How thousands partied in the North East when Charles and Diana married in 1981; As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tie the knot, recalling how the North East celebrated the marriage of Charles and Diana.
Byline: David Morton
So, who's tuning in to watch theRoyal weddingon TV this weekend?
As Prince Harry andMeghan Markletie the knot in Windsor, a new poll carried out by YouGov suggests the folk of Britain have mixed feelings about the whole thing.
Of the 1,615 people asked, 66% said they were "not very interested" or "not interested at all" in the ceremony, while 60% planned on having a normal weekend.
Also, of those questioned, 57% thought the Royals should pay the full cost of the wedding, including stumping up for policing and security.
Meanwhile, in the opposite camp, thousands ofRoyal watchersare descending on Windsor.
After the hour-long ceremony, the couple are due to proceed through the town's ancient streets in a 19th century Ascot Landau carriage pulled by four Windsor Grey horses.
The fact Meghan Markle is a photogenic, American, former TV actress with a black mother has sparked huge interest, with this weekend's Royal wedding arguably the most high-profile since Charles and Diana's in 1981.
If today's domestic news is dominated by Brexit and our polarised nation, back then the headlines told of serious rioting breaking out on the streets of the UK - in London, Liverpool, Manchester and elsewhere.
The number one single in the pop charts at the time, Ghost Town by the Specials, eerily mirrored the urban decay, rising unemployment and street violence of Margaret Thatcher's Britain.
Against this grey backdrop, the wedding of Prince Charles and 20-year-old Lady Diana Spencer provided a splash of colour.
It was the first royal wedding of the global television age, with 750 million people around the planet tuning in to watch the ancient rituals and pageantry unfold.
It was also, for some, a seemingly fairy-tale union between the heir to the throne and a young rose of England.
For a while all seemed well, but the marriage was fatally flawed and ultimately doomed.
20 photographs of the North East in the 1980s
The House of Windsor would be rocked over the following fifteen years as scandal, betrayal and ultimately tragedy were all played out on the front pages of the tabloid press.
But, on a blazing hot Wednesday, July 29, 1981, the marriage provided a moment of optimism across the country, when times were tough for many.
The Chronicle's page one headline declared 'Isn't She Lovely!' as the beaming couple were photographed on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral.
North Shields Fish Quay on this day 80 years ago - and the story of a vibrant...
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