The majority of the features of a typical marriage ceremony were present at Princess Diana’s wedding to Prince Charles.

Diana did not follow one custom, though, and that was when it came to the vows.

Previously, all royal brides had sworn in their vows to ‘obey’ their husbands.

Diana left this term out of her vows. Instead, she promised her husband that she would “love him, comfort him, honour and keep him”

Prince William and Kate Middleton, as well as Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, followed in her footsteps by omitting the phrase from their wedding vows.

Also, Diana’s traditional sapphire and diamond engagement ring was not custom-made by her fiancé, as was customary. It was instead picked from the Garrard catalog. The ring, however, is still very significant to their family because it was used to propose to Kate Middleton by Prince William.

And during the wedding, she inadvertently called him “Philip Charles Arthur George” rather than “Charles Philip Arthur George”—not on purpose, of course.

Princess Diana’s niece Kitty Spencer breaks silence after father Earl Spencer missed wedding

The bride was walked down the aisle with her brothers Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp, and Samuel Aitken ( Image: ermini141/Instagram)

Lady Kitty Spencer has spoken out for the first time since her wedding which her father, Earl Spencer, was unable to attend.

Last Saturday, Princess Diana’s niece was escorted down the aisle by her two brothers when she married Michael Lewis in a lavish wedding in Italy.

In a magnificent ceremony in Rome, the 30-year-old married Mr Lewis, a rich father-of-three who is more than twice her age.

Kitty took to Instagram for the first time since the wedding to thank her half-brothers, Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp, and Samuel Aitken, who walked her down the aisle since her father was unable to attend.

She wrote: “The proudest moment of my life, without a doubt, was having my brothers walk me down the aisle.

“Thank you to our family and friends for the most unforgettable weekend filled with more love and laughter and happiness than I have ever known.

“It still feels like a dream.”

There has been no official explanation for her father’s absence from her wedding, but a source close to the family has informed The Mail Online that the Earl’s absence might be owing to a shoulder ailment.

Hours before the wedding in Italy, he shared a photo shot in the grounds of his Althorp Estate,
captioned: “Now, that’s a moon.”

The source told the Mail Online: “Charles recently suffered an injury and perhaps that will be the reason for him not travelling, but it is just easier for everyone that he is not there.”

Diana’s brother addressed the injuries earlier this year in an interview with MSN, stating it as the reason he had to cancel a diving excursion related to his book The White Ship.

Meanwhile, the newlyweds kicked off their festivities on Friday night with a dinner party at Rome’s prestigious Galleria Del Cardinale restaurant, surrounded by their aristocratic guests, before a sunset wedding.

Throughout the festivities, Kitty donned a variety of dresses designed by Dolce & Gabbana.

Image: Dolce & Gabbana

Image: Dolce & Gabbana

Kitty and Michael’s wedding was attended by her sisters Eliza and Amelia, former Strictly Come Dancing star Viscountess Emma Weymouth, and famous friends like Pixie Lott, Idris Elba’s wife Sabrina, and Mark Vandelli from Made in Chelsea.