Queen Elizabeth II reportedly found more joy in the 2011 wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton than in the 1981 nuptials of her son, Charles, and Princess Diana.
The Queen reportedly saw Kate as more prepared for royal life.
According to royal author Tina Brown, Kate had already spent years in the public eye and handled the pressure well.
“For The Queen, the wedding day [of William and Kate] brought a special satisfaction,” Brown wrote in The Palace Papers.
“This new, 29-year-old granddaughter-in-law, the future Queen Consort, was unlike the child bride Diana, road-tested in resilience as well as royal life.”
The Queen also took comfort in the stability Kate brought to the monarchy.
PEOPLE previously reported that palace aides described her as “uncharacteristically overjoyed” on the wedding day.
While Kate and Diana shared the spotlight as royal brides, commentators often highlighted how different they were.
“They were both royal brides, but Kate and Diana, for all the comparisons, were two very different women,” wrote royal reporter Katie Nicholl in her book Kate: The Future Queen.
Both Kate and Diana chose to leave out the word “obey” from their wedding vows, a choice that was later echoed by Meghan Markle.
Diana said she would “love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health.”
Queen Elizabeth had included “obey” in her 1947 vows, but the next generation of royal brides moved in a different direction.