royal collection and in the queen's personal collection, it was a simple though still stunning choice, but the scrollwork tiara was probably more meaningful than any other. It was made for the Queen Mother in 1936 (she later gave it to her daughter on her 18th birthday). Like Kate, the "Queen Mum" was born a commoner, became a duchess, and then became a queen.

Kate & William Rode a Historic Carriage

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Andrew Milligan - WPA Pool/Getty Images

The distinctive black and red carriage that Kate and William rode from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace is a 1902 Landau built for King Edward VII. It was also used in the weddings of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. When not carrying royal newlyweds, it's usually used by The Queen to meet foreign heads of state when they arrive on official visits to Britain.

A Million People Celebrated in the Streets

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Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images

We've all heard the statistic of how many people around the world watched the wedding on TV: About 2 billion. As staggering a number as that is, ponder this one: An estimated one million celebrated in the streets of London. That includes 500,000 who lined the route between Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace, but also friends, neighbors, and strangers who gathered around TVs or giant screens on city squares, neighborhood streets, and public parks. The total number of people arrested: just 53.

Wow, just wow.

The Air Force Honored William With a Special Flyby

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Antony Jones/Julian Parker/Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images

The Royal Air Force had performed a flyby as William and Kate waved to crowds from Buckingham Palace's balcony. But then the couple got into Prince Charles' vintage Aston Martin car and drove past well-wishers on the street — and got a very special surprise: a Royal Air Force helicopter shadowed them the whole way, displaying a special flag to honor William's service as a search and rescue pilot for the military branch.

Princess Diana's Sister Wore Diana's Wedding Earrings

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Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

This picture is a rarity. It shows one of Princess Diana's sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquedale, headed to the evening reception. We can just make out the distinctive shape of the drop pearl and diamond earrings that Diana wore to her 1981 wedding to Prince Charles. They had been in a museum exhibition in Kansas City, and were flown in so Sarah could make what is surely the most subtle and least known tribute to Diana at William and Kate's wedding. Diana's family has remained close to William and Harry since her death, and this is just so touching.