8 Best Moments From Prince William & Kate Middleton’s Royal Wedding

It’s hard to believe that it’s been eight years since the world’s most eligible bachelor was taken off the market. On April 29, 2011, Prince William and Kate Middleton exchanged vows at Westminster Abbey in front of the entire world. Since then, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have fulfilled their royal duties and have even expanded their family. Not only are they raising the future King of England, Prince George, but they are also parents to Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. As their eighth wedding anniversary approaches, we took a look back at all of our favorite moments from the Royal Wedding.

Beatrice and Eugenie’s outfits

Social media went wild as soon as Prince William’s cousins, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice of York, walked into the ceremony. The two sisters looked oddly similar to the evil stepsisters from Cinderella, and many Internet trolls laughed at the comparisons between them. It seems like Beatrice and Eugenie’s style has since been toned down, as their ensembles at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding were much more subdued.  

Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Pippa’s introduction to the world

Kate’s younger sister and maid of honor, Pippa, stole the show thanks to her derrière. No, really. As she helped fix her sister’s train, all eyes were glued on her. Her dress perfectly accentuated her best features, and the Internet obviously took notice. Following the wedding, many were buzzing about Pippa’s big moment, and the hype never really went away. Many were fascinated by her private life and have kept up with Pippa, from her own wedding back in 2017 to the birth of her first child last year. 

Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Kate’s big reveal

After months of buildup to the big day, everyone was dying to know what and who Kate would be wearing. Royal protocol calls for the shoulders and arms to be covered, especially in a church. Kate turned to Sarah Burton, the creative director at Alexander McQueen, to help design her dream wedding dress. The gown was a modern twist on Grace Kelly’s iconic wedding dress, but the style was still classic and was copied instantly. Knock-offs were being sold within hours.

Exchanging of rings

We already know that Prince William had proposed to Kate with his mother, Princess Diana’s, sapphire engagement ring. As for the wedding band, the design was quite simple, as the Royal family has used Welsh gold dating back almost a century. However, everyone held their breath as Will struggled to get the ring on Kate’s finger. Don’t fret, it did in fact fit. William, however, does not wear a wedding ring as he doesn’t like wearing jewelry.

The carriage ride

The newlyweds left Westminster Abbey hand-in-hand and were greeted by a horse-drawn carriage. Talk about a fairytale! The couple were whisked away back to Buckingham Palace, but paraded through the massive crowd of well-wishers outside the Abbey, along the route and outside the Palace.  

An unprecedented second balcony kiss

Prior to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Royal Family steered clear of PDA. However, thanks to Princess Diana and Prince Charles, the world gets a brief glimpse of some royal affection after a wedding. Since Lady Di and Charles’s 1981 nuptials, it has become a royal tradition for the newly married couple to kiss on the balcony for all to see. William and Kate certainly did not disappoint. In fact, they made the crowd go wild when they leaned for another smooch after the first one.

The unhappy bridesmaid

Following the ceremony, Will and Kate were joined by their families and the rest of the wedding party on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. One of the young bridesmaids and Prince William’s goddaughter, Grace van Cutsem, didn’t appreciate the loud crowd, especially after Will and Kate locked lips. Little Grace had a scowl on her face and promptly covered her ears. Thanks to her location on the balcony—which happened to be right in front of Will and Kate—she was in almost every photo of their kiss, looking unhappy as ever.

Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

The second dress

All of the wedding festivities after the ceremony and balcony kiss—or kisses—are kept private. From the 1,900 people who attended the ceremony, only 600 of them were invited to luncheon back at Buckingham Palace. The list was slimmed down further to 300 people for the dinner that was hosted by William’s father, Prince Charles. The reception called for a change of attire for both Kate and William. Kate slipped into another stunning Alexander McQueen gown. Meanwhile, Prince William had an outfit change of his own and swapped out his military uniform for a suit.

Photo by John Stillwell – WPA Pool/Getty Images

If you want to relive all of the memories, you can rewatch the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s entire wedding below: