The Wedding

Diana Palmer and the Phantom had known each other since childhood, so it was only a matter of time before we saw them marry each other in the comic strip’s.

The proposal came in the form of a note in 1971, with the marriage ceremony story going to print in 1977, when the comic strip turned 4 years old.

The ceremony was attended by all of the Phantom’s best friends, including Colonel Worobu of the Jungle Patrol, Doctor Axel, the chiefs of many tribes, Eastern princes, Hzz, the man- monster, and in a rare crossover from Lee Falk’s other great characters, Mandrake the Magician and Lothar.

It was a civil marriage, presided over by the leaders of the two neighboring emerging African nations, President Goranda of Ivory-Lana, and President Luaga of Bangalla.

For a wedding ring, the Phantom presented Diana with one carved out of a single huge diamond, one that previously had been worn by the bride of Roman emperor, Augustus.

Lee Falk himself was married earlier that year to Elizabeth Moxley, and that’s what inspired the plunge for Mr. Walker.