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
TT
20

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!"



Snake on a Plane Delays Flight in Australia

FILE PHOTO: Qantas Airways planes are parked at the domestic terminal at Sydney airport in Australia, July 1, 2017. Picture taken July 1, 2017. REUTERS/David Gray/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Qantas Airways planes are parked at the domestic terminal at Sydney airport in Australia, July 1, 2017. Picture taken July 1, 2017. REUTERS/David Gray/File Photo/File Photo
TT
20

Snake on a Plane Delays Flight in Australia

FILE PHOTO: Qantas Airways planes are parked at the domestic terminal at Sydney airport in Australia, July 1, 2017. Picture taken July 1, 2017. REUTERS/David Gray/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Qantas Airways planes are parked at the domestic terminal at Sydney airport in Australia, July 1, 2017. Picture taken July 1, 2017. REUTERS/David Gray/File Photo/File Photo

An Australian domestic flight was delayed for two hours after a stowaway snake was found in the plane’s cargo hold, officials said on Wednesday.

The snake was found on Tuesday as passengers were boarding Virgin Australia Flight VA337 at Melbourne Airport bound for Brisbane, according to snake catcher Mark Pelley.

The snake turned out to be a harmless 60-centimeter (2-foot) green tree snake, The Associated Press reported. But Pelly said he thought it could be venomous when he approached it in the darkened hold.

“It wasn’t until after I caught the snake that I realized that it wasn’t venomous. Until that point, it looked very dangerous to me,” Pelley said.

Most of the world’s most venomous snakes are native to Australia.

When Pelley entered the cargo hold, the snake was half hidden behind a panel and could have disappeared deeper into the plane.

Pelley said he told an aircraft engineer and airline staff that they would have to evacuate the aircraft if the snake disappeared inside the plane.

“I said to them if I don’t get this in one shot, it’s going to sneak through the panels and you’re going to have to evacuate the plane because at that stage I did not know what kind of snake it was,” Pelley said.

“But thankfully, I got it on the first try and captured it,” Pelley added. “If I didn’t get it that first time, the engineers and I would be pulling apart a (Boeing) 737 looking for a snake still right now.”

Pelley said he had taken 30 minutes to drive to the airport and was then delayed by security before he could reach the airliner.

An airline official said the flight was delayed around two hours.

Because the snake is native to the Brisbane region, Pelley suspects it came aboard inside a passenger’s luggage and escaped during the two-hour flight from Brisbane to Melbourne.

For quarantine reasons, the snake can’t be returned to the wild.

The snake, which is a protected species, has been given to a Melbourne veterinarian to find a home with a licensed snake keeper.