3. Wedding Preparations

With less than six months to plan the wedding of the century, Kate works closely with designer Sarah Burton on a dress that must balance tradition with modernity. Meanwhile, William and Harry's brotherly bond deepens as they navigate the emotional preparations, sharing memories of their mother and discussing their hopes for the future. Palace staff work around the clock on guest lists, security arrangements, and diplomatic protocols while Kate undergoes intensive training in royal etiquette.

Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app which says UNINTERRUPTED LISTENING. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed! You also get 20+ other shows on the network ad-free!

Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed!

Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories’ with no commercials! Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Join today and help support the show!

We now have Merch!  FREE SHIPPING! Check out all the products like T-shirts, mugs, bags, jackets and more with logos and slogans from your favorite shows! Did we mention there’s free shipping? Get 10% off with code NewMerch10 Go to Caloroga.com

Get more info from Caloroga Shark Media and if you have any comments, suggestions, or just want to get in touch our email is [e-mail]

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Caalaruga shark media. With less than six months to plan
what would surely be the wedding of the decade, if
not the century, Catherine Middleton found herself at the center
of a whirlwind. The engagement announcement in November twenty ten

(00:24):
had triggered a frenzy of activity, both public and private.
Behind the palace walls, an army of planners, protocol experts
and security specialists mobilized to create an event worthy of
the future king. In the Middleton family home in Bucklebury,
a more personal transformation was underway, the preparation of a

(00:46):
commoner to become royal. This is Crown and Controversy, Episode
three wedding preparations for Kate. The magnitude of the task

(01:11):
ahead was staggering. This would be no ordinary society wedding,
but a state occasion watched by billions worldwide. Every detail
would be scrutinized, every choice analyzed for hidden meaning. The dress,
the guest list, the music, the flowers. All would require
careful consideration, balancing personal preferences with royal traditions and diplomatic necessities.

(01:36):
It's quite a daunting prospect, Kate admitted in a rare
moment of candor during an engagement in Wales. But William
and I are working through everything together. That teamwork represented
a significant departure from royal weddings past. When Charles and
Diana had married in nineteen eighty one, the bride had
found herself largely sidelined in the planning process. Her wish

(02:00):
is often overruled by palace courtiers and royal relatives. William
was determined that Kate's experience would be different, though tradition
would certainly play its part, he insisted that their weddings
should reflect their personalities and shared values. The couple's first

(02:21):
major decision concerned the venue. Westminster Abbey was selected, a
choice that balanced grandeur with relative intimacy Compared to the
vast expanse of Saint Paul's Cathedral, where William's parents had married,
The Gothic abbey, with its thousand year history, had witnessed
countless royal milestones, from coronations to funerals. It was where

(02:45):
the Queen and Prince Philip had exchanged vows in nineteen
forty seven, and where the funeral service for Diana, Princess
of Wales had been held in nineteen ninety seven. This
latter connection was not lost on Royal observers. By choosing
Westminster Abbey, William was insuring his mother's presence at his wedding.

(03:05):
In yet another symbolic way. The place that had witnessed
the nation's farewell to Diana would now be the setting
for her son's new beginning. With the venue secured, attention
turned to the date. April twenty ninth, two thousand eleven,
was announced, a Friday that the government quickly declared would

(03:25):
be a bank holiday, allowing the nation to celebrate without
work commitments. The spring timing promised favorable weather while avoiding
a clash with other major events in the royal calendar.
For Kate, the most crucial decision of all concerned her
wedding dress. The gown would be scrutinized by fashion critics

(03:46):
and historians alike, photographed from every angle, and likely influenced
bridle trends for years to come. The designer would need
to balance Kate's personal style with the formality required for
the occasion and the historical significance of the garment. After
considerable deliberation, Kate selected Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, a

(04:10):
British designer known for combining traditional craftsmanship with modern sensibility.
The choice was kept strictly confidential, with staff at Burton's
studio signing non disclosure agreements and the work being carried
out behind closed doors. Burton later described the collaboration as

(04:31):
the experience of a lifetime. Working with Kate. Over months
of secret fittings, the designer created a gown that would
honor royal tradition while reflecting the bride's contemporary elegance. Each
fitting was treated as a security operation, with decoy vehicles,
back door entrances, and a small circle of trusted confidants.

(04:55):
Catherine has such a strong sense of who she is
and what she wants, Burton would later say she was
very clear about the silhouette, the degree of formality, the
nod to Grace Kelly's wedding dress. Our job was to
translate her vision into reality while ensuring it met the
demands of such a historic occasion. The security operations surrounding

(05:18):
the wedding would be the largest London had seen in years,
with heads of state, foreign royalty and celebrities set to attend,
and with the event taking place amid heightened terrorism concerns,
the Metropolitan Police faced a monumental challenge. Manhole covers along
the procession route were welded shut, snipers positioned on rooftops,

(05:41):
and undercover officers deployed among the crowds. The estimated cost
of security alone ran into the tens of millions of pounds. Meanwhile,
William and Harry's relationship took on new dimensions as the
wedding approached. Harry appointed best man, in a break with
royal tradition, which typically called for supporters rather than a

(06:04):
best man, embraced his role with characteristic enthusiasm. Beyond organizing
the stag party, reportedly a low key private affair, despite
public expectations of wild celebrations, Harry provided crucial emotional support
to his brother. Harry understands William in ways no one

(06:24):
else can observed. One longtime royal aid They've weathered the
same storms, felt the same losses. In those final weeks
before the wedding, that bond became more important than ever.
Behind the scenes, Kate was undergoing an intensive education in
royal protocol. She was assigned a team of advisers to

(06:45):
guide her through the labyrinth of palace procedures and traditions.
She learned the correct way to curtsey to the Queen,
the order of precedence at royal gatherings, the rules governing
public appearances. Catherine is a quick study. One palace insider reported,
She's approaching this with the same diligence she brought to

(07:07):
her university studies. What few outside the royal circle realized
was the emotional toll these preparations were taking for Kate.
The transition from private citizen to public figure involved not
just learning new skills, but fundamentally reimagining her identity the

(07:28):
life she had known. The relative anonymity, the freedom to
make mistakes away from public scrutiny, the ability to speak
without every word being analyzed, was slipping away with each
passing day. William, acutely aware of this challenge, arranged for
Kate to have private meetings with the most trusted members

(07:48):
of his mother's former staff. These individuals, who had witnessed
Diana's struggles with royal life firsthand, could offer invaluable guidance.
Their message was insistent, maintain your sense of self, developed
genuine friendships within the royal household, and never forget that
behind the titles and traditions are real people with normal

(08:11):
human emotions. As winter gave way to spring, wedding preparations intensified.
In the Middleton family business party pieces. Carol and Michael
continued their work while fielding endless inquiries about their daughter's

(08:33):
upcoming nuptials. Kate's siblings, Pippa and James, found themselves thrust
into the spotlight simply by virtue of their relationship to
the bride. For Pippa Middleton, a party planner and writer,
the attention was particularly intense. Just twenty seven years old
and possessed of the same striking beauty as her older sister,

(08:55):
she was the subject of fevered speculation. Would she be
Kate's made of honor? What role would she play in
the wedding? Was she romantically involved with Prince Harry. The paparazzi,
having found a new object of fascination, followed her movements
with almost the same dedication they showed Kate. The palace

(09:17):
eventually confirmed that Pippo would indeed serve as maid of honor,
another break with royal tradition, which typically featured married matrons
of honor rather than single women. Her dress like Kate's
would be designed by Sarah Burton, creating a stylistic unity
between the sisters. As April approached, the final details fell

(09:40):
into place. The guest list, numbering approximately one thousand, nine
hundred people, represented a diplomatic balancing act of historic proportions.
Alongside family and close friends, were representatives from nearly every
country with which Britain maintained relations, members of European royal houses,
religious leaders, politicians, celebrities, and individuals from the many charities

(10:06):
William and Kate supported. Notably absent were Sarah Ferguson, the
ex wife of Prince Andrew, who had been involved in
a scandal attempting to sell access to her former husband,
and various dictators and controversial leaders whose presence might have
sparked protests. Some eyebrows were raised at the exclusion of

(10:27):
former Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, while their
conservative predecessors were invited, a decision attributed to protocol rather
than politics, as neither Blair nor Brown had received royal honors.
In a touching gesture that highlighted the couple's desire to
include ordinary people in their extraordinary day, William and Kate

(10:49):
invited the landlady of their local pub in Anglesey, the
butcher who supplied their meat, and several residents from their village.
These individuals would sit in the same abbey as presidents
and princesses, a reminder of the couple's connection to the
community where they had made their first home. Music selections
balanced traditional royal wedding fair with more personal choices. The

(11:14):
processional would include works by Elgar Britton and Vaughan Williams,
while the recessional would feature Walton's Crown Imperial March. The
congregational hymns included Jerusalem and Guide me O Thou Great Redeemer,
the latter having been sung at Diana's funeral, another subtle
tribute to William's mother. For the wedding reception, to be

(11:37):
held at Buckingham Palace, the couple worked closely with the
Royal chefs to create a menu that showcased British produce.
The multi course meal would be followed by dancing, with
singer Ellie Goulding reportedly booked to perform her cover of
Elton John's Your Song for the couple's first dance. The
wedding cake, an eight tier traditional fruitcake was being created

(12:01):
by baker Fiona Cairns under conditions of extraordinary secrecy. Each
tier would be decorated with sugar flowers representing the national
emblems of the United Kingdom, roses, thistles, daffodils and shamrocks,
along with acorns and oak leaves reflecting elements of the
Middleton family coat of arms. The cake is really Catherine's concept,

(12:26):
Cairns explained during a rare interview. She conveyed what she
wanted very clearly, and we've worked to fulfill her vision
while maintaining the standards expected of a royal wedding cake.
In addition to the official cake, William requested a childhood favorite,
a chocolate biscuit cake based on a recipe beloved by

(12:46):
his grandmother, the Queen. This second cake revealed the personal
touches the couple were incorporating. Amid the grand traditions, William
and Harry maintained their military careers almost in till the
wedding day itself. William continued his duties as a search
and rescue helicopter pilot at are F Falley in Anglesey,

(13:08):
while Harry fulfilled his responsibilities with the Army Air Corps.
This commitment to their professional roles even amid such momentous
personal circumstances, reflected their shared dedication to service, a value
instilled by both their parents and grandparents. For William, these
final weeks before the wedding carried particular emotional resonance. As

(13:33):
the first of Diana's sons to marry, he felt her
absence acutely during the preparations. Small tributes to her memory
were woven throughout the wedding plans, from the ring on
Kate's finger to the hymns selected for the ceremony, from
the involvement of Diana's family, to William's determination that Kate
should have a different experience from his mother's royal initiation.

(14:13):
As April twenty ninth approached, London transformed into a festival
of patriotism and royal celebration. Union jack flags hung from buildings,
shop windows featured wedding themed displays, and commemorative merchandise flooded
the market. Hotels reported record bookings as tourists from around

(14:33):
the world converged on the capitol to witness the historic occasion.
Behind the scenes, the final wedding rehearsals took place at
Westminster Abbey, William and Kate, accompanied by Prince Harry, Pippa Middleton,
and the young bridesmaids and page boys, walked through the
ceremony on April twenty seventh. The children, including Lady Louise Windsor,

(14:57):
William's cousin, and Eliza Lopes, Camilla granddaughter, were given special
attention to ensure they understood their roles and felt comfortable
with the proceedings. The night before the wedding, William stayed
at Clarence House with Prince Charles and Harry, while Kate

(15:18):
checked into the Goring Hotel with her family. This traditional
separation before the ceremony reflected the couple's respect for custom,
even as they modernized other aspects of their wedding. At
the Goring, a five star establishment in Belgravia, the entire
hotel had been booked for the Middleton party. Kate would

(15:38):
spend her last night as a commoner in the royal suite,
surrounded by her parents and siblings. The Middleton's arrival at
the hotel attracted hundreds of well wishers and photographers, offering
a preview of the attention that would follow them henceforth
across London at Clarence House, William reportedly admitted to nerves

(16:00):
as the wedding eve arrived. I didn't sleep very well,
he later confessed, citing both excitement and the noise from
crowds already gathering along the mall. Harry, fulfilling his best
man duties, ensured that all preparations were in order, from
the precisely pressed uniforms they would wear to the ring
that would transform Cape Middleton into the Duchess of Cambridge.

(16:25):
Royal wedding fans began camping along the procession route days
in advance, Determined to secure prime viewing positions. They came
equipped with tense sleeping bags and union jack paraphernalia, creating
a festival atmosphere that reflected the national mood. By the
evening before the wedding, the mall resembled an enormous patriotic

(16:46):
camp site, with hundreds of people prepared to spend the
night outdoors to witness history. Inside Buckingham Palace, final preparations
for the reception continued late into the night. The palace
ballroom was transformed, tables were laid with silver from the
Royal collection, and chefs worked on elements of the wedding

(17:08):
feast that could be prepared in advance. The wedding cake,
assembled on sight due to its enormous size, stood ready
in the picture gallery, its intricate decorations representing weeks of
painstaking work. The Queen, displaying her characteristic attention to detail,
personally inspected the arrangements before retiring for the evening. Now

(17:32):
eighty four years old, Elizabeth Second had witnessed many royal
weddings during her long reign, but the marriage of her
grandson to Catherine Middleton held special significance, the union of
direct heir to the throne after the turbulence of the
previous generation's marital difficulties. As darkness fell on April twenty eighth,

(17:54):
the anticipation across London was palpable. Television crews from around
the world brought broadcast live from positions along the procession route,
their temporary studios illuminated against the night sky. Security personnel
conducted final sweeps of the area and barriers were checked
and secured for the expected crowds. At Westminster Abbey, the

(18:17):
final touches were being added to the floral displays. Shane Connolly,
the floral designer, chosen by William and Kate had created
an avenue of live trees down the nave, six English
Field maples and two hornbeams, each standing up to twenty
feet tall. The trees, which would later be replanted at

(18:38):
Prince Charles's High Grove estate, transformed the Gothic interior into
a spring woodland, reflecting Kate's desire to bring elements of
the natural world into the ancient abbey. Meanwhile, in hundreds
of thousands of homes across Britain and millions around the world,
preparations of a different kind were underway. Royal way viewing

(19:00):
parties were planned, special breakfasts organized, and alarm set for
early waking, particularly in countries like Australia and New Zealand
where the time difference meant middle of the night viewing.
The global audience was expected to exceed two billion people,
making this the most watched royal event in history. As

(19:23):
the final hours before the wedding ticked away, William and
Kate exchanged private phone calls a last conversation before they
would next see each other at the altar. What passed
between them remains known only to the couple themselves, but
friends reported that both appeared calm and focused when they
ended their preparations for the night. For Kate, the journey

(19:46):
from university girlfriend to royal fiance had been long and
sometimes challenging. The media scrutiny, the weighty Katie nickname, the
adjustments required to enter royal life all had tested her
resil alliance and determination. Now, on the eve of her wedding,
she stood at the threshold of a new life, one

(20:08):
that would transform her from commoner to duchess, from private
citizen to public figure, from Cape Middleton to a central
member of the world's most famous royal family. For William,
the wedding represented both continuity and new beginning. As direct
heir to the throne after his father, his marriage carried

(20:29):
constitutional significance, yet beyond the public aspects, it marked a
personal milestone, the beginning of the family life he had
longed for, with a partner he had carefully chosen and
who understood both the privileges and constraints of his position.
As April twenty eighth became April twenty ninth, the day

(20:50):
that had been years in the preparation finally dawned. In
just a few hours, Catherine Middleton would walk into Westminster
Abbey as a commoner and emerges her Royal Highness, the
Duchess of Cambridge, wife of the man who would one
day be king. The wedding preparations were complete. Now it

(21:11):
was time for the ceremony itself. Next time on Crown
and Controversy, Kate faces the daunting challenge of royal protocols.

(21:35):
The Queen arranges private lessons for the future Princess Palis
aides create a crash course in royal etiquette. Kate learns
the complex rules of precedence and royal hierarchy. William worries
about the pressure on his fiancee and behind closed doors,
the Queen offers unprecedented personal guidance to prepare Kate for

(21:55):
life within the firm. While no one truly knows what
happens behind closed palace doors. This entertainment series uses news
sources on the record, quotes, and some artistic license. Some
moments have been dramatized for storytelling effect. A I narration

(22:16):
was used in creation of this series. To keep up
with the modern day royal family, follow our sister podcast,
Palace Intrigue, a seven day a week, ten minute update
on the royals Crown and Controversy is a production of
Calaroga Shark Media. Executive producers Mark Francis and John McDermott