William & Kate: Official wedding photos | Photo Gallery

The backdrop is the same-the opulent red-and-gold decor of the grand Throne Room at Buckingham Palace. And the mischievous smiles on the faces of some of the bridesmaids and pageboys - and endearingly bewildered expressions on the others - are strikingly similar.

 But, 30 years after the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, the official wedding picture of Prince William and Kate-now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge-also reflects the differences between the two couples' relationships.

 The photograph of Charles and Diana, taken by Patrick Lichfield, seemed to capture a moment of spontaneous informality, with the wedding party collapsing in a fit of giggles. But, the warmth was not reflected in the marriage itself.

 By contrast, Kate and William's picture, by photographer Hugo Burnand, appears more formal, despite little Tom Pettifer's insistence on leaning in as close to the bride as possible, reports the Daily Mail. et, it is the small touches that are most telling.

 In Lichfield's picture, Charles looks curiously detached, but Kate and William's togetherness is plain to see.

 Despite the organised nature of their shot, they look relaxed, their smiles unforced, and her hand rests on his knee. (ANI)