A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.
On July 29, in 1981, Britain’s Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in a glittering ceremony at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
It was a lavish affair, a world celebration, a wonderful event. Coverage in newspapers around the world focused on the dress, the happy couple, all the traditions.
But as history knows, the fairy tale wedding lasted for about 15 years. The couple divorced in 1996.
The coverage of the courtship and engagement of Diana Spencer to the older Charles was extensive. After the wedding, Diana became a cherished figure in Britain and around the world. Her horrible death in a car crash in August 1997 shook the world.
Now Charles is King Charles III, married to Camilla. Their sons, William and Harry, have had their own dramatic weddings and lives and time marches on.
It is interesting to note that much of the coverage of the Charles-Diana wedding of 1981 focuses on what has gone on in the years since. Here is a collection of stories from the Deseret News archives:
“The rise of Princess Diana and her impact 25 years after her tragic death”
“Royal union coming to a common end”
“For those who saw wedding, news of split is especially hard”
“Diana magically grows into her crown”
‘‘We advise against eating it’: Someone just bought a slice of Princess Diana’s wedding cake’
“The not-so-complicated relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana”