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Thirty years separate the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana and the anticipated wedding date of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The Globe takes a look at how the couples compare:

Age at engagement:

The bride- and groom-to-be are both 28. Kate Middleton is six months older than her fiancé.

Bride-to-be's background:

Although Ms. Middleton hails from a wealthy family, she is a commoner. Her father was a pilot and her mother worked as a flight attendant before they made their fortune starting a mail-order party-supplies company. Ms. Middleton currently works for the family business.

School days:

Ms. Middleton attended Marlborough College, a ritzy private school, where she played tennis and field hockey. She and Prince William started at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland in 2001 and shared a house with roommates in the following years. She graduated with a degree in art history and he eventually majored in geography.

The proposal:

Prince William popped the question in Kenya last month, giving his fiancée his mother's blue sapphire engagement ring. Ms. Middleton and her fiancé both said it was very romantic.

Getting to know you:

Their relationship has lasted almost a decade. In 2007, the couple allegedly split because Ms. Middleton was tired of waiting for the Prince to propose. Other sources said the couple broke up because of intense media scrutiny.

Worst nickname

"Waity Katie," a reference to Ms. Middleton's long wait for a marriage proposal

Paparazzi:

In 2007, Ms. Middleton filed a harassment complaint against Britain's Daily Mirror. She accepted an apology and admission of error from the newspaper. That year, she was also mobbed by print and television media outside of her London home, and her lawyers complained to Britain's press watchdog.

During the week of Kate's 25th birthday in January of 2007 media interest in her heightened to the point that 10 armed policemen were assigned to protect her and Prince William as they emerged from Boujis nightclub in Chelsea.

Fashion fracas

In 2002, Prince William shelled out £200 (about $325) in 2002 to sit in the front row at a charity fashion show to watch Ms. Middleton strut down the runway in a see-through lace dress and lingerie. It's believed they started dating the year after.

Bad boy

Photographers snapped shots of Prince William partying with other women on a night out with his British army buddies in 2007. The couple took a break from each other soon after the pictures went public.

Quote:

"It is my way of making sure my mother didn't miss out on today and the excitement and the fact that we're going to spend the rest of our lives together."

Prince William, on giving Ms. Middleton his mother's engagement ring.

Age at engagement:

Lady Diana was still a teenager when she was engaged at 19. Prince Charles was 32 - 12 years her senior.

Bride-to-be's background:

Diana came from an aristocratic background. She had ties to the throne on both sides - her father was an earl and her mother, the daughter of a baron. She and Prince Charles were actually 16th cousins once-removed.

School days:

Diana attended West Heath private boarding school, where she was an average student but a good swimmer and artist. After graduating, she worked in a nursery school.

The proposal:

Prince Charles reportedly proposed in February of 1981 in his apartment at Buckingham Palace.

Getting to know you:

Starting in November of 1980, Diana was screened at a series of family summits and was warned of what leading a royal life would entail. Also in 1980, a "marital council" of married female friends urged the Prince to propose to Diana.

Worst nickname:

"Squidgy," a pet name given to the late Princess of Wales by her close friend, James Gilbey. The nickname was leaked in the so-called Squidgygate recordings of the 1980s.

Paparazzi:

Once convinced that Diana was going to be Prince Charles's choice, her London flat was constantly surrounded with journalists. Some even attempted to gain access by pretending to be garbage collectors. In December of 1980, two months before the engagement announcement, the intense focus of the press was already so great that Diana's mother, Frances Shand Kydd, rebuked "the editors of Fleet Street" in a letter to The Times, for harassing her 19-year-old daughter daily, "from dawn until well after dusk." Was it fair, she asked, that any human being be treated in such a way, regardless of circumstances?

Fashion fracas:

Leading up to her wedding, Lady Diana's fashion sense spread across Britain, with women imitating her style. A Toronto hairdresser told The Globe and Mail in May of 1981 that women around the world were clamouring for her short hairdo.

Bad boy:

Before popping the question, Prince Charles was known for being something of a Casanova. From the time he was 19 to the day he announced his engagement, the media had picked out 12 women as possible brides. He had about 40 girlfriends during that 14-year period. Prince Charles later married Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005; Camilla was blamed by Diana as the third person in the marriage.

Quote:

When the engagement was announced, Diana was asked whether they were in love. "Of course," she replied, while the Prince added, "Whatever that means."

Sources: Globe archives, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, PrinceofWales.gov.uk