'Kiss kiss kiss!' Writers on their favourite moments from Kate and William's 2011 royal wedding

On a sunny day back in April 2011, when no-one had heard of Brexit and it was socially acceptable to stand in a crowd, Kate Middleton married her long-term boyfriend Prince William as Britain took the day off to party.

Here's what six writers remember of their royal wedding day (before the excess Pimms kicked in...)

'Everyone kept asking what Diana would have made of it'

Having scoffed at the whole event, I naturally spent the entire day glued to coverage, weeping occasionally while diligently digesting insights from anyone claiming to be an expert commentator.

At nearly 2,000 strong, the royal wedding guest list boasted everyone from the couple’s global counterparts (the King and Queen of Malaysia! The Grand Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg!) to the Beckhams and Tara Palmer Tomkinson, but broadcasters were just as obsessed with who wasn’t there, namely William’s mother, the late Princess Diana.

After her death in 1997, the 'People’s Princess' never left the British collective consciousness and this was never more evident than when Kate and Wills wed.

Watching the coverage, it seemed as though every lull in conversation was filled with a discussion about what Diana would have thought of the day. Everyone largely toed the line, agreeing she’d have been full of support and pride, beaming in the Abbey.

Sadly, the debates stopped before asking a question I genuinely think about often; what would the Royal family’s most iconic member have worn on the day?

Rachel McGrath

'This is why we paid taxes for them'

Will and Kate’s big day was the first significant royal event of my adult life.

At the age of 11, I marked the Queen’s Golden Jubilee by vigorously performing in a concert on the school field where we sang the best hits from her reign.

Huge bangers were involved - Cliff Richard and S Club 7 - and mums clapped enthusiastically while dads stoically filmed on camcorders.

Given this momentous occasion, I was expecting the wedding to have a profound emotional impact on me. Even more so, since I was in my first year of university and we got the day off lectures because of it. THIS is why we pay taxes for them, I realised. (Not that I paid taxes at that point.)

But since this meant going to the Student Union Bar at 9am I can actually remember very little: Kate’s stunning dress (better than Meghan’s, soz), Princess Eugenie’s pretzel hat, trying to work out what cheeky things Harry was saying to William at the altar, and, of course… the grumpy bridesmaid. Who knew her minor alarm at the events unfolding before her would still be so relevant in 2020?

Jessie Thompson

'The Grace Kelly dress did it for me - and that balcony kiss'

Even in the US, there was much excitement for William and Kate’s wedding. So much so that I set my alarm at an hour that was way too early for any college student to attempt waking up for (my roommate was certainly annoyed).

I was most excited about Kate’s Alexander McQueen gown. The Victorian-inspired dress was fitted to perfection, with a lace bodice and long sleeves reminiscent of Grace Kelly’s wedding dress when she became the Princess of Monaco in 1956.

But the “happily ever after” moment of the fairytale, for me, was William and Kate’s post-ceremony kiss on the balcony.

It was just such a picture-perfect scene with the crowd of people cheering the newlyweds on, and their family gathered around them all smiles (minus the grumpy bridesmaid, of course, who kind of stole the show).

Marissa DeSantis

'It was a Twitter field day'

When Prince William and Kate Middleton were married in 2011, it wasn’t quite the inescapable social media landscape it is today - but there were still memes aplenty.

From Pippa Middleton’s infamous bridesmaid gown making waves and inspiring bridal parties for the next decade to fascinators galore spawning comparisons, it was a Twitter field day.

While I didn't wake up early for it (I wasn't yet that dedicated) the rest of my sorority sisters did, gathering around the TV and providing text message updates.

For me, the most entertaining moment was unexpected.

It came courtesy of then three-year-old Grace van Cutsem, my personal Queen, who became an inadvertent social media star when she was snapped looking extremely grumpy during Prince William and Kate’s fairytale worthy kiss.

During a wedding that was otherwise picture-perfect, she provided a realistic look at the big day and the human emotions behind it. While all of the aristocratic other children looked perky, she looked ready to go home and take a long nap - preferably without all of that noise.

It was the most realistic and entertaining part of the whole shebang. As people lined up to catch a glimpse of the newlyweds or woke up before dawn in the US to watch the festivities on television, she looked like she’d rather be anywhere else.

And while she hasn’t been on social media since (her mother, an Astor - yes of those Astors - deleted her Instagram account) she remains a mood.

Margaret Abrams

'Braying students kept trying to claim tenuous connections to the bride and groom - this was Durham'

I was so ready for the royal wedding. I'd managed to wangle a free meal at Pizza Express (or was it Bella Italia) with a random boy from my accommodation block called Will for the day after - the perks of having the same name as the newlyweds.

I was ready to spend the whole day in our college bar on a revision hiatus, ironically toasting the monarchy and rolling my eyes at braying students proclaiming tenuous links to Wills and Kate (it was Durham, so this happened quite a lot).

Just a few days before, though, my voice went, my glands started to swell up and my temperature rocketed.

Feeling increasingly rough, I did what any independent 19-year-old would do - conceded that I couldn't possibly take care of myself and - on the morning of the wedding - morosely boarded a train home, missing out on the opportunity to drink Pimms diluted with champagne for 48 hours.

On my Twitter-free, not-very-smart phone with 3G costing £1 a go, my only way of keeping up with events at the Abbey was through the increasingly meandering and incoherent texts of my friends, who had started on the Pimms and champagne early.

I still remember my friend James describing Victoria Beckham as wearing 'a navy shroud' and Kate as having 'lacy arms.'

Katie Rosseinsky

'I watched it in a face mask and tracksuit bottoms'

For all the royalists out there, Kate and Wills’ wedding was a chance to rejoice in a young couple in love - but for 17-year-old me, it was a day off studying for my A-Levels.

While many other streets in my unsurprisingly patriotic hometown of Windsor held parties, my non-plussed mother and I sat in front of the telly and judged all the royals for their fashion choices – wearing face masks and tracksuit bottoms, of course.

Pippa Middleton's elegant bridesmaid’s gown drew the most attention - and her pert derriere.

I silently agreed with my mum that I didn’t see what the fuss was about, but it didn’t stop me privately doing squats in my bedroom for many weeks after.

Kimberley Bond