The black-and-white wedding portrait Prince William and Kate Middleton shared on 29 April 2024 was not newly taken: photographer Millie Pilkington made it on their wedding day, 29 April 2011. The couple posted it for their 13th anniversary with the caption “13 years ago today!”
What is the newly shared wedding photo?
It is a formal portrait of William and Catherine embracing at Buckingham Palace after their wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey. In the image, William holds Catherine at the waist. She wears her wedding dress and the Cartier Halo Tiara. Vogue described the photograph and its setting in its 29 April 2024 report.
The image was new to the public when the couple shared it; it was an archival photograph from the wedding day, not a picture taken for the anniversary. ABC News reported that Pilkington confirmed she had taken it that day and quoted her saying, “Can’t believe it is 13 years ago almost to the hour, that I took this portrait.” She added, “So excited and honoured that they should wish to share it.”
Who took the portrait, and when was it shared?
Commercial photographer Millie Pilkington took the portrait on 29 April 2011. William and Catherine shared it on their social accounts on 29 April 2024, their 13th wedding anniversary. Their caption was “13 years ago today!” ABC News covered the post the following day, including Pilkington’s remarks and the image’s wedding-day context: ABC News, 30 April 2024.
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When did William and Catherine marry?
They married at Westminster Abbey on Friday, 29 April 2011. The Royal Family’s account says the ceremony began at 11 o’clock. After the service, the couple travelled to Buckingham Palace, where they appeared on the balcony; the anniversary portrait was made there after the ceremony. The Abbey describes the service and procession in its history of royal weddings, and the Royal Family provides an account of the 2011 royal wedding.
What makes this image different from familiar wedding pictures?
Many widely circulated images show the ceremony or the couple’s public appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony. This portrait instead captures a private embrace inside the palace and was presented in black and white. It also shows William in different clothing from the red Irish Guards uniform he wore for the ceremony and official wedding portrait, as ABC News noted.
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The portrait is one image from the wedding-day archive, rather than a replacement for the formal ceremony photographs. Its anniversary release offered a less public moment from the same day.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Details of Catherine’s wedding outfit
The Royal Family says Catherine’s dress was designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen, with lace appliqué handmade by the Royal School of Needlework. She wears the Cartier Halo Tiara in the anniversary portrait. The wedding ring, according to the Royal Family’s account, was made from Welsh gold given to William by the Queen.
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The wedding’s scale
Westminster Abbey estimates that one billion people around the world watched the wedding service. That is the Abbey’s estimate, not an independently verified audience count. The figure describes the 2011 ceremony, not the audience for the anniversary photograph.
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