Yet that’s exactly what Kate Middletondid 10 years ago today, on April 29, 2011. It took her almost four minutes to reach her fiancée Prince William at the altar, dragging that magnificent nine-foot train behind her. As Kate advanced down the aisle on the arm of her father, Michael Middleton, best man Prince Harryturned to his brother and according to lip-readers told him, “She is here now.” On reaching William at the altar, Michael handed his daughter off to her husband-to-be, who told her, “You look beautiful.” If you’re wondering why William didn’t turn to watch Kate as she came down the aisle, that’s because British wedding etiquette dictates that the groom and his best man face the altar as the bride approaches, with the groom being the last person in the church to see the bride. The music that accompanied Kate down the aisle paid special tribute to William’s mother Princess Diana—‘Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer’ was the final hymn sung at the Princess of Wales’ funeral in 1997. Poignantly, Westminster Abbey is where Diana’s funeral ceremony was held 14 years before the wedding of her oldest son. Next up, On the Eve of Her 10-Year Wedding Anniversary, Duchess Kate Wore a Fair Isle Sweater and Took a Lamb for a Walk
