by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

The Prince of Wales (the future King Charles III) and Lady Diana Spencer were married on July 29, 1981, at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, England. The Prince and Princess of Wales, separated in December 1992 and divorced in August 1996. Exactly a year later, Diana, Princess of Wales tragically died in a car accident in Paris, France.

• YouTube: Wedding of Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer

The Family of Prince Charles

HRH Prince Charles Philip Arthur George of Edinburgh was born on November 14, 1948, at Buckingham Palace, London. Charles was the first child of HRH Princess Elizabeth and her husband of one year, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, born HRH Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark. Elizabeth was the elder daughter and the first of two children of King George VI and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, who was the youngest daughter and the ninth of ten children of Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. Philip’s father was HRH Prince Andrew of Greece, the son of King George I of Greece (formerly Prince William of Denmark) and Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia. His mother was Her Serene Highness Princess Alice of Battenberg. Alice was the daughter of Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine. During World War I, when King George V ordered his family to relinquish their German styles and titles, Prince Louis became Louis Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven. Princess Victoria’s mother was Princess Alice, a daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Therefore, Charles’ parents are both great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

Charles’ parents added another child to the family, Princess Anne, born on August 15, 1950. Ill with lung cancer, King George VI died on February 6, 1952, and the 25-year-old Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II. Her duties as Queen postponed additions to the family. Prince Andrew was born eight years later on February 19, 1960, and Prince Edward was born on March 10, 1964.

As soon as his mother became Queen, Charles was the heir apparent to the throne, and as the monarch’s eldest son became Duke of Cornwall. In the Scottish peerage, he became Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland. Charles was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester on July 26, 1958. He was invested as Prince of Wales on July 1, 1969, at Caernarvon Castle in Wales.

Queen Elizabeth’s children have been unlucky in marriage. Charles and Diana, The Prince and Princess of Wales, separated in December 1992 and divorced in August 1996. Exactly a year later, Diana, Princess of Wales tragically died in a car accident in Paris. In 1974, Princess Anne married Mark Phillips, a Lieutenant in the 1st Queen’s Dragoon Guards, but the couple separated in 1989 and divorced in 1992. Princess Anne married again in 1992 to Timothy Laurence, then a Commander in the Royal Navy. Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson in 1986. The couple separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996. Prince Edward has been the most stable of the Queen’s children as far as marriage is concerned. In 1999, he married Sophie Rhys-Jones, then a public relations manager with her own firm and that marriage still continues as does Princess Anne’s marriage to Timothy Laurence. In 2005, Prince Charles married Camilla Parker-Bowles with whom he had a romantic relationship before and during his marriage.

• Unofficial Royalty: King Charles III of the United Kingdom

The Family of Lady Diana Spencer

The Honourable Diana Frances Spencer was born on July 1, 1961, at Park House on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England. Her father was John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, son and heir of Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer, and Lady Cynthia Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn and Lady Rosalind Bingham who was a daughter of Charles Bingham, 4th Earl of Lucan. Her mother was The Honourable Frances Burke Roche, daughter of Edmund Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy and Ruth Gill. In 1975, when Diana’s father succeeded his father as 8th Earl Spencer, her courtesy title became Lady Diana Spencer. Diana’s parents had three other children: Sarah born in 1955, Jane born in 1957, and Charles, 9th Earl Spencer, born in 1964. The children’s parents divorced in 1969 and both remarried.

The Spencer family is an old English noble family. Althorp in Northamptonshire, England has been the ancestral home of the Spencer family since the early 16th century. The Spencer family has served the British monarchy for centuries. More recently, Diana’s grandmother, Lady Fermoy, was a close friend and friend and a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Diana’s father served as equerry to both King George VI and to Queen Elizabeth II. Among the Spencer family ancestors are the famous soldier and statesman John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, and his wife Sarah Jennings who was a close friend of Queen Anne, and King Charles II through four of his illegitimate children.

• Unofficial Royalty: Diana, Princess of Wales
• Unofficial Royalty: Death of Diana, Princess of Wales

The Engagement

“It is with the greatest pleasure that The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh announce the betrothal of their beloved son, The Prince of Wales, to the Lady Diana Spencer, daughter of the Earl Spencer and the Honourable Mrs. Shand Kydd.”

This official engagement announcement, issued by Buckingham Palace at 11 AM on February 24, 1981, ended years of speculation over who the world’s most eligible bachelor would marry. The couple had first met in 1977 when Prince Charles was dating Diana’s older sister Sarah. Their romance began when Lady Diana went to Balmoral with Prince Charles in July 1980. Prince Charles proposed to Lady Diana just before she left for a trip to Australia to visit her mother. Diana’s father, Earl Spencer, along with his second wife Raine Spencer, mingled with the crowd outside Buckingham Palace on the day of the announcement. Following tradition, the couple posed for their first official appearance on the terrace at the rear of the palace. Diana was wearing an off-the-rack outfit of a sapphire blue scalloped-edged suit with a white silk blouse with a blue swallow motif. Charles wore a gray, single-breasted suit.

Charles had presented Diana with a platinum engagement ring set with a large oval sapphire and fourteen diamonds. The ring, reported to have cost in the region of $55,000, was made by the royal jewelers Garrard & Company in Regent Street, London. Lady Diana herself selected the largest and most expensive ring from a tray of engagement rings. Copies of the engagement ring went on sale in nearly every British gift and jewelry shop within days of the engagement announcement.

Sources:
“Invitation to a Royal Wedding” by Kathryn Spink
“A Souvenir of the Royal Wedding” by Lornie Leete-Hodge
“Royal Wedding Day”, The Daily Mail
“Diana, Princess of Wales” by Penny Junor

The Trousseau

The Going Away Outfit

Soon after the engagement was announced, Diana began visiting dress designers, dress shops, and milliners, to extend her wardrobe and choose her trousseau. However, she found it increasingly difficult to go shopping as she had before the engagement announcement. Diana’s sister Jane had worked at Vogue magazine before she married. Jane still had connections at the magazine and used them to help Diana. As a top fashion magazine, Vogue knew all the designers, knew what was available in stores, and regularly received dozens of outfits and accessories for possible use in the magazine. Diana was able to go to the Vogue offices two or three times a week and try on exclusive designs. She also developed friendships with the Vogue editors, who gave her much fashion advice. Beatrice Miller, editor in chief; Grace Coddington, fashion editor, and a former model; and Anna Harvey, the deputy fashion editor were able to help Diana decide what suited her, what would be appropriate for which occasion, and what accessories would match. The Vogue editors helped her choose her pre-wedding wardrobe and her trousseau.

Sources:
“Invitation to a Royal Wedding” by Kathryn Spink
“A Souvenir of the Royal Wedding” by Lornie Leete-Hodge
“Royal Wedding Day”, The Daily Mail
“Diana, Princess of Wales” by Penny Junor

The Wedding Attire

Prince Charles wore the Navy’s No. 1 ceremonial dress uniform with a blue Garter sash. The seven attendants’ outfits cost more than the bride’s dress, which was made of ivory pure silk taffeta with embroidered lace panels at the front and back of the bodice, lace-flounced sleeves, and a neckline decorated with taffeta bows. The train was twenty-five feet long and made of silk taffeta trimmed with sparkling old lace. Designers David and Elizabeth Emanuel created the wedding dress in strict secrecy. Both the dress and the tulle veil were hand-embroidered with mother-of-pearl sequins and pearls, as were the matching silk slippers. A little blue bow and a tiny gold horseshoe were sewn at the waist for good luck. Diana’s wedding attire cost well over £2,000, but she was never charged for it. The publicity the Emanuels received was worth much more.

The Spencer family tiara held the veil in place. The “something old” was the Carrickmacross lace on the bodice which had belonged to Queen Mary; the “something borrowed” was diamond earrings from Diana’s mother. Diana carried a bouquet of gardenias, golden roses, orchids, stephanotis, lilies of the valley, freesias, myrtle (taken from a bush grown from a sprig originally taken from Queen Victoria’s wedding bouquet), and veronica. After the ceremony, the bouquet was placed on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey.

The bridesmaids also wore dresses designed by the Emanuels and the page boys were dressed in Royal Navy cadet summer uniforms dating from 1863, the date of the last State Wedding of a Prince of Wales (later Edward VII). The women in the family looked resplendent: Queen Elizabeth in aquamarine silk crepe-de-Chine, the Queen Mother in green silk georgette, Princess Margaret in coral, and Mrs. Shand Kydd, Diana’s mother, in hyacinth blue. Princess Anne wore an outfit of yellow and white, which a French newspaper called an omellette Norvegienne (a Norwegian omelet: a scoop of ice cream placed on hot beaten eggs).

Sources:
“Invitation to a Royal Wedding” by Kathryn Spink
“A Souvenir of the Royal Wedding” by Lornie Leete-Hodge
“Royal Wedding Day”, The Daily Mail
“Diana, Princess of Wales” by Penny Junor
“Princess” by Robert Lacey

The Wedding Attendants

The bridesmaids and pages were sons and daughters of Prince Charles’ relatives and friends. Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, age seventeen, Charles’ first cousin and daughter of Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon, was the maid of honor.

The other bridesmaids were:

• India Hicks, age fourteen, Charles’ goddaughter and daughter of David Hicks and Lady Pamela Hicks, younger daughter of Lord Mountbatten
• Sarah Jane Gaselee, age ten, daughter of Charles’ horse trainer
• Catherine Cameron, age six, Charles’ goddaughter and daughter of Donald Cameron and Lady Cecil Cameron
• Clementine Hambro, age five, one of Diana’s charges at the Young England Kindergarten and the great-granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill

The pages were:

• Lord Nicholas Windsor, age eleven, Charles’ godson and son of The Duke and Duchess of Kent
• Edward van Cutsem, age eight, son of Charles’ racehorse training friends Hugh and Emilie van Cutsem

Sources:
“Invitation to a Royal Wedding” by Kathryn Spink
“A Souvenir of the Royal Wedding” by Lornie Leete-Hodge
“Royal Wedding Day”, The Daily Mail
“Diana, Princess of Wales” by Penny Junor

The Ceremony

Guests started arriving at St. Paul’s Cathedral as soon as the doors were opened at 9 AM on July 29, 1981, and were greeted with cheers from the assembled crowd. There had been only one other royal wedding held at St. Paul’s: the wedding of Arthur, Prince of Wales, the son of Henry VII and Catherine of Aragon, in 1501.

Charles arrived at the cathedral with his brothers Andrew and Edward, who were his “supporters.” Andrew was the principal supporter and performed the tasks usually assigned to the best man. Charles and his brothers walked down the aisle to Henry Purcell’s “Trumpet Tune.” As he reached the aisle’s end, there was a great roar from the crowd outside, signaling the arrival of Diana in the Glass Coach.

As Diana entered the cathedral, the State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry sounded a fanfare. Diana made her three-and-a-half-minute walk up the aisle to the dramatic “Trumpet Voluntary” by Jeremiah Clark. In one arm, Diana carried a bouquet of orchids, stephanotis, gardenias, lilies of the valley, freesias, myrtle, and gold Mountbatten roses. With her other arm, she supported her father, Earl Spencer, who had never completely recovered from a stroke suffered in 1978.

The service began with a hymn. Charles chose “Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation.” Diana’s choice of hymn was “I Vow to Thee My Country,” a favorite hymn from her school days. The same hymn was to be sung at her funeral sixteen years later. The Dean of St. Paul’s introduced the service, but Robert Runcie, the Archbishop of Canterbury, performed the actual marriage ceremony. Diana did not promise “to obey” as royal brides of the past had done.

During the ceremony, both the bride and groom made mistakes. Diana got Charles’ names in the wrong order, while Charles vowed to share all her worldly goods. After reciting their vows, Charles placed the wedding ring on Diana’s finger. The ring, made of 22-karat gold, was fashioned from a nugget found more than fifty years earlier at a mine in North Wales. The same nugget had also been used for the wedding rings of the Queen Mother, the Queen, Princess Margaret, and Princess Anne. The little that was left was used to make the ring for Diana.

Near the end of the seventy-five-minute ceremony, the Archbishop of Canterbury announced to the congregation that “Here is the stuff of which fairy tales are made: the Prince and Princess on their wedding day. Those who are married live happily ever after the wedding day if they persevere in the real adventure which is the royal task of creating each other and creating a more loving world.”

After signing the register, the couple returned to the altar as Dame Kiri Te Kanawa sang Handel’s “Let the Bright Seraphim.” Diana gave a deep curtsey to the Queen before walking back down the aisle to the strain of “Pomp and Circumstance March No. 4 in G” and ‘Crown Imperial.” As the newlyweds left the cathedral, the bells of St. Paul’s rang in jubilation. Soon church bells from all over London joined in the celebration. Charles and Diana, smiling and waving, drove in the 1902 State Postillion Landau down Ludgate Hill, along Fleet Street, past the Law Courts, into the Strand, through Trafalgar Square, into The Mall, and back to Buckingham Palace.

Wedding Guests

2,650 wedding invitations were sent out from the office of The Lord Chamberlain. Most of the invitations went to those who served crown and country: senior armed forces officers, diplomats, politicians, civil servants, local government officials, industrial leaders, and over 200 members of the Queen’s staff from Sandringham, Balmoral, and Windsor. Approximately 3,500 guests attended the wedding.

Most of Europe’s reigning monarchs were present, with the exception of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain. They boycotted because, on their honeymoon, Charles and Diana were boarding the royal yacht at Gibraltar, whose possession is disputed by Spain and the United Kingdom. There were over 160 foreign presidents, prime ministers, and their spouses in attendance.

Diana was given 500 invitations and her parents were given 50 invitations. Diana used her invitations to invite old school friends, the staff at Althorp, her current set of friends, the entire staff she had worked with at the Young England Kindergarten, and the helpful editors of the fashion magazines who helped her choose her trousseau.

Below is a partial guest list.

British Royal Family

• The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, the groom’s parents
• The Prince Andrew, the groom’s brother
• The Prince Edward, the groom’s brother
• The Princess Anne, Mrs. Phillips and Captain Mark Phillips, the groom’s sister and brother-in-law
• Peter Phillips, the groom’s nephew
• Zara Phillips, the groom’s niece
• Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the groom’s maternal grandmother
• The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, the groom’s aunt
• Viscount Linley, the groom’s first cousin
• Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, the groom’s first cousin
• Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, the groom’s grandaunt
• The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the groom’s cousin once removed and his wife
• Earl of Ulster, the groom’s second cousin
• The Duke and Duchess of Kent, the groom’s cousin once removed and his wife
• Earl of St Andrews, the groom’s second cousin
• Lady Helen Windsor, the groom’s second cousin
• Lord Nicholas Windsor, the groom’s second cousin
• Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, the groom’s cousin once removed and his wife
• Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Mrs. Ogilvy and The Hon. Mr. Angus Ogilvy, the groom’s cousin once removed and husband
• James Ogilvy, the groom’s second cousin
• Marina Ogilvy, the groom’s second cousin

Other Relatives of the British Royal Family

• The Earl and Countess of Harewood, the groom’s first cousin once removed and his wife
• The Hon. Gerald Lascelles and Mrs. Lascelles, the groom’s first cousin once removed and his wife
• The Duke of Fife, the groom’s second cousin once removed
• Captain Alexander Ramsay of Mar and The Lady Saltoun, the groom’s second cousin twice removed and his wife
• The Marchioness of Cambridge, widow of the groom’s first cousin twice removed
• Lady Mary and Mr. Peter Whitley, the groom’s second cousin once removed and her husband
• The Duchess and Duke of Beaufort, the groom’s first cousin twice removed and her husband
• Lady May and Sir Henry Abel Smith, the groom’s first cousin twice removed and her husband

Mountbatten Family

• The Countess Mountbatten of Burma and The Lord Brabourne, the groom’s first cousin once removed and her husband
• Lord and Lady Romsey, the groom’s second cousin and his wife
• The Hon. Michael-John Knatchbull, the groom’s second cousin
• Lady Joanna Knatchbull, the groom’s second cousin
• Lady Amanda Knatchbull, the groom’s second cousin
• The Hon. Philip Knatchbull, the groom’s second cousin
• The Hon. Timothy Knatchbull, the groom’s second cousin
• Lady Pamela and Mr. David Hicks, the groom’s first cousin once removed and her husband
• Miss Edwina Hicks, the groom’s second cousin
• Ashley Hicks, the groom’s second cousin
• India Hicks, the groom’s second cousin

Bowes-Lyon Family

• The Earl and Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne, the groom’s first cousin once removed and his wife
• The Hon. Margaret and Mr. Denys Rhodes, the groom’s first cousin once removed and her husband

Spencer Family

• The Earl and Countess Spencer, the bride’s father and stepmother
• Lady Sarah and Mr. Neil McCorquodale, the bride’s sister and brother-in-law
• Lady Jane and Mr. Robert Fellowes, the bride’s sister and brother-in-law
• Viscount Althorp, the bride’s brother
• Lady Anne and Captain Christopher Wake-Walker, the bride’s paternal aunt and uncle
• Mrs. and Mr. Anthony Duckworth-Chad, the bride’s first cousin and her husband
• Mr. and Mrs. David Wake-Walker, the bride’s first cousin and his wife
• Mr. and Mr.s Richard Wake-Walker, the bride’s first cousin and his wife
• The Major Michael Wake-Walker, the bride’s first cousin
• Mrs. and Major Charles MacFarlane, the bride’s first cousin and her husband
• Captain the Hon. George Spencer, the bride’s paternal great-uncle
• Robert Spencer, the bride’s first cousin, once removed
• Lady Margaret Douglas-Home, the bride’s paternal great-aunt

Roche Family

• The Hon. Frances and Mr. Peter Shand Kydd, the bride’s mother and stepfather
• The Dowager Lady Fermoy, the bride’s maternal grandmother
• The Lord and the Lady Fermoy, the bride’s maternal uncle and aunt
• The Hon. Frances Roche, the bride’s first cousin
• The Hon. Maurice Roche, the bride’s first cousin
• The Hon. Hugh Roche, the bride’s first cousin
• The Hon. Mary and Mr. Michael Gunningham, the bride’s maternal aunt and uncle
• Alexandra Berry, the bride’s first cousin
• Antonia Berry, the bride’s first cousin
• Edward Berry, the bride’s first cousin

Hamilton Family

• The Dowager Duchess of Abercorn, the bride’s paternal great-aunt by marriage
• The Duke and The Duchess of Abercorn, the bride’s paternal first cousin, once removed, and his wife

Foreign Royalty

• The Aga Khan and Princess Salimah Aga Khan
• Prince and Princess Ludwig of Baden (the groom’s first cousin and his wife)
• King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola of the Belgians
• Tsar Simeon II and Tsaritsa Margarita of Bulgaria
• Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik of Denmark
• Prince George Valdemar of Denmark
• King Constantine II of the Hellenes (the groom’s second cousin)
• Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece
• Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark
• Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark
• Prince and Princess George William of Hanover (the groom’s aunt and uncle)
• Prince Georg of Hanover (the groom’s first cousin)
• Prince and Princess Karl of Hesse (the groom’s first cousin and his wife)
• Princess Christina Margarethe of Hesse and Robert van Eyck (the groom’s first cousin and her husband)
• Princess Dorothea and Prince Friedrich Karl of Windisch-Grätz (the groom’s first cousin and her husband)
• Princess Marina of Windisch-Grätz
• Prince and Princess Kraft of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (the groom’s first cousin and his wife)
• Prince and Princess Andreas of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (the groom’s first cousin and his wife)
• Prince and Princess Albrecht of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (the groom’s first cousin and his wife)
• Princess Beatrix of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (the groom’s first cousin)
• Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko of Japan
• Crown Prince Hassan and Crown Princess Sarvath of Jordan
• Queen ‘Mamohato Bereng Seeiso of Lesotho
• Prince Franz Josef II and Princess Gina of Liechtenstein
• Prince Hans-Adam and Princess Marie of Liechtenstein
• Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg
• Princess Grace of Monaco
• Albert, Hereditary Prince of Monaco
• Prince Gyanendra and Princess Komal of Nepal
• Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus of the Netherlands
• King Olav V of Norway
• Crown Prince Harald and Crown Princess Sonja of Norway
• King Michael and Queen Anne of Romania
• King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden
• Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler and Mr. John Ambler
• Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand
• King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou and Queen Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe of Tonga
• Malietoa Tanumafil of Western Samoa
• Prince Gabieni and Princess Lindiow of Swaziland
• Crown Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia
• Prince and Princess Tomislav of Yugoslavia (the groom’s first cousin and her husband)
• Prince Nikola of Yugoslavia
• Princess Katarina of Yugoslavia (the groom’s first cousin once removed)
• Prince Christopher of Yugoslavia
• Princess Maria Tatiana of Yugoslavia
• Princess Olga of Yugoslavia
• Prince and Princess Alexander of Yugoslavia (the groom’s second cousin and his wife)
• Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia (the groom’s second cousin)

Representatives of Governments

• Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
• François Mitterrand, President of the French Republic
• Karl Carstens, President of the Federal Republic of Germany
• Bülend Ulusu, Prime Minister of Turkey, and his wife
• Mrs. Nancy Reagan, First Lady of the United States
• Sir Zelman Cowen, Governor-General of Australia, and Lady Cowen
• Sir Gerald Cash, Governor-General of the Bahamas, and Lady Cash
• Sir Deighton Lisle Ward, Governor-General of Barbados, and Lady Ward
• Edward Schreyer, Governor-General of Canada, and Mrs. Schreyer
• Ratu Sir George Cakobau, Governor-General of Fiji, and Lady Lelea Seruwaia Balekiwai
• Sir Paul Scoon, Governor-General of Grenada, and Lady Scoon
• Sir Florizel Glasspole, Governor-General of Jamaica, and Lady Glasspole
• Sir Dayendranath Burrenchobay, Governor-General of Mauritius, and Lady Burenchobay
• Sir David Beattie, Governor-General of New Zealand, and Lady Beattie
• Sir Tore Lokoloko, Governor-General of Papua New Guinea, and Lady Lokoloko
• Sir Baddeley Devesi, Governor-General of the Solomon Islands, and Lady Devesi
• Sir Sydney Gun-Munro, Governor-General of St. Vincent and the Grenadines
• Spyros Kyprianou, President of Cyprus
• Aurelius Marie, President of Dominica
• Sir Dawda Jawara, President of Gambia
• Forbes Burnham, President of Guyana
• Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, President of Iceland
• Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, President of India
• Ieremia Tabai, President of Kiribati
• Hastings Banda, President of Malawi
• Hammer DeRoburt, President of Nauru
• António Ramalho Eanes, President of Portugal
• France-Albert René, President of Seychelles
• Junius Richard Jayewardene, President of Sri Lanka
• Sir Ellis Clarke, President of Trinidad and Tobago
• Canaan Banana, President of Zimbabwe
• Ati George Sokomanu, President of Vanuatu
• Mrs. Fulera Limann, wife of the President of Ghana
• Mrs. Miria Obote, wife of the President of Uganda
• Mrs. Betty Kaunda, wife of the President of Zambia
• Mwai Kibaki, Vice President of Kenya
• Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme, Vice President of Nigeria

Sources:
“Invitation to a Royal Wedding” by Kathryn Spink
“A Souvenir of the Royal Wedding” by Lornie Leete-Hodge
“Royal Wedding Day”, The Daily Mail
“Diana, Princess of Wales” by Penny Junor
“The British Royal Family: Great Front Pages” by Anthony Holden
Wikipedia: List of wedding guests of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer

The Wedding Luncheon

After the ceremony, the couple returned to Buckingham Palace for their wedding breakfast. Following five balcony appearances and one royal kiss, they attended a three-course luncheon held for 118 of their closest friends and relatives. The luncheon, prepared in the Buckingham Palace kitchens, was served in the Ball Supper Room. The meal consisted of brill coated in lobster sauce, supreme de volaille Princesse de Galles, strawberries and cream, served with 3 different wines. The five-tiered, 225-pound hexagonal wedding cake was cut by Prince Charles, using his ceremonial sword. The cake was made by the Royal Navy Cookery School in Chatham. It took four men two days to sort the fruit and check each currant, raisin, and cherry. Master baker, Chief Petty Officer David Avery, spent eleven weeks creating the cake, etching the couple’s coats of arms, family crests, and pictures of their homes, in color on the white icing.

Sources:
“Invitation to a Royal Wedding” by Kathryn Spink
“A Souvenir of the Royal Wedding” by Lornie Leete-Hodge
“Royal Wedding Day”, The Daily Mail
“Diana, Princess of Wales” by Penny Junor

The Honeymoon

After the wedding breakfast, Charles and Diana left Buckingham Palace in an open carriage decorated with heart-shaped balloons sporting imprints of the Prince of Wales’ feathers, and a “Just Married” sign scrawled in lipstick borrowed from a lady-in-waiting, placed there by supporters Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. Charles had changed into a gray suit and Diana into a melon-colored silk suit designed by Belville Sasson and a matching hat by Knightsbridge milliner John Boyd. She was also wearing the same six-strand pearl choker that her sister Sarah had worn to the wedding. Sarah went home bare-necked.

They departed Waterloo Station for Broadlands, the family home of the Mountbattens, where Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip spent their wedding night in 1947. Lord and Lady Romsey, the current residents, had moved out to give Charles and Diana the entire run of the estate. There they spent two days in peace, away from crowds, and three nights in a large four-poster bed in the Portico Room.

After Broadlands, Charles and Diana flew from Eastleigh Airport to Gibraltar, where the couple boarded the royal yacht Britannia for a Mediterranean cruise. The cruise included stops in Tunisia, Sicily, Egypt, and the Greek Islands. The course of the Britannia was kept a secret to ensure the couple’s privacy. Twelve days later, Britannia docked at Port Said, Egypt, where Charles and Diana entertained Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and his wife Jihan. After sailing through the Suez Canal and into the northern Red Sea, the couple flew to Scotland to join the rest of the Royal Family at Balmoral.

Sources:
“Invitation to a Royal Wedding” by Kathryn Spink
“A Souvenir of the Royal Wedding” by Lornie Leete-Hodge
“Royal Wedding Day”, The Daily Mail
“Diana, Princess of Wales” by Penny Junor
“Princess” by Robert Lacey

Children

Charles and Diana had two sons:

• Prince William, The Prince of Wales (born 1982), married Catherine Middleton, had two sons and one daughter, British Royal Family will descend through this marriage
• Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (born 1984), married Meghan Markle, had one son and one daughter

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Prince George, Duke of York (the future King George VI of the United Kingdom) and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon were married on April 26, 1923, at Westminster Abbey in London, England.

• Unofficial Royalty: Westminster Abbey in London, England

Prince Albert’s Family

HRH Prince Albert Frederick Arthur George was born on December 14, 1895, the anniversary of the death in 1861 of his great-grandfather Prince Albert. The baby’s father was George, Duke of York (later George V) and his mother was Princess Victoria Mary of Teck (later Queen Mary). In his family, the new baby was always known as Bertie, but he was formally known as Prince Albert.

Queen Victoria received the news with mixed feelings. Her son, the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) wrote to his son, the new baby’s father: “Grandmama was rather distressed that this happy event should have taken place on a darkly sad anniversary for us, but I think – as well as most of us in the family here – that it will break the spell of this unlucky date.”

Bertie had four brothers and one sister: Edward (1894) succeeded his father as Edward VIII, abdicated and was then styled HRH The Duke of Windsor; Mary (1897), later Princess Royal, married the 6th Earl of Harewood; Henry (1900), the Duke of Gloucester, married Lady Alice Montagu-Douglas-Scott; George (1902), the Duke of Kent, married Princess Marina of Greece; John (1905) died of epilepsy complications in 1919.

In 1901, Bertie’s great-grandmother Queen Victoria died, and his grandfather succeeded her as Edward VII. Bertie’s father George was created Prince of Wales in 1901. When his grandfather died in 1910, Bertie’s father ascended the throne as George V. Bertie’s elder brother Edward (known in the family as David) was created Prince of Wales in 1911.

Bertie, as a second son, grew up without any specific training for the throne. Following the tradition for second sons in the Royal Family, he entered the Royal Navy in 1913 and saw action during World War I. In 1916, Bertie was created a Knight of the Garter, and in 1920, he was created Baron Killarney, Earl of Inverness, and Duke of York, the same titles his father had received in 1892. In 1936, Bertie ascended the throne as King George VI upon the abdication of his brother.

• Unofficial Royalty: King George VI of the United Kingdom

Source:
“Brewer’s British Royalty” by David Williamson

Lady Elizabeth’s Family

Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, on right, and her brother David, at St. Paul’s Waldenbury in 1905

Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was born on August 4, 1900, in London. She was the fourth daughter and the ninth of ten children of Claude Bowes-Lyon, Lord Glamis (who succeeded his father as 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne in 1904) and Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck, a descendant of a number of noble families including the Dukes of Portland, the Dukes of Devonshire, the Earls of Oxford and the Kings of Ireland. Little Elizabeth bore the courtesy title of “Honorable” until her father became Earl when she exchanged it for “Lady.”

Elizabeth had three sisters and six brothers: Violet (1882) died in childhood; Mary (1883) married Baron Elphinstone; Patrick (1884), the future Earl of Strathmore, married Lady Dorothy Osborne, the daughter of the Duke of Leeds; John Herbert (1886) married Fenella Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefuss; Alexander (1887) died unmarried; Fergus (1889) was killed in World War I; Rose (1890) married the Earl of Granville; Michael (1893) married Elizabeth Cator; David (1902) married Rachel Spender-Clay.

Elizabeth was brought up at Glamis Castle and educated privately. She was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Bertie’s sister, Princess Mary and Viscount Lascelles in 1922.

The Bowes-Lyon family is an old Scottish family. Robert II of Scotland granted Sir John Lyon the Thaneage of Glamis in 1372 as a reward for service. In 1376, Sir John married Joanna, a daughter of Robert II of Scotland. Their grandson Patrick was created Lord Glamis in 1445. The 9th Lord Glamis, also a Patrick, was created Earl of Kinghorne in 1606. His grandson, the 3rd Earl, obtained a charter in 1677 stating that he and his heirs “should in all future ages be styled Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne, Viscounts Lyon, Barons Glamis, Tannadyce, Sidlaw and Strathdichtie.” The 9th Earl married a Durham heiress, Mary Eleanor Bowes, and, as a condition of the marriage settlement, assumed the surname Bowes. Their sons, the 10th and 11th Earls, and their grandson the 12th Earl, adopted the surname Lyon-Bowes, but the 13th Earl reversed the order to the current Bowes-Lyon.

• Unofficial Royalty: Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, Queen of the United Kingdom

Sources:
Glamis Castle, http://www.great-houses-scotland.co.uk/glamis
Bowes Family of Brompton, Northallerton, Yorkshire, http://www.bowe.demon.co.uk/Ancientbowes.html
“The Queen” by Elizabeth Longford
“Thirty Years A Queen” by Geoffrey Wakeford

The Engagement

Engagement Portrait

Although they had met at a tea party in 1916, Bertie and Elizabeth had their first significant meeting on July 8, 1920, at the Royal Air Force Ball at the Ritz in London. Bertie had come to the ball with his equerry James Stuart, the youngest son of the Earl of Moray. Elizabeth and James were old friends from Scotland and shared a dance. Bertie questioned James about his dance partner and asked to be introduced. Although the meeting did not make much of an impression upon Elizabeth, Bertie fell in love that evening and started courting Elizabeth. He first proposed to her in 1921 and was rejected because Elizabeth feared the changes in her life required by being a member of the Royal Family. Elizabeth served as a bridesmaid in the wedding of Bertie’s sister Mary in February 1922. The following month, Bertie again proposed to her and was turned down once more. On January 2, 1923, after taking Elizabeth to dinner at Claridge’s and the theater, Bertie proposed a third time. After talking to friends and relatives and expressing her feelings in the diary, Elizabeth agreed to marry Bertie on January 14, 1923, although she still had misgivings.

Sources:
“Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother: The Official Biography” by William Shawcross
“The Queen Mother” by Elizabeth Longford

The Trousseau

Designers from New York, Paris, London, Rome, and Australia contributed to Lady Elizabeth’s trousseau, which included 65 formal gowns, over a hundred morning, tea, and evening dresses, and 72 fur coats and hats.

The bride-to-be received some spectacular jewels. As an engagement ring, Bertie had given her a large, dark oval sapphire from Kashmir surrounded by diamonds. Her father, the Earl of Strathmore, gave her a platinum and diamond tiara with five large roses of gems separated by sprays of diamonds. From King George V, she received a diamond ribbon bow brooch. Her godmother presented her with a diamond and emerald arrow. Bertie also gave her a diamond replica of the badge of his naval cap and a diamond cluster corsage brooch designed as a spray of flowers with three diamond pendants suspended from a chain of platinum.

Sources:
“Thirty Years A Queen”, Geoffrey Wakeford
“Elizabeth and Philip” by Charles Higham and Roy Moseley

The Wedding Attire

The bride’s dress was designed by Madame Handley-Seymour of New Bond Street, London. It was a pearl-embroidered gown of ivory-tinted chiffon moiré. The veil was an old “point de Flandres” veil loaned by Queen Mary. The train was made of machine-made lace from Nottingham in support of industry instead of the traditional handmade lace. Lady Elizabeth wore a double strand of matched pearls around her neck. The bridesmaids’ dresses were made of white chiffon lace, also from Nottingham. In their hair, they wore myrtle green leaves and a white rose with a sprig of white heather.

Sources:
“Royal Weddings” by Dulcie M. Ashdown
“Thirty Years A Queen” by Geoffrey Wakeford

The Bridesmaids

Lady Elizabeth had an escort of eight bridesmaids.

• Lady Mary Cambridge, age 26, daughter of Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge and Lady Margaret Grosvenor, niece of Queen Mary and first cousin of the groom
• Lady May Cambridge, age 17, daughter of Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone and Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone, niece of Queen Mary and first cousin of the groom
• Lady Mary Thynne, age 20, daughter of Thomas Thynne, 5th Marquess of Bath and Violet Mordaunt
• Lady Katharine Hamilton, age 23, daughter of James Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn and Lady Rosalind Bingham
• The Honourable Diamond Hardinge, age 22, daughter of Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst and Winifred Selina Sturt
• The Honourable Cecilia Bowes-Lyon, age 11, daughter of Patrick Bowes-Lyon, the future 15th of Strathmore and Kinghorne, and Lady Dorothy Godolphin-Osborne, niece of the bride
• The Honorable Mary Elizabeth Elphinstone, age 11, Sidney Buller-Fullerton-Elphinstone, 16th Lord Elphinstone and Lady Mary Bowes-Lyon, niece of the bride
• Miss Elizabeth Cator, age 24, daughter of John Cator and Maud Adeane, later sister-in-law to the bride as The Honourable Mrs. Michael Bowes-Lyon

Sources:
“Thirty Years A Queen” by Geoffrey Wakeford
Royal Genealogies, http://ftp.cac.psu.edu/~saw/royal/royalgen.html
Directory of Royal Genealogical Data, http://www.dcs.hull.ac.uk/public/genealogy/royal/
Wikipedia: Wedding of Prince Albert, Duke of York and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon

The Ceremony

The wedding of HRH The Duke of York and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was held on April 26, 1923, at Westminster Abbey, London. Before the ceremony, at Buckingham Palace, King George V bestowed upon Bertie the Most Ancient Order of the Thistle, the Scottish counterpart of the Garter, which he had received six years earlier.

The wedding procession started with the Archbishop of Canterbury, followed by the Archbishop of York, the Bishop of London, and the Primate of Scotland. The National Anthem was played followed by Elgar’s Imperial March. As the Royal Family entered the Abbey, the congregation rose. Princess Mary and her husband Viscount Lascelles appeared first followed by Prince George in midshipman’s uniform flanked by Queen Alexandra, the Queen Mother, and her sister Marie, the Dowager Empress of Russia. King George and Queen Mary followed. The King was wearing the full-dress uniform of an admiral. The Queen wore a silver and aquamarine gown with the sash of the Order of the Garter.

Bertie arrived at the Abbey with his brothers the Prince of Wales and Prince Henry. Bertie wore his Royal Air Force Group Captain’s uniform. The Prince of Wales wore a Welsh Guard uniform, and Prince Henry wore a Hussar’s uniform. Their grandmother, Queen Alexandra, rose from her seat and embraced her three grandsons.

Cheers soon were heard announcing the bride’s arrival. Lady Elizabeth and her father entered the Abbey through the Great West Door. As Lady Elizabeth passed the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, whose remains had been brought from France and buried in the Abbey floor three years earlier, she laid her bouquet of white roses on it. No doubt she was thinking of her brother Fergus and all the other British soldiers who died in World War I.

As Elizabeth proceeded down the aisle, the boys’ choir sang Lead Us, Heavenly Father. Randall Thomas Davidson, Archbishop of Canterbury and Cosmo Lang, Archbishop of York waited at the altar to perform the marriage ceremony. After the vows were exchanged, the Archbishop of York addressed the couple: “The warm and generous heart of this people takes you today unto itself. Will you not, in response, take that heart, with all its joys and sorrows, unto your own?”

The choir sang Beloved, Let Us Love One Another, composed by the Westminster Abbey organist Sir Sydney Hugo Nicholson for the wedding of Princess Mary the previous year. The newly-married couple proceeded up the Abbey aisle to Mendelssohn’s Wedding March.

Sources:
“Royal Weddings” by Dulcie M. Ashdown
“Thirty Years A Queen” by Geoffrey Wakeford;
“Elizabeth and Philip” by Charles Higham and Roy Moseley

The Wedding Guests

British Royal Family and Relatives

• King George V and Queen Mary, the groom’s parents
• The Prince of Wales, the groom’s brother
• The Prince Henry, the groom’s brother
• The Prince George, the groom’s brother
• The Princess Mary, Viscountess Lascelles and Henry Lascelles, Viscount Lascelles, the groom’s sister and her husband
• The Honourable George Lascelles, the groom’s nephew
• Queen Alexandra, the groom’s paternal grandmother
• Louise, The Princess Royal, the groom’s paternal aunt
• Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife and Prince Arthur of Connaught, the groom’s first cousin and her husband, the groom’s second cousin
• Alastair Windsor, Earl of Macduff, the groom’s second cousin
• Princess Maud of Fife, the groom’s first cousin
• The Princess Victoria, the groom’s paternal aunt
• The Prince Arthur, The Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, the groom’s paternal great-uncle, son of Queen Victoria
• The Lady Patricia Ramsay (Princess Patricia of Connaught) and Captain Sir Alexander Ramsay, the groom’s first cousin once removed and her husband
• Mr. Alexander Ramsay of Mar, the groom’s second cousin
• Princess Christian (The Princess Helena), the groom’s paternal great-aunt, daughter of Queen Victoria
• Princess Helena Victoria, the groom’s first cousin once removed
• Princess Marie Louise, the groom’s first cousin once removed
• The Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, the groom’s paternal great-aunt, daughter of Queen Victoria
• The Princess Beatrice, the groom’s paternal great-aunt, daughter of Queen Victoria
• Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke and Marchioness of Carisbrooke, the groom’s first cousin once removed and his wife
• Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven (Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine), the groom’s first cousin once removed
• George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven and Marchioness of Milford Haven, the groom’s second cousin and his wife
• Lord Louis Mountbatten and Lady Mountbatten (Edwina Ashley), the groom’s second cousin and his wife
• Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge and Marchioness of Cambridge, the groom’s maternal uncle and aunt
• George Cambridge, Earl of Eltham and Countess of Eltham, the groom’s first cousin and his wife
• Lord Frederick Cambridge, the groom’s first cousin
• Lady Mary Cambridge, the groom’s first cousin
• Lady Helena Gibbs (Lady Helena Cambridge) and Mr. John Gibbs, the groom’s first cousin and her husband
• Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone and Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, the groom’s maternal uncle and aunt
• Rupert Cambridge, Viscount Trematon, the groom’s first cousin
• Lady May Cambridge, the groom’s first cousin

Foreign Royalty Related to the Groom

• King Haakon VII and Queen Maud of Norway, the groom’s paternal aunt and her husband
• Crown Prince Olav of Norway, the groom’s first cousin
• Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, widower of Princess Margaret of Connaught, the groom’s late first cousin once removed
• Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten, the groom’s second cousin
• Princess Ingrid of Sweden, the groom’s second cousin
• Queen Marie of Romania (Princess Marie of Edinburgh), the groom’s first cousin once removed
• Crown Prince Carol and Crown Princess Helen of Romania, the groom’s second cousin and his second wife, also the groom’s second cousin
• Prince Michael of Romania, the groom’s third cousin
• Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, the groom’s first cousin once removed
• Queen Victoria Eugenie (Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg) and King Alfonso XIII of Spain, the groom’s first cousin once removed, and her husband
• Alfonso, Prince of Asturias, the groom’s second cousin
• Infante Jaime of Spain, the groom’s second cousin
• Infante Juan of Spain, the groom’s second cousin
• Infante Gonzalo of Spain, the groom’s second cousin
• Infanta Beatriz of Spain, the groom’s second cousin
• Infanta Maria Cristina of Spain, the groom’s second cousin
• Bernard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, widower of Princess Charlotte of Prussia, the groom’s first cousin once removed
• Princess Heinrich XXX Reuss of Köstritz (Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen), the groom’s second cousin
• Prince and Princess Henry of Prussia (Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine), the groom’s first cousin once removed and his wife, also the groom’s first cousin once removed
• Prince and Princess Waldemar of Prussia (Princess Calixta of Lippe-Biesterfeld), the groom’s second cousin and his wife
• Queen Mother Sophie of the Hellenes (Princess Sophie of Prussia), the groom’s first cousin, once removed
• King George II and Queen Elisabeth of the Hellenes (Princess Elisabeth of Romania), the groom’s second cousin and his wife, also the groom’s second cousin
• Princess Alexander of Greece and Denmark (Aspasia Manos), widow of the groom’s second cousin, King Alexander I of the Hellenes
• Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, the groom’s third cousin
• The Hereditary Princess of Hesse (Princess Margaret of Prussia), the groom’s first cousin once removed
• Prince Wolfgang of Hesse, the groom’s second cousin
• Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig II and Grand Duchess Eleonore of Hesse and by Rhine (Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich), the groom’s first cousin once removed and his wife
• Queen Dowager Louise of Denmark, widow of the groom’s paternal great-uncle King Frederik VIII of Denmark
• King Christian X and Queen Alexandrine of Denmark (Princess Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin), the groom’s second cousin and his wife
• The Duchess of Västergötland  (Princess Ingeborg of Denmark) and Prince Carl of Sweden, Duke of Västergötland, the groom’s second cousin and her husband
• Queen Dowager Olga of the Hellenes (Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia), the groom’s great-aunt
• Empress Dowager Maria Feodorovna of All the Russias (Princess Dagmar of Denmark), the groom’s great-aunt
• The Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Princess Thyra of Denmark) and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Ernst August, formerly Crown Prince of Hanover, 3rd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale), the groom’s great-aunt and her husband
• Prince Valdemar of Denmark, the groom’s great-uncle
• Prince and Princess Axel of Denmark, the groom’s second cousin and his wife
• Princess René of Bourbon-Parma (Princess Margaret of Denmark), the groom’s second cousin
• The Dowager Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Elizabeth of Anhalt), widow of the groom’s first cousin once removed Adolphus Friedrich V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz,
• Princess Julius Ernst of Lippe (Marie of Mecklenburg-Strelitz), second cousin of the groom
• The Crown Princess (Jutta of Mecklenburg-Strelitz) and Crown Prince Danilo of Montenegro, second cousin of the groom and her husband

The Bride’s Family

• Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne and Countess of Strathmore
• and Kinghorne (Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck), the bride’s parents
• Patrick Bowes-Lyon, Lord Glamis and Lady Glamis (Lady Dorothy Godolphin-Osborne), the bride’s brother and sister-in-law
• John Bowes-Lyon, Master of Glamis, the bride’s nephew
• Mr. Timothy Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s nephew
• Miss Cecilia Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s niece
• Miss Nancy Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s niece
• The Honorable Mr. and Mrs John Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s brother and sister-in-law
• Miss Anne Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s niece
• Miss Nerissa Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s niece
• Mr. Michael Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s brother
• Mr. David Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s brother
• Lady Elphinstone (Lady Mary Bowes-Lyon) and Sidney Buller-Fullerton-Elphinstone, 16th
• Lord Elphinstone, the bride’s sister and brother-in-law
• John Elphinstone, Master of Elphinstone, the bride’s nephew
• The Honorable Andrew Elphinstone, the bride’s nephew
• The Honorable Jean Constance Elphinstone, the bride’s niece
• Lady Rose Leveson-Gower (Rose Bowes-Lyon) and William Leveson-Gower Esq, the bride’s sister and brother-in-law
• Mr Granville James Leveson-Gower, the bride’s nephew
• Miss Mary Cecilia Leveson-Gower, the bride’s niece
• Mr and Mrs Francis Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s paternal uncle and aunt
• Miss Muriel Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s first cousin
• Mr Charles Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s first cousin
• Mr Geoffrey Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s first cousin
• Miss Winnifred Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s first cousin
• Mr Ronald Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s first cousin
• Miss Doris Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s first cousin
• Miss Lillian Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s first cousin
• Mrs Ernest Bowes-Lyon, widow of the bride’s late paternal uncle
• Mr Hubert Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s first cousin
• Miss Susan Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s first cousin
• Miss Dorothea Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s first cousin
• Miss Joan Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s first cousin
• Miss Marjorie Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s first cousin
• Miss Ernestine Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s first cousin
• Mr and Mrs Patrick Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s paternal uncle and aunt
• Mr Jean Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s first cousin
• Miss Margaret Ann Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s first cousin
• Mr and Mrs Malcolm Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s paternal uncle and aunt
• Miss Clodagh Pamela Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s first cousin
• Lady Constance Blackburn and Mr Robert Francis Blackburn, the bride’s paternal aunt and uncle
• Mr Phyllis Blackburn, the bride’s first cousin
• Miss Claudia Blackburn, the bride’s first cousin
• Lady Maud Agness Bowes-Lyon, the bride’s paternal aunt
• Miss Ann Violet Cavendish-Bentinck, the bride’s maternal aunt

Sources:
Wikipedia: Wedding of Prince Albert, Duke of York and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon

The Wedding Breakfast

The wedding breakfast was held at Buckingham Palace with the following menu: Consomme a la Windsor, Supremes de Saumon Reine Mary, Cotelettes d’Agneau Prince Albert, Chapons a la Strathmore, Jambon et Langue Decoupes a l’Aspic, Salade Royale, Asperges, Sauce Creme Mousseuse, Fraises Duchesse Elizabeth, Panier de Friandises, Dessert, Cafe.

Fourteen wedding cakes were made for the wedding breakfast. The most elaborate weighed 300 pounds and had nine tiers with a replica of the couple on top. On the first tier were reproductions of Windsor Castle and St. George’s Chapel. Glamis Castle appeared on the second tier, and on the third tier were Masonic emblems in honor of Bertie and the Earl of Strathmore, who were both Masons. Cupids ringing tiny silver wedding bells moved up and down ladders leading to the top of the cake. After the breakfast, the couple appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

Sources:
“English Royal Cookbook” by Elizabeth Craig
“Thirty Years A Queen” by Geoffrey Wakeford
“Elizabeth and Philip” by Charles Higham and Roy Moseley

The Honeymoon

During the first part of their honeymoon at Polesden Lacey, Surrey

The couple took the train from Waterloo Station, London to Dorking, Surrey where they stayed at Polesden Lacey, the home of society hostess Mrs. Ronald Greville. They continued their honeymoon with a visit to Glamis Castle where Elizabeth became ill with whooping cough. When she recovered, the couple concluded their honeymoon at Frogmore House, Windsor.

Sources:
“Elizabeth and Philip” by Charles Higham and Roy Moseley
“Thirty Years A Queen” by Geoffrey Wakeford
“The Queen” by Elizabeth Longford

Children

Embed from Getty Images 

Bertie and Elizabeth had two children:

• Queen Elizabeth II (1926 – 2022), married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, created Duke of Edinburgh, had three sons and one daughter, including King Charles III, the British Royal Family descends from this marriage
• Princess Margaret (1930 – 2002), married and divorced Antony Armstrong-Jones, created 1st Earl of Snowdon, had one son and one daughter

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