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It was the royal wedding we remember best of all. 25 years ago tomorrow, Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in London's St. Paul's Cathedral. CBS News correspondent Randall Pinkston looks back to a perfect day which didn't turn out happily ever after.
It was the wedding of the century, watched by over half-a-million people in Britain, and the worldwide audience of a staggering 750 million. The young bride, peering out smilingly from her glass coach, would become the most famous woman in the world, and change the monarchy forever. But that was in the distant and tragic future. On this day in July, 1981, joy filled the land.
Victoria Mather: This was a moment in history, that, you know, that Prince Charles was going to be king and she was going to be his queen. She was so young, and so beautiful. And she had already sort of got a stranglehold on the hearts and minds of the people.
British journalist Victoria Mather was one of the wedding guests that fabled day.
What do you remember most about that day?
I remember most that it was just exactly like anybody else's wedding. That, the bride's mom wore a flowery hat. You know, and there was the naughty little bridesmaid; the bridegroom looked nervous; and the bride fluffed her lines. I mean it was just so like anybody else's wedding, it was just writ large.
Like the train of Diana's wedding gown, which seemed to go on forever. Elizabeth Emanuel, with her then-husband David, designed the dress. Right after the wedding, they received a phone call.
It was Diana, and we, we couldn't believe it, and she had phoned to thank us for making her wedding dress and saying she felt so beautiful in it. And she actually was taking the time to phone us all. That maybe (But Diana had been, I mean,that's so... you know best sense how sweet she was) so special, yes, she was just like that.
The relationship appeared promising, although in retrospect, there were early warning signs of trouble.
When they were married, she was 19, he was 30 (1 or 2?) 1, 32. what was your opinion of that age gap?
Dangerous, very dangerous, and particularly it was the interview at the time of the engagement, and he made that famous (quote)
I'm amazed that she's been brave enough to take me on.
And I suppose, in love.
Of course.
Whatever 'in love' means?
I thought it was a very strange thing to say, but I do not think that anyone of the participants went into this marriage dishonestly. I think he genuinely wanted to love her, to cherish her, to make the marriage a success.
Did that wedding also represent the end of innocence?
Yes, it was the beginning of the end. We didn't know the time, but yes, it was. Everything started unraveling. From the moment they walked down the aisle and appeared on the steps of St. Paul's Cathedral, that was the road towards the end.
The end, we know about, but the beautiful memories of that brief shining moment, remain. Randall Pinkston, CBS News, London.
Charles and Diana were divorced in 1996, one year before she died in the Paris car crash.
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staggering:extreamly surprising 惊人的
monarchy:a type of government in which a country is ruled by a king or queen 君主政体
stranglehold:a strong power over someone or something that prevents them from having any freedom to act 束缚
bridesmaid:a girl or young woman who helps a bride before and during her wedding 女槟相
writ large:literary clear to almost anyone 显而易见的
unravel:to understand something complicated by thinking about it for a long time 理解
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