The Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer
The bride, the dress, and the occasion itself got the attention - but how did the transport network gear up for the big day?
Princess Elizabeth's Wedding (1947-11-25) by William J SumitsLIFE Photo Collection
Royal weddings are grand affairs involving careful planning
Those that attract the most interest, and therefore require the most planning, are the weddings of royals who are directly in line to the throne
Since 1900, London has seen 3 of these events: Princess Elizabeth in 1947, Prince Charles in 1981, and Prince William in 2011
Jigsaw puzzle:The Royal Wedding (1981) by Falcon Games LimitedThe Strong National Museum of Play
The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer receives by far the most coverage in our collections
By 1981 the world had gone colour, worldwide communications were commonplace, commercialism was increasing, and publicity was becoming an artform
Photograph of RM Type Wedding Present Bus (1981-06-01)TfL Corporate Archives
It was billed as a fairy tale wedding
All involved knew that the estimated global television audience of 750 million would be supplemented by huge crowds on the streets. (Original photograph in collection of London Transport Museum)
In March 1981, London Transport Executive outlined ways to capitalise on the event
Article about a wedding transport ticket (1981-06-01)TfL Corporate Archives
Wedding Ticket
The recommendations consisted of: a Royal Wedding Tour, a special souvenir ticket to be known as the Royal Warrant, a map of the processional route, a poster featuring the map and the ticket, and advertising space on 8 special Wedding Present Buses
In a masterstroke of opportunism, LTE even organised a special Royal Wedding Guided Tour for July and August 1981. The tour covered the processional route and key locations in the lives of the royal couple, including the Spencers’ home of Althorp Hall in Northamptonshire. The cost of the 9 hour tour was £15.50 per adult (c.£55 in 2023). Promotion of the tour was budgeted at £500 (c.£1,800 in 2023).
London Transport's royal tour looks like a winner (1981-06-01)TfL Corporate Archives
Royal Tour Looks A Winner
"The nine hour trip will cover all major aspects of interest linked with the great day and capture something of the background history of the royal couple."
Royal wedding warrant travel card (1981-07-29)TfL Corporate Archives
The day of the wedding was declared a public holiday and as such the special holiday fare of £1.50 for an adult underground return trip was due to apply
To counter the fare loss, LTE produced a special souvenir ticket for the day, giving unlimited travel on tube and bus
Print run for royal wedding ticket (1981-06-12)TfL Corporate Archives
1.5 Million Print Run for Royal Warrant
A big sale was anticipated from the outset. 1.55 million were produced on a budget of £37,500 (c.£305,000 in 2023), and the Royal Warrant as it was known proved a huge hit
Royal wedding Oyster card (2011-04-21)TfL Corporate Archives
Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton
The 1981 souvenir ticket idea was used again in 2011, updated and adapted for modern technology
c.750,000 were issued and undoubtedly the hope was that the £10 outlay would be paid by souvenir hunters and therefore a profit would be made
A map of the processional route, with relevant Underground stations marked on it, was produced. Agreement was reached with the London Tourist Board and Grosvenor Hotel Group for this to be a jointly funded production. The leaflet was distributed through all the major tourist outlets in London and the UK and in addition to promoting the way to get to the route, also promoted the Royal Warrant and the Royal Tour.
Photograph of RM Type Wedding Present Bus (1981-06-01)TfL Corporate Archives
8 Wedding Present Buses were wrapped in special livery
Running for 3 months, the advertising space on each bus was sold as a package
The buses ran a special service on 28 July, following the procession route - and in the evening between Marble Arch and Aldwych
British Airways announced the service on all in-coming flights!
Story compiled by TfL using information in records at the Transport for London Corporate Archives. The Corporate Archives seeks to preserve and make accessible records, not to interpret them. A wider range of material is available for physical consultation.
Permission is granted to reproduce for personal and educational use only.
This story has been enhanced using images from the collections of the LIFE Photo Collection, the London Transport Museum, and the Strong National Museum of Play. All enquiries regarding this material should be made directly to that institution.
