William and Kate needed some help on their big day back in 2011 – and father-of-the-groom King Charles stepped up to make some important selections as the world watched on
King Charles played an instrumental role in the 2011 royal wedding – and offered his expertise when it came to selecting some important music for William and the Princess Kate.
The father-of-the-groom threw himself into his role before the nuptials more than a decade ago, taking it upon himself to help out on the big day. The excited pair’s near 2,000 guests arrived to organ music by Johann Sebastian Bach before an incredible orchestral selection by Edward Elgar and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. His Highness leaned on his excellent knowledge of classical music before settling on his choices.
He explained to Alan Titchmarsh on Classic FM why he stepped in to support the couple with a key part of their wedding day, which was watched by 36.7 million in the UK alone. He said: ‘I love trying to organise some interesting, I hope, pieces of music for certain occasions, particularly for weddings if people want. I know my eldest son was quite understanding and was perfectly happy for me to suggest a few pieces for their wedding,” he told the gardening expert back in 2020.
Moments before William and Kate’s Westminster Abbey wedding vows were made, their guests arrived to organ music by Johann Sebastian Bach and orchestral pieces by Edward Elgar, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and more. Charles previously said his love of music was down to the Queen Mother. “My grandmother used to play quite a bit of music, so I would hear something there,” he recalled when talking about one of his passions. “But I suspect the first time I really became aware of it was being taken by my grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, to Covent Garden aged seven, I think.”
Former royal editor Duncan Larcombe, one of the 1,900 guests at the 2011 ceremony, spoke about the special day. He said: “I saw William arrive and I could feel his nerves. He was as pale as a ghost. Best man Harry whisked him off to a side room right next to me for about 10 minutes. It was the brothers at their very best – I don’t think William could have got through it without Harry. Harry had a huge smile on his face. In an affectionate way, he loved that his brother was petrified. We were all frisked and had our bags checked. Everywhere you turned, there was security. The first 100 people in line to the throne were in that one building, so security was vital.
“I had Chelsy Davy [Harry’s then girlfriend] sat near me, David Cameron, Tony Blair and the Sultan of Brunei. Nobody was interested in each other though. It was all about William and Kate. After Her Majesty took her seat, it went totally silent. We listened to the erupting cheers outside as Kate arrived. It still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up thinking about it.”
