MORE than 40 years ago,a fresh-faced Princess Diana tied the knot with Prince Charles, in what would later be called the “wedding of the century”.
Lady Diana Spencer would become the Princess of Wales, when she married 32-year-old Prince Charles in 1981.
Who were Princess Diana’s bridesmaids?
When a 20-year-old Diana and her soon-to-be husband Charles planned their nuptials, the pair chose to have five bridesmaids to accompany Diana down the aisle.
The small group was made up of mostly children, with the girls’ ages ranging from five to 17.
The tradition of having youthful bridesmaids was something that both the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex later chose to adopt on their wedding days.
Clementine Hambro
Five-year-old Clementine Hambro, or ‘Clemmie’, was one of Diana’s favourite pupils at Young England kindergarten, where she worked before she was married.
She is the great-granddaughter of former PM Winston Churchill.
In 2006 Clemmie married Orlando Fraser, son of historian Lady Antonia Fraser.
This year it was revealed that in 1999 Clemmie, who was working for Christie’s auction house, took two flights on paedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s jet, dubbed the “Lolita Express”.
One trip to his ranch in New Mexico was to advise on buying art. A trip to his Caribbean island was for leisure.
The 44-year-old mum of four, who now writes gardening articles, said: “I have been horrified about the revelations of his conduct. My heart goes out to those who were abused by him.”
Catherine Cameron
Catherine Cameron was just six when she got her coveted spot as one of Princess Diana’s bridesmaids.
She was said to have been included in the bridal party because her mother, Lady Cecil Cameron, was a friend of Prince Charles.
Catherine is also the granddaughter of the 12th Marquess of Lothian
Known as “the crier”, it was said poor Catherine, now 46, was allergic to horses and spent most of the wedding day blowing her nose on her petticoats. Lady Cecil later said her daughter was suffering from hayfever.
Her frilly bridesmaid’s dress went on display at the Clan Cameron Museum in Achnacarry, in the Scottish Highlands because her father, Donald Angus Cameron of Lochiel, is the 27th Chief of Clan Cameron.
The family own a large area of land in Scotland.
Catherine went to Edinburgh University and works as a literary agent.
Sarah-Jane Gase-Lee
Sarah-Jane was 11 years old when she made her entrance at St Paul’s Cathedral on Princess Diana’s wedding day.
Her father, racehorse trainer Nick Gaselee, schooled Prince Charles as a jump jockey.
Afterwards, when Sarah-Jane was unhappy at boarding school in East Sussex, Princess Diana would send her letters and cards.
Diana also inspired her to devote herself to charity.
Now a 50-year-old mother of two, married to film producer Paul Andrews, Sarah-Jane divides her time between their plantation home in Barbados and London, where she hosts upmarket tours of Diana’s old haunts.
She sold her bridesmaid dress to Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, in 1999 for an estimated £11,000 — a decision she allegedly “bitterly regrets”.
India Hicks
Now a mum of five, former model India Hicks, 53, was 13 at Princess Diana’s wedding.
Her mother, Lady Pamela Hicks, is daughter of the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma. Her father was the late David Nightingale Hicks, an interior designer.
India was kicked out of posh boarding school Gordon-stoun in Scotland “for a minor incident involving boys in my room”.
She modelled for Ralph Lauren then ran off to the Caribbean and got “up the duff”, as she once put it, to former advertising executive David Flint Wood.
They have four children together plus foster son Wesley. India has worked with the Global Empowerment Mission, which provides disaster relief, and is a partner of a food bank on Harbour Island in the Bahamas, where the family lives.
Now a writer and interior designer, in September she admitted stealing a £680 Max Mara coat and was conditionally discharged for three months. She blamed absent-mindedness.
She said of Diana’s wedding: “We helped her get dressed. She was in jeans and a tiara.”
She added: “Now, as an adult looking back, I think she was so young. So young!”
Sarah Chatto
AT 17, Lady Sarah Chatto towered above the other bridesmaids, but she has always had a knack of blending in.
She is the daughter of the late Princess Margaret and the Earl of Snowdon, but Lady Sarah, nee Armstrong-Jones, is one of the most un-assuming members of the Royal Family.
The 56-year-old and her brother David, the 2nd Earl of Snowdon, have never undertaken royal engagements, though Lady Sarah became vice president of the Royal Ballet, which her mother had been a patron of, in 2004.
She made a rare appearance in a 2016 documentary about The Queen, and stole the show for her charm and genuine love for her aunt.
An artist, Lady Sarah is married to former actor Daniel Chatto, who she met while on sabbatical with her father in India in the 1980s.
The pair have two sons, Sam, an artist specialising in pottery, and Arthur, a personal trainer.
Lady Sarah is godmother to Prince Harry and Lady Louise Windsor, 17, the oldest child and only daughter of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
