See 4 Stunning Behind-the-Scenes Photos from Princess Charlene's Wedding
There's nothing quite like a princess bride!
Five years ago on July 1, 2011, South African beauty Charlene Wittstock wed Monaco's Prince Albert. For the grand royal wedding – a four-day, $70 million extravaganza – Charlene asked her friend, musician-photographer Julian Lennon, to join her in her final moments before she faced the world stage.
An estimated 150,000 spectators flooded the principality's streets eager to see the bride in her jaw-dropping Giorgio Armani gown with its 66-ft. silk tulle veil and train, with millions more watching on TV and online around the globe.
Just minutes before, Lennon photographed Charlene at Monaco's Hermitage Hotel as she made her last preparations to walk down the aisle.
"She appeared so serene," he says of the shot he took of her in hair rollers. "I think for a second she was able to block the world out of her head, eyes and ears, and just observe herself in that moment. The future Princess of Monaco. A natural beauty."
But that's not to say there were no wedding-day jitters. Lennon recalls being "entitled to no more than 10 minutes" – with Charlene, who was practically due to leave the hotel as he entered the suite. As he first sat down beside her, he sensed "how on edge she was. [I could] feel her bridal nerves."
At the last moment, she asked him not to take any photos, fearing it wasn't the right time – Lennon listened but insisted, promising to not get in anyone's way.
By: Peter Mickelbank
Source: People
