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Why Lady Sarah Chatto's low-key royal wedding hit the headlines

Princess Margaret's daughter's wedding took place weeks after a royal scandal


Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones in her wedding car ahead of her wedding with Daniel Chatto
Nichola Murphy
Deputy Lifestyle Editor
On 14 July 2023
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Lady Sarah Chatto and her husband Daniel Chatto chose a much more low-key wedding compared to other royals, so why was there so much media interest?

Instead of choosing a large venue such as Westminster Abbey – which is where her brother Viscount Linley got married – Princess Margaret's daughter chose to have an intimate ceremony at St Stephen's Walbrook in London. On their 29th wedding anniversary, we reminisce about Sarah and Daniel's headline-making big day.

sarah chatto and daniel holding hands following their wedding© Getty
Daniel and Lady Sarah got married in 1994

Firstly, their royal wedding fell on 14 July 1994, just weeks after King Charles' affair confession. During an ITV interview with Jonathan Dimbleby, which was broadcast on 29 June, the journalist asked then-Prince Charles if he had been "faithful and honourable" to Princess Diana, and he responded: "Yes. Until [the marriage] became irretrievably broken down, us both having tried." 

It was later confirmed that Charles was referring to his relationship with his now-wife, Queen Camilla, whom he married in 2005.

Princess Diana waving to crowds at Sarah and Daniel's wedding, weeks after Charles' affair confession© Getty
Princess Diana was pictured waving to crowds at Sarah and Daniel's wedding, weeks after Charles' affair confession

Lady Sarah was a bridesmaid at the former couple's 1981 wedding, and her own nuptials marked the first public event that both Charles and Diana attended following the interview. Despite the scandal, Diana ensured the attention remained firmly on the bride and groom, and was pictured in a black and white dress smiling and waving to crowds.

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sarah chatto bridesmaid
The royal was a bridesmaid at Princess Diana and King Charles' wedding

She was joined by other royals such as Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth II who witnessed the 30-minute ceremony. In fact, it was so short that Sarah and Daniel were forced to wait for their driver outside the church before heading to Clarence House for their wedding reception!

Sarah looked beautiful in a corset-style, long-sleeve wedding dress designed by Jasper Conran, which wasn't dissimilar to her bridesmaid's dresses.

Her half-sister, Lady Frances Armstrong-Jones, her cousin, Zara Tindall (then Phillips), and a family friend, Tara Noble-Singh all wore corset lace-up white gowns with round necklines and fresh pink flowers in their hair.

lady sarah chatto bridesmaids
Lady Sarah's bridesmaids, including Zara Tindall, wore white corset dresses

Sarah accessorised with the Snowdon Floral Tiara which was created especially for her nuptials. It was made using three diamond brooches that were originally a wedding gift to her mother Margaret from her husband Antony Armstrong-Jones, the First Earl of Snowdon, in 1960.

sarah chatto wedding day© Getty
The bride wore a sentimental tiara that paid tribute to her mother Princess Margaret

She also borrowed pearl and diamond earrings from Princess Margaret, which she later inherited after her mother's death.

Following their big day, Sarah and Daniel went on to welcome two sons: Samuel, born in 1996, and Arthur, born in 1999.

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