The surprisingly ruthless approach Princess Diana took to her wedding guest list
The wedding of the Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer was one of the most watched events in royal history, attracting an audience of 750 million people around the globe.
Therefore, it’s safe to say that if you received an invitation to the wedding at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, you were of great importance to the Crown or to the couple.
The royal guest list included 2,000 people, but Lady Diana’s family were only allowed to invite a small percentage of attendees.
According to a late royal biographer, Lady Diana was ruthless in deciding who made the cut.
Journalist and historian Kenneth Rose observed major events of the 20th Century closely and recorded them in his journals. Who Loses, Who Wins: The Journals of Kenneth Rose: Volume Two 1979 – 2014 has now been released after Roses’ death in 2014.
In an entry dated August 8, 1981, Rose wrote about the royal wedding, according to People.
"The Spencers were given 50 seats for St Paul's.
"When Johnnie [Princess Diana's father] showed Diana his draft list, she crossed out all the family who had not bothered to come to the weddings of her sisters!
"One day she will be very formidable."
However, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses in Roses’ journals as by the summer of her wedding year, Diana’s boredom became clear to visitors of Balmoral.
“The Prince [Charles] goes out at nine to shoot or fish, and she does not see him again until seven,” wrote Rose. [Duke Hussey who was married to the Queen’s lady-in-waiting] “wonders if he will make a sufficiently good king: he thinks not. The prince is too immature, and the contrast with the firm style of the Queen will be most marked.”