It's reassuring to know that weddings don't always go to plan, even if you have a team of professionals to help. One thing that can't be controlled, no matter how impressive your wedding planners are, is your health – and the likes of Princess Beatrice and Prince William found that out the hard way.
From black eyes to sinusitis, look back at all the health struggles and injuries the royal family have suffered at high-profile weddings, and how they hid them well.
Sophie Ludwig
© GettyThe most recent wedding health mishap to hit the headlines was Sophie Evekink, who married Prince Ludwig of Bavaria in May 2023. As the Oxford University doctoral student stood at the altar at the Theatine Church in Munich, she fainted before being caught by her groom.
According to Christine Quinns, a German royal writer, the bride felt better after having a sip of Coke, and she was all smiles as she departed with Ludwig.
Christine tweeted: "A spokesperson confirmed, that Princess Sophie fainted during the wedding this morning. After a drink she was fine again and the ceremony continued.
"The bride fell backwards, the groom caught her. The maid of honours rushed over, paramedics brought her water. She felt well again straight away. Prince Leopold of Bavaria gave her a piece of glucose."
Princess Beatrice
© GettyPrincess Beatrice was one of many royals who celebrated with Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston at their wedding in May 2019. But behind her wide smile, Sarah Ferguson's daughter was concealing a very painful-looking foot injury.
Cleverly hidden by her long lace-tiered midi dress and Tabitha Simmons heels, Beatrice had a huge purple bruise covering the side of her foot and ankle, the cause of which remains unknown. But we can imagine a bad tumble days before the wedding could have been the culprit.
Prince William
© GettyPrince William not only had pre-wedding jitters to blame for his tired eyes but also the noise from royal well-wishers who camped out ahead of his wedding to Princess Kate in April 2011.
"They were singing and cheering all night long, so the excitement of that, the nervousness of me and everyone singing - I slept for about half an hour," William said, according to The Daily Mail. Not nearly as well-rested as you'd hope to be with the world watching you say your vows!
Princess Diana
William's mother Princess Diana was also not feeling her best when she married Prince Charles. The People's Princess wore a David and Elizabeth Emanuel gown accessorised with the Spencer family tiara, which her brother revealed left her with a pounding headache.
"In the evening [after the wedding] we all went to a sort of semi-private party,” Charles Spencer explained during an interview with Elle. "And she was there and she seemed incredibly relaxed and happy and I just remember she had a cracking headache too, because she wasn’t used to wearing a tiara all morning."
Princess Diana's bridesmaid
© GettyUnfortunately, Diana wasn't the only one suffering on her wedding day! Her young bridesmaid Clementine Hambro, then five, told the Daily Mail in 2015 that she hurt herself after tripping over Diana's dress on the way to their balcony appearance at Buckingham Palace.
"On the way, I slipped on the wooden floor and banged my head. Diana picked me up and comforted me and asked if I had bumped my bottom," she wrote. Photos show Winston Churchill's great-granddaughter Clementine looking melancholy as she looked out at crowds alongside Diana, Charles and the other bridesmaids.
Queen Camilla
© Getty ImagesQueen Camilla's wedding had already been pushed back by one day, but she almost had to postpone it for the second time amid her sinusitis.
According to Vanity Fair, the royal's friends said she was bedbound shortly before she walked down the aisle in April 2005. Lucia Santa Cruz, who introduced the couple, said: "She was really ill, stressed. She literally couldn’t get out of bed."
Mike Tindall's best man
© GettyMike and Zara Tindall's wedding photos back in July 2011 look picture-perfect – until you spot Mike's best man sport Iain Balshaw.
As he posed outside Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh with Zara's maid of honour Dolly Maude, Iain couldn't hide his black eye, which was surrounded by cuts and gashes on his left temple. The injuries were reportedly caused by a moped accident in France the week before the royal wedding – unfortunate timing!
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