Lady Diana Spencer, soon to become the Princess of Wales, showing her wedding gown for the first time, turns as her bridesmaids set her train on arrival at Saint Paul's Cathedral for her wedding to Prince Charles in London, July 29, 1981.
Lady Diana Spencer, soon to become the Princess of Wales, showing her wedding gown for the first time, turns as her bridesmaids set her train on arrival at Saint Paul's Cathedral for her wedding to Prince Charles in London, July 29, 1981. Reuters/Mal Langsdon

Some never-before-seen photos of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana’s wedding have been released online. The behind-the-scenes photos taken during the royal couple’s 1981 nuptials will be auctioned in the United States by RR Auctions with bidding to start on Sept. 17.

The rare collection will be auctioned on Sept. 24 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts, according to US Weekly . However, RR Auctions will start the bidding on Sept. 17 in New Hampshire for a minimum price of $300 (AU$409).

The photos show the candid moments of Prince Charles and then wife Princess Diana, along with some members of the royal family, following the church ceremony at St. Paul’s Cathedral. The images, captured by photographer Patrick Lichfield, were taken during the wedding reception held at the Buckingham Palace on July 29, 1981.

The unseen photos consist of seven black and white glossy prints and seven coloured shots in satin finish. Three of the classic black and white photos shared by RR Auctions show Queen Elizabeth II walking beside the late Princess Diana, who is seen carrying her youngest bridesmaid, the then five-year old Clementine Hambro. Another photo shows Diana setting the child down on the floor.

Prince Andrew is seen leaning down to talk to Clementine in the fifth black and white photo. The Telegraph says the child had tripped and banged her head on the floor during her walk to the palace’s balcony. Prince Charles is also visible standing next to his mother, talking to a boy. The sixth photo shows Diana and Charles surrounded by children and the seventh shot captures the newlyweds from behind as they stood on the balcony to greet the massive crowd gathered on the Mall in front of Buckingham Palace.

A couple of the coloured candid photos shared by RR Auctions show Queen Elizabeth II watching the crowd gathered at the Mall through a small television. Three of the photos were taken during the official wedding photo shoot, where Diana is seen in one photo being prepped by designers Elizabeth and David Emanuel. One photo also shows a beaming Diana standing next to Charles on the palace’s hallway.

The rare collection of photos from Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding is accompanied by a letter of provenance from Lichfield, according to RR Auctions . It says, “I was the photographic assistant to Lord Patrick Lichfield…the only photographer allowed to take informal photographs of the royal family and their guests when they returned to Buckingham Palace…for the wedding reception."

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