Kerry Parnell: Will and Kate the last of the grand royal weddings

It was a lavish ceremony the likes of which we’ll never see again. A decade after Prince William and Kate Middleton wed, the pomp is fast going out of the ceremony, writes Kerry Parnell.

It was the last of the grand royal weddings — and we’ll never see the likes of it again.

Ten years ago, on Friday April 29, 2011, Prince William and Kate Middleton walked down the aisle in Westminster Abbey, in a lavish — but considered modern at the time — event.

But nobody could have predicted just how pared-down things would become over the following decade. Four Royal Weddings and a Funeral later, the pomp is fast going out of the ceremony.

Back in 2011, William and Kate had a traditional royal wedding, but with the edges knocked off, compared to previous occasions. We had the crowds – one million on the streets, two billion TV viewers and a 1900-strong guest list, but instead of the glass coach of Lady Diana’s day, the bride arrived by Rolls- Royce and hadn’t been locked in Clarence House, but rather living with her long-term boyfriend. Catherine drove to the Abbey from the nearby Goring Hotel.

Prince William and Kate Middleton during their wedding at Westminster Abbey, on April 29, 2011. Picture: Dominic Lipinski/ AFP

Her four bridesmaids and two pageboys were joined by sister Pippa, in a slinky Alexander McQueen dress, which briefly, pun intended, made her the owner of the world’s most famous bottom.

Watching footage of the wedding today, you can’t help be struck by the crowds lining London’s streets, whooping and waving flags – a concept almost forgotten, thanks to the pandemic, as evidenced by last weekend’s funeral for Prince Philip.

Fast-forward seven years for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s equally joyous nuptials, smaller, although still a big affair by normal people’s standards — you know, those of us who don’t usually have the Queen, Oprah and George Clooney in our pews.

This time it was in St George’s Chapel, Windsor, with 600 guests, swapping the dignitaries for celebrities and the Bishop of London for showbiz preacher Michael Curry. The four pageboys and six bridesmaids were still there – without tights, which was totally fine with everyone. No, wait …

Five months later, Princess Eugenie repeated the ceremony in Windsor, again on a relatively “small” scale, although, like Harry and Meghan, she did invite her celebrity pals.

May 19, 2018 Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex begin their carriage procession after their wedding ceremony. Picture: AFP

But things were about to change rapidly and whatever plans Princess Beatrice had for her big day, in the end it was the most modest of all, with lockdown meaning she tied the knot last July in splendid isolation at the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Royal Lodge, Windsor. She wore one of the Queen’s reworked vintage Norman Hartnell gowns and for what it’s worth, I think hers was the loveliest wedding of all.

By the time we got to Philip’s funeral last weekend, there were no crowds at all and just 30 mourners in the chapel.

It will be a long time before any more royal weddings – the last of the grandchildren, Louise and James, are only 17 and 13, and the eldest of the great-grandchildren, Savannah and Isla, 10 and 9. As for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, it will be 20-25 years before we see them tie the knot.

By then, their parents’ “modern” wedding will look as outdated as Charles and Diana’s in 1981 and the guest list – and monarchy – significantly streamlined.

But the big question, of course, will be: Will the bridesmaids wear tights?

twitter.com/kerryparnell