Just before exchanging vows with Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey in 2011, Prince William made a heartfelt and “very notable” gesture that paid quiet tribute to his late mother, Princess Diana.

On April 29, 2011, the future king arrived at the Abbey in London with his brother, Prince Harry, well ahead of his bride’s arrival. With some time to spare, William was able to interact with a few of the nearly 2,000 guests who had gathered for the royal event.

A Meaningful Choice

Among those he chose to speak with during those final moments of bachelorhood were members of Diana’s family, who had been seated in a place of honor near the front—close to the Middleton family.

Royal journalist and author Victoria Murphy reflected on this moment, explaining:
“William arrived at the wedding some time before his bride, and so he actually had a chance to mingle within Westminster Abbey and talk to some of the guests.

Very notable, I think—he went over to Princess Diana’s family, who had a very prominent position right at the front of the Abbey next to the Middleton family, and really spent quite a bit of time talking to them, talking to her sisters.

That really feels very representative of how important a part of that day she was, even though she wasn’t there.”