• Princess Diana was married to Prince Charles
  • They had a royal wedding 
  • Learn more about the story behind Diana's wedding shoes

Princess Diana (†36) and Prince Charles exchanged vows at St. Paul's Cathedral on July 29, 1981. The marriage ultimately failed, but at least for the wedding day, Diana and Charles looked happy. And the wedding was a true sensation that had royal fans looking ahead months in advance.

Princess Diana's wedding shoes carried a very special message

Diana appeared in a dreamy white dress on her wedding day. But while all eyes were fixed on the dress, Lady Diana carried a subtle message with her choice of footwear.

The shoes were designed with an incredible amount of forethought, it was later learned. The Princess of Wales thought it important to craft meaningful details into the shoes.

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That's how pretty Lady Diana's wedding shoes were 

Lady Diana did not want to be taller than Prince Charles

Lady Diana had very particular ideas about her shoes, as designer Clive Shilton told the Daily Mail. He described Diana as a shy, sweet girl, and said: "Her main concern was that she wouldn't appear taller than Prince Charles, and because she was very tall - 5ft 10in - the shoes would have to have a low heel."

In fact, Diana's were unusually low for wedding shoes. It was a token of love from her to Charles, as she wanted her future husband to be no smaller than herself.

Aside from the height of the heels, Diana had other wishes. The letters "C" and "D" and a heart can be seen on the arch of the shoe's sole. The making of the wedding shoes is even said to have taken a full six months.

Little did Lady Diana know at the time that Charles was cheating on her with Camilla Parker-Bowles. She didn't find out until the day before the wedding. She had found a gold bracelet with the initials G and F, standing for Gladys and Fred, the secret nicknames of Camilla and Charles.

This is how Lady Diana perceived the wedding to Charles

As Andrew Morton admitted in the documentary The Story of Diana, Camilla turned out to be a disruptive force during the wedding. Diana is even said to have looked for her soon-to-be husband's lover while walking down the aisle.

Biographer Andrew Morton explained: When I interviewed Diana for her biography, she told me about the moment she stood at the entrance of St. Paul's Cathedral. She said she had hope brimming in her heart and as she walked down the aisle she looked at Camilla Parker Bowles - who she knew was Prince Charles' mistress."

Charles and Diana ended up divorcing in 1996 and the Princess of Wales died tragically in a car crash the following year. Today, King Charles remains married to Camilla.

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Quiz

What was Diana's job before she married Prince Charles?