Inside William and Kate's Royal Wedding
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ABC royal correspondent India Hicks was 13 when she was a bridesmaid at Prince Charles and Diana's wedding. In 1981, she was up on the balcony with the royal party, but today she watched from the other side of the royal gates, sitting outside Buckingham Palace with the legions of onlookers. "It was the perfect modern, classic wedding," she says. "It had all the classic trimmings that we want from a British royal wedding, and yet there were some modern touches to it."
When Princess Diana got married, she was only 19 years old, India says. At 29, Kate is the oldest royal bride in history, and India says she is probably better prepared to take on the role of princess than her late mother-in-law was. "If there's anything that can be drawn from the terrible, terrible past history that we've seen, it is that William is protecting and preparing Kate," she says. "However, one says that, and the tiny little glimpse that I've had into that world???nothing, but nothing, can prepare you for that. Nothing can prepare Kate for what she has to face. The press is relentless."
Despite being Prince Charles' goddaughter, India was not invited to the wedding, but says she didn't expect to be. "My mother is there in the palace right now. I'm going to meet her afterwards for tea," she says. "I'm very close to Charles. I know Kate and William, but I'm certainly not a personal friend, and also, the space was such that it's very, very limited there."
When Princess Diana got married, she was only 19 years old, India says. At 29, Kate is the oldest royal bride in history, and India says she is probably better prepared to take on the role of princess than her late mother-in-law was. "If there's anything that can be drawn from the terrible, terrible past history that we've seen, it is that William is protecting and preparing Kate," she says. "However, one says that, and the tiny little glimpse that I've had into that world???nothing, but nothing, can prepare you for that. Nothing can prepare Kate for what she has to face. The press is relentless."
Despite being Prince Charles' goddaughter, India was not invited to the wedding, but says she didn't expect to be. "My mother is there in the palace right now. I'm going to meet her afterwards for tea," she says. "I'm very close to Charles. I know Kate and William, but I'm certainly not a personal friend, and also, the space was such that it's very, very limited there."
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