Hidden Messages Under Princess Diana’s Wedding Shoes

Prince Charles and Princess Diana on the balcony of Buckingham Palace/ Reuters
Prince Charles and Princess Diana on the balcony of Buckingham Palace/ Reuters
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Hidden Messages Under Princess Diana’s Wedding Shoes

Prince Charles and Princess Diana on the balcony of Buckingham Palace/ Reuters
Prince Charles and Princess Diana on the balcony of Buckingham Palace/ Reuters

It's been more than two decades since Princess Diana died, but she remains a national icon.

Last year, her friends and family honored Diana by sharing memories of her – she was adored by Britain.

One of the 'secrets' revealed came from the designers of her wedding dress and shoes, which she wore when she married Prince Charles on July 29, 1981.

Diana's shoes were mostly hidden beneath her Elizabeth and David Emanuel gown, which at the time was dubbed he "dress of the century." But the shoes were still special. They were created by celebrity cobbler Clive Shilton. He made sure they were fit for purpose.

Shilton told the Daily Mail: "She was a very shy, sweet, smiley-eyed young girl. Her main concern was that she wouldn't appear taller than Prince Charles, and because she was very tall – 5'10" – the shoes would have to have a low heel,”

As well as the practical solution, the shoes were also enrobed with 542 sequins and 132 pearls. On the top, Diana chose an elegant heart-shaped pattern.

The shoes were suede, and the princess had a small 'C and D' painted under the heel. The pair took six months to develop.

Shilton said: "No one even saw the bottom of the shoes, but it was important to us that they looked fantastic. You would have seen much more of them if she'd tripped!"



Hundreds of Firefighters Battling Wildfire in Southern France

An Airbus H125 helicopter drops water over a wildfire in Saint-Julien Les Martigues, northwest of Marseille in southern France on July 18, 2025. (Photo by Christophe SIMON / AFP)
An Airbus H125 helicopter drops water over a wildfire in Saint-Julien Les Martigues, northwest of Marseille in southern France on July 18, 2025. (Photo by Christophe SIMON / AFP)
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Hundreds of Firefighters Battling Wildfire in Southern France

An Airbus H125 helicopter drops water over a wildfire in Saint-Julien Les Martigues, northwest of Marseille in southern France on July 18, 2025. (Photo by Christophe SIMON / AFP)
An Airbus H125 helicopter drops water over a wildfire in Saint-Julien Les Martigues, northwest of Marseille in southern France on July 18, 2025. (Photo by Christophe SIMON / AFP)

Nearly 1,000 firefighters and helicopters battled a wildfire about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of France's second-largest city Marseille on Friday, but officials said lower temperatures and increased humidity had improved the situation.

The 240-hectare (593 acres) wildfire flared up a week after a separate conflagration reached the northwestern outskirts of Marseille, forcing people to evacuate or into lockdown and temporarily shuttering the area's airport.

Pierre Bepoix, the colonel of rescue operations and deputy director for the area's firefighters, said 150 people had been evacuated, but firefighters had managed to save 150 homes and portions of the area's forests.

"It was a fire that swept through relatively dense vegetation ... which made our work particularly complicated," Bepoix told Reuters. "Obviously, priority was given to the preservation and protection of these homes and the lives that could be in these buildings."

Local officials said in a statement that 120 homes had been threatened by the fire, adding that it was not possible yet to identify any possible damage to them, and that two firefighters had been injured.

Meanwhile in Spain, a wildfire that broke out on Thursday evening in the central Toledo province and could be seen from downtown Madrid, ravaged 3,200 hectares of woodland.

Regional emergency services said early on Friday firefighters had secured the perimeter, though there were concerns over strong winds and high temperatures forecast throughout the day.