Royal events are typically characterized by meticulous planning and execution. However, there have been numerous instances where mistakes occurred, some of which nearly went unnoticed.
In commemoration of Prince William and Kate’s 13th wedding anniversary on Monday, let’s revisit a particular moment that almost went awry during the late Queen’s arrival.
As Queen Elizabeth II arrived, there was a brief moment where she appeared to instruct her guardsman not to open her side of the car door.
This split-second incident occurred when the car pulled up on the wrong side of the pavement at Westminster Abbey, requiring the Queen to move to the other side where Prince Philip was seated.
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Etiquette expert Alexandra Messervy noticed the faux pas immediately. “I spotted that the car conveying the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh pulled up in entirely the wrong way in Dean’s Yard at Westminster Abbey,” she told HELLO!’s A Right Royal podcast hosts Andrea Caamano and Emmy Griffiths in an upcoming episode.
“The Queen got out on the wrong side and there was a bit of a fluster. I think the [guard] who opened the door appeared flustered when the Queen was actually not where she would normally be. The correct protocol for her was to be on the curbside, and she was on the reverse side.
“But looking back at it now since she never put her foot wrong – was it actually wrong? Did she perhaps have a sore leg that day and she couldn’t let herself out on the left, was it easier to come on the right, I don’t know.”
“You always let the Queen out on the curbside,” Alexandra said between sips of tea in the living room of her cosy cottage in Somerset, a rural county in southwest England. “Thankfully, the Queen ignored the guard who opened her car door and instead scooted across to follow Prince Phillip out his curbside door.”
She added: “I think it was a faux pas and, of course, actually in any form of protocol, it is correct for the female to get out on the curbside. It’s all because of the days of carriages and horses, the gentlemen enjoyed the outside of the pavement while the women were on the other to avoid the mud.”
The wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales took place at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011, and was viewed by over 162 million people worldwide.
While the late Queen’s arrival may have drawn attention, few may have realized that Princess Kate’s bridal appearance broke a 350-year-old tradition simply because she opted to wear her hair down.
According to the documentary “William & Kate: The Journey,” royal officials had suggested Kate wear her hair up, a suggestion she chose to disregard.
“Royal sources tell me that the royals indicated very strongly to Kate that they would prefer her to wear her hair up for this very special occasion,” said royal reporter Ashley Pearson.
