Category Archives: British Royals

The Queen’s Official Birthday

by Scott Mehl

source: British Monarchy; photo by David Bailey

This weekend, Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate her official birthday (although her actual date of birth is April 21st). The day is marked with the Trooping the Colour – also known as the Sovereign’s Birthday Parade. This tradition began in 1748, and has occurred nearly every year since 1820. The Queen herself will take the salute, continuing the tradition begun by her great-grandfather, King Edward VII. It was also Edward VII who moved his official birthday from November to June, to capitalize on the better weather. Since 1959, Her Majesty’s official birthday has been held on the second Saturday in June. Read more about Trooping the Colour here!

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The Sovereign also issues what is known as the Birthday Honours – a listing of those people being appointed to the various orders, or being awarded with various decorations and medals. Birthday Honours have been given annually since at least 1860, during the reign of Queen Victoria. This is one of two lists per year, the other being the New Year Honours.

This year, as we celebrate Her Majesty’s 92th birthday, our friends at Country & Stable have put together a fun page of facts and trivia about The Queen. Check it out and find out what The Queen was doing when she was your age!

What was the Queen doing at your age?

Wedding of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Photo Credit – https://www.royal.uk, photo by Alex Lubomirski

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were married on May 19, 2018, at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England. On the day of the wedding, Prince Harry was created Duke of Sussex, Earl of Dumbarton, and Baron Kilkeel. His wife is styled Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex.

The Family of Prince Harry

Prince Harry and his family in 1987; Photo Credit – www.dailymail.co.uk

HRH Prince Henry Charles Albert David was born on September 15, 1984, at St. Mary’s Hospital in the Paddington section of London. Known as Prince Harry, he was the second of the two children of Charles, The Prince of Wales, now King Charles III, and the former Lady Diana Spencer. At the time of his birth, Harry was third in line of succession behind his father and brother Prince William. Charles was the eldest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip of Greece. Upon his mother’s accession to the throne in 1952, Charles became her heir. He was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester on July 26, 1958. In 2022, upon the death of his mother, Prince Harry’s father became King Charles III.

Diana was the third of the four surviving children of Edward John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer and The Honourable Frances Ruth Roche, younger daughter of the 4th Baron Fermoy. 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. Most recently, Diana’s grandmother, Lady Fermoy, was a close friend and a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Diana’s father served as equerry to King George VI and 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.

Harry’s older brother Prince William was born on June 21, 1982. Unfortunately, the marriage of Harry’s parents was not a happy one. The couple 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. Accompanied by their father, their grandfather Prince Philip, and their uncle the 9th Earl Spencer, William and his brother Harry walked behind their mother’s coffin during her funeral procession. In 2005, Harry’s father married Camilla Parker-Bowles with whom he had a romantic relationship before and during his marriage.

The Family of Meghan Markle

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Meghan and her mother Doria Ragland attend the Invictus Games with Prince Harry

Rachel Meghan Markle, born on August 4, 1981, in Los Angeles, California, is the daughter of Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland. Her father is a cinematographer and lighting director and worked on the primetime shows Married With Children and Facts of Life and the daytime shows General Hospital and Santa Barbara. He is the winner of two Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Direction for a Drama Series and was nominated six other times. Meghan’s mother has a master’s degree in social work and works as a clinical therapist and yoga instructor. Meghan told Elle magazine in 2016, “My dad is Caucasian and my mom is African American. I’m half black and half white.” Meghan has two much older half-siblings from her father’s first marriage: Samantha Markle Grant born in 1965 and Thomas Markle Jr. born in 1966.

Meghan grew up and was educated at private schools in Los Angeles, California. She attended elementary school at Hollywood Little Red Schoolhouse and then attended Immaculate Heart High School, an all-girls high school. Meghan graduated from Northwestern University in Chicago Illinois in 2003 with a double major in theater and international relations. In 2011, Meghan married her long-time boyfriend Trevor Engelson, a film and television producer. The couple divorced in 2013.

Growing up in Hollywood and with a lighting director as a father, Meghan was around the entertainment industry and knew she would end up in show business in some capacity. Her first acting job was a one-episode role on the daytime show General Hospital in 2002. Thereafter, she had small roles on television shows and in several films. To help support herself, Meghan took on freelance calligraphy jobs. Starting in 2011, Meghan appeared on Suits, an American legal drama television series, playing Rachel Zane, a senior paralegal with dreams of going to law school.

The Engagement

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s personal relationship started in June 2016, when they were introduced by a mutual friend. On November 8, 2016, Kensington Palace confirmed Meghan was “a few months” into a relationship with Prince Harry in a statement from the prince asking for the media harassment of Meghan and her family to end.

The engagement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was announced on November 27, 2017. They became engaged earlier in November 2017 in London. Meghan was the second American and the first person of mixed-race heritage to marry into the British royal family.

The Succession to the Crown Act 2013 states that the monarch must approve or disapprove marriages of the first six persons in the line of succession. Because Harry was fifth in the line of succession to the British throne at the time of his engagement, it was necessary that he obtain Queen Elizabeth II’s permission to marry. The Queen’s consent was declared to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom on March 14, 2018.

Instead of wedding presents, Harry and Meghan requested that people make a charitable donation and provided a list of seven organizations:

The Engagement Ring

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Meghan Markle’s engagement ring was designed by Prince Harry with the help of Cleave and Company, court jewelers to The Queen. The ring which is on a gold band features a cushion diamond from Botswana and two outside stones from the personal collection of Harry’s mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

Partial Guest List

About 600 people were invited to the wedding service at St. George’s Chapel.  The guests arrived at the Round Tower of Windsor Castle by bus and then walked to the South Door of St. George’s Chapel.  At 11:20 AM, members of the royal family made their way from Windsor Castle either by foot or by car and entered St. George’s Chapel via the Galilee Porch.

British Royal Family

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  • Queen Elizabeth II: Harry’s grandmother
  • Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh: Harry’s grandfather
  • Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales: Harry’s father
  • Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall: Harry’s stepmother
  • Prince William, Duke of Cambridge: Harry’s brother and best man
  • Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge: Harry’s sister-in-law
  • Prince Andrew, Duke of York: Harry’s paternal uncle and godfather
  • Princess Beatrice of York: Harry’s paternal first cousin
  • Princess Eugenie of York: Harry’s paternal first cousin
  • Jack Brooksbank: fiancé of Princess Eugenie of York
  • Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex: Harry’s paternal uncle
  • Sophie, Countess of Wessex: wife of the Earl of Wessex
  • Lady Louise Windsor: Harry’s paternal first cousin
  • James, Viscount Severn: Harry’s paternal first cousin
  • Anne, Princess Royal: Harry’s paternal aunt
  • Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence: husband of Anne, Princess Royal
  • Peter Phillips: Harry’s paternal first cousin
  • Autumn Phillips: Peter Phillips’s wife
  • Zara Tindall: Harry’s paternal first cousin
  • Mike Tindall: Zara Tindall’s husband
  • David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon: the late Princess Margaret’s son, nephew of Queen Elizabeth II
  • Serena Armstrong-Jones, Countess of Snowdon: Earl of Snowdon’s wife
  • Charles Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley: Earl of Snowdon’s son
  • Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones: Earl of Snowdon’s daughter
  • Lady Sarah Chatto: the late Princess Margaret’s daughter, Harry’s godmother, niece of Queen Elizabeth II
  • Daniel Chatto: Lady Sarah Chatto’s husband
  • Arthur Chatto: Lady Sarah Chatto’s son
  • Samuel Chatto: Lady Sarah Chatto’s son
  • Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester: Queen Elizabeth II’s paternal first cousin
  • Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester: Duke of Gloucester’s wife
  • Prince Edward, Duke of Kent: Queen Elizabeth II’s paternal first cousin
  • Katharine, Duchess of Kent: Duke of Kents’s wife
  • Prince Michael of Kent: Queen Elizabeth II’s paternal first cousin
  • Princess Michael of Kent (Marie-Christine): Prince Michael of Kent’s wife
  • Princess Alexandra, The Honorable Lady Ogilvy: Queen Elizabeth II’s paternal first cousin

Meghan Markle’s Family

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  • Doria Ragland: Meghan’s mother

Spencer Family

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Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer and his wife Karen Spencer, Countess Spencer
  • Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer: Harry’s maternal uncle
  • Karen Spencer, Countess Spencer: Earl Spencer’s third wife
  • Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp: Harry’s maternal first cousin
  • Lady Kitty Spencer: Harry’s maternal first cousin
  • Lady Eliza Spencer: Harry’s maternal first cousin
  • Lady Sarah McCorquodale: Harry’s maternal aunt
  • Neil McCorquodale: Lady Sarah’s husband
  • Emily Hutt, Harry’s first maternal cousin, and her husband James Hutt
  • George McCorquodale, Harry’s first maternal cousin
  • Celia McCorquodale, Harry’s first maternal cousin
  • Lady Jane Fellowes, Baroness Fellowes: Harry’s maternal aunt
  • Robert Fellowes, Baron Fellowes: Lady Jane’s husband
  • Laura Pettman, Harry’s maternal first cousin
  • Alexander Fellowes, Harry’s first maternal cousin
  • Eleanor Fellowes, Harry’s first maternal cousin
  • Victoria Aitken: Earl Spencer’s first wife, the mother of his four eldest children

Foreign Royalty 

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Prince Seeiso arrives with an unidentified woman

Prince Seeiso of Lesotho and his wife were the only foreign royalty attending the wedding.

  • Prince Seeiso of Lesotho: a friend of Harry and co-founder, with Harry, of the charity Sentebale
  • Princess Mabereng of Lesotho: wife of Prince Seeiso

Guests Sitting in the Quire (besides family members)

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  • Alessandra Balazs: Harry’s friend, became friends with Meghan
  • Carolyn Bartholomew: Harry’s godmother, friend of Diana, Princess of Wales, and her husband William Bartholomew
  • George Clooney: American actor, and his wife human rights lawyer Amal Clooney
  • Nicholas Walton Collins: Meghan’s former agent, and his wife Amelia Walton Collins
  • Adrian Dandridge: community worker in Botswana
  • Sophie Dandridge: community worker in Botswana
  • Heather Dorak: celebrity Pilates instructor, Meghan’s friend, and her husband Matt Cohen
  • Ed Lane Fox: Harry’s private secretary, and his wife Sonia Lane Fox
  • Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster
  • Natalia Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster: widow of the 6th Duke of Westminster
  • Lady Viola Grosvenor: sister of the 7th Duke of Westminster
  • Janina Gavankar: Meghan’s close friend and fellow actress
  • Michael Hess: American oil tycoon
  • Genevieve Hillis: Meghan’s long-time friend and former sorority sister
  • Daisy Jenks: Harry’s friend
  • Lindsay Jordan: author and Meghan’s friend also known as Lindsay Roth, and her husband Gavin Jordan
  • Celine Khavarani: Meghan’s friend
  • Brian Kocinski: Meghan’s friend
  • Arthur Landon: Harry’s long-time friend
  • Katalin Landon: Harry’s friend
  • The Honorable Dame Shan Legge-Bourke: mother of William and Harry’s nanny Tiggy Pettifer
  • Abraham Levy: friend of the couple
  • Benita Litt: Meghan’s close friends, and her husband Darren Litt
  • Sir John Major: Prime Minister from 1990 to 1997, and his wife Dame Norma Major, Lady Major
  • Isabel May: Meghan’s close friend
  • Lucy Meadmore: Meghan’s long-time friend
  • Jessica Mulroney: one of Meghan’s best friends, her three children were in the wedding party, and her husband Benedict Mulroney
  • Misha Nonoo: fashion designer, friend who set up Harry and Meghan’s blind date
  • Charles Pettifer: Tiggy Pettifer’s husband
  • Tiggy Pettifer: William and Harry’s nanny, formerly known as Tiggy Legge-Bourke
  • Sarah, Duchess of York: Harry’s former aunt by marriage, mother of Harry’s cousins Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie
  • Julia Samuel: close friend of Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince George’s godmother, and her husband, The Honorable Michael Samuel: chairman of the Anna Freud Centre’s trustees and Julia’s husband
  • Jill Smoller: high profile sports agent
  • Abigail Leigh Spencer: actress in Suits with Meghan
  • Silver Tree: producer and director of Suits
  • Emilie van Cutsem: widow of Prince Charles’ close friend Hugh van Cutsem
  • Charlie van Straubenzee: Harry’s long-time friend
  • Thomas van Straubenzee: known as Van, one of Harry’s best friends
  • Samuel Vestey, 3rd Baron Vestey: Master of the Horse to the Royal Household
  • Amanda Ward: widow of Harry’s godfather Gerald Ward
  • Lady Carolyn Warren: racing manager
  • John Warren: Lady Carolyn’s husband and The Queen’s current racing adviser
  • Susanna Warren: daughter of Lady Carolyne Warren
  • Jessie Webb: William and Harry’s nanny
  • Serena Williams: tennis player, Meghan’s friend, and her husband Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit
  • Oprah Winfrey: American talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist

Partial List of Other Guests (sitting in the nave)

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  • Patrick J. Adams: actor in Suits with Meghan, and his wife actress Troian Bellisario
  • Natasha Archer, personal stylist of the Duchess of Cambridge
  • David Beckham: soccer player, and his wife Victoria Beckham, fashion designer, model, and singer
  • James Blunt: singer-songwriter, and his wife Sofia Wellesley, granddaughter of the late 8th Duke of Wellington
  • Cressida Bonas: former girlfriend of Harry
  • Tom Bradby: British broadcaster, Harry’s friend , and his wife Claudia Bradby
  • Kevin Bray: director of Suits, and his wife Sophie de Rakoff
  • Priyanka Chopra: actress and Meghan’s friend
  • Amanda Cook Tucker, hairdresser of the Duchess of Cambridge
  • James Corden: actor, writer, producer, comedian, television host, and his wife Julia Carey
  • Baron Dannatt: retired general of the British army, and his wife Lady Dannatt
  • Chelsy Davy: former girlfriend of Harry
  • Rebecca Deacon: the Duchess of Cambridge’s former private secretary, and her husband Adam Priestley
  • Mark Dyer: former equerry to The Prince of Wales, and his wife Amanda Dyer
  • Idris Elba: actor, and his fiancée Sabrina Dhowre
  • Nacho Figueras: Argentine polo player, and his wife Delfina Blaquier
  • Dr. Noel Fitzpatrick: Channel 4 show Supervet, treated Meghan’s dog
  • Rick Genow: Meghan’s attorney
  • Will Greenwood: former rugby player, and his wife Caroline Greenwood
  • Lady Edwina Grosvenor: daughter of the late 6th Duke of Westminster, and her husband television presenter Dan Snow
  • Paddy Harverson: former communications secretary to the Prince of Wales, and his wife Mel Harverson
  • Bonnie Hammer: Chairman of NBCUniversal Cable and a mentor to Meghan
  • Tom Hardy: actor and producer, and his wife actress Charlotte Riley
  • James Haskell: rugby player, and his fiancée television presenter Chloe Madeley
  • Miguel Head: Prince William’s private secretary
  • David Henson: parasport athlete, Harry’s friend, and his wife Hayley Henson
  • Princess Xenia zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg: niece of the Duke of Edinburgh  (non-reigning royalty)
  • Rick Hoffman: actor in Suits with Meghan
  • Olivia Hunt: Harry’s friend
  • Tom Inskip: Harry’s friend, and his wife Laura Inskip
  • Sir Elton John: English singer, pianist, and composer, and his husband David Furnish
  • Nick Jones: Soho House founder
  • Jason Knauf: communications secretary of Prince Harry and the Duke of Cambridge
  • Aaron Korsh: creator and writer of Suits
  •  Amber Le Bon: model, Harry’s friend
  • Karl Lokko: youth community activist, Harry’s friend, and his wife Cassandra Lokko
  • Laura Lopes: Harry’s stepsister
  • Alex Lubomirski: official engagement and wedding photographer, and his wife Giada Lubomirski
  • Gabriel Macht: actor in Suits with Meghan, and his wife actress Jacinda Barrett
  • Tereza Maxová: model
  • Katrina McKeever: royal press officer
  • Andrew Meyer: Meghan’s business manager
  • Michael and Carole Middleton: parents of the Duchess of Cambridge
  • Pippa Middleton: sister of the Duchess of Cambridge, and her husband James Matthews
  • James Middleton: brother of the Duchess of Cambridge
  • Ellen Miller-Alexander: husband serves the royal family and drove the car that took Meghan and her mother  to the wedding ceremony
  • Sir Keith Mills: Chairman of the Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, and his wife Maureen, Lady Mills
  • Keleigh Thomas Morgan: Meghan’s former agent
  • Carey Mulligan: actress and singer, and her husband Marcus Mumford, lead singer of the band Mumford & Sons
  • Prince Franz Albrecht zu Oettingen-Spielberg: Harry’s friend, and his wife actress (Princess) Cleopatra von Adelsheim (non-reigning royalty)
  • Patricia Palmer Tompkinson: friend of the royal family
  • Tom Parker-Bowles: Harry’s step-brother, and his wife Sara Parker-Bowles
  • Gabriela Peacock: nutritionist
  • Guy Pelly: nightclub owner, Harry’s friend, and his wife Elizabeth Pelly
  • Sarah Rafferty: actress in Suits with Meghan, and her husband Aleksanteri Olli-Pekka Seppälä
  • Amanda Schull: actress in Suits with Meghan
  • Baroness Shackleton of Belgravia: royal solicitor
  • Sir Nicholas Soames: former equerry and friend of Prince Charles, and his wife Karen, Lady Soames
  • Joss Stone: singer, songwriter, and actress
  • Gina Torres: actress in Suits with Meghan
  • Alexander van Straubenzee: Harry’s close friend
  • Claire van Straubenzee: Harry’s close friend
  • William van Straubenzee: Harry’s close friend
  • Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo: nanny of Prince George and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge
  • The Honorable William Vestey: son and heir of Samuel Vestey, 3rd Baron Vestey, and his wife contributing editor for British Vogue Violet Vestey
  • Jake Warren: Harry’s close friend, and his wife Zoe Warren
  • Violet von Westenholz: Ralph Lauren publicist, Harry and Meghan’s friend

The Wedding Attendants

Harry and Meghan with the bridesmaids and page boys; Credit – https://www.royal.uk, photo by Alex Lubomirski

Meghan decided not have a maid of honor because she had a very close group of friends and did not want to choose one over the others and so, in accordance with royal tradition, her bridesmaids were children.

Best Man:

  • Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, brother of the groom

Bridesmaids:

  • Princess Charlotte of Cambridge: age 3, niece of Prince Harry, daughter of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
  • Florence van Cutsem: age 3, goddaughter of Prince Harry, daughter of Mrs. Alice van Cutsem and Major Nicholas van Cutsem, a close friend of Prince Harry
  • Remi Litt: age, 6, goddaughter of Meghan Markle, daughter of Mrs. Benita Litt, a close friend of Meghan Markle, and Mr. Darren Litt
  • Rylan Litt: age, 7, goddaughter of Meghan Markle, daughter of Mrs. Benita Litt, a close friend of Meghan Markle, and Mr. Darren Litt)
  • Ivy Mulroney: age 4, daughter of Mrs. Jessica Mulroney, fashion stylist and a close friend of Meghan Markle, and Mr. Benedict Mulroney, a Canadian television host and son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
  • Zalie Warren: age 2, goddaughter of Prince Harry, daughter of Mrs. Zoe Warren and Mr. Jake Warren, a close friend of Prince Harry

Page Boys:

  • Prince George of Cambridge: age 4, nephew of Prince Harry, son of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
  • Jasper Dyer: age 6, godson of Prince Harry, son of Mrs. Amanda Dyer and Mr. Mark Dyer, a former equerry to The Prince of Wales who has been an influence on Prince Harry since his childhood
  • Brian Mulroney: age, 7, twin of John below, son of Mrs. Jessica Mulroney, fashion stylist and a close friend of Meghan Markle, and Mr. Benedict Mulroney, a Canadian television host and son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
  • John Mulroney: age, 7, twin of Brian above, son of Mrs. Jessica Mulroney, fashion stylist and a close friend of Meghan Markle, and Mr. Benedict Mulroney, a Canadian television host and son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney

The Wedding Attire

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Meghan Markle’s wedding dress was designed by British designer Clare Waight Keller, the first female artistic director of the French fashion house Givenchy.  Made of a double-bonded silk cady, the dress had three-quarter sleeves and an open bateau neckline. The lines of the dress extended towards the back where the train flowed in soft round folds.

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The veil was five meters long and was made from silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers in silk threads and organza.  The veil was embroidered with 53 flowers representing the 53 countries of the Commonwealth of Nations.

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The bride’s veil was held in place by Queen Mary’s diamond bandeau tiara, lent by Queen Elizabeth II. The bandeau, made in 1932, consists of diamonds and platinum and has a detachable brooch of ten brilliant diamonds set in the center. The diamond bandeau was made for Queen Mary and specifically designed to feature the center brooch which was given as a present to the then Princess Mary of Teck in 1893 by the County of Lincoln upon her marriage to Prince George, Duke of York (the future King George V).  Upon Queen Mary’s death in 1953, the bandeau and the brooch were bequeathed to Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Mary’s granddaughter.

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The bride’s bouquet, designed by florist Philippa Craddock, was a petite design, made with delicate flowers including scented sweet peas, lily of the valley, astilbe, jasmine and astrantia, and sprigs of myrtle, bound with a naturally dyed, raw silk ribbon. The day before the wedding, Prince Harry handpicked several flowers from the couple’s private garden at Kensington Palace to add to the bouquet. Also included were forget-me-nots, the favorite flower of Diana, Princess of Wales. The couple specifically chose them to be included in the bouquet to honor the memory of the late Princess.

The myrtle in the bridal bouquet is a royal family tradition.  Queen Victoria was given a nosegay containing myrtle during a visit to Gotha in Germany. A sprig from that nosegay was planted against the terrace walls of Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, where it continues to grow. In 1858, myrtle was first used in the bridal bouquet of Victoria, Princess Royal, Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter.

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The Duchess of Sussex’s bridal bouquet resting on the Grave of the Unknown Warrior

The new Duchess of Sussex sent her bridal bouquet to Westminster Abbey to rest on the Grave of the Unknown Warrior. The Grave of the Unknown Warrior is a tribute to the fallen soldiers of the First World War and all those who have since died in international military conflict.  The tradition of royal brides’ bouquets being placed on the grave was started by the future Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother at her wedding in 1923, in memory of her brother Fergus Bowes-Lyon who was killed at the Battle of Loos in 1915 during the First World War.

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Prince Harry and The Duke of Cambridge, the best man, wore the frockcoat uniform of the Blues and Royals, which is an old Regiment of both The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry.  Harry served for ten years in the Blues and Royals, including in combat in Afghanistan. Her Majesty The Queen gave her permission for Prince Harry to get married in his uniform. Both uniforms were tailored at Dege & Skinner on Savile Row in London.

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Princess Charlotte of Cambridge in her bridesmaid’s dress

Clare Waight Keller also designed the six bridesmaids’ dresses. Made from ivory silk Radzimir, the dresses were high-waisted with a pleated skirt, had short puffed sleeves, and a double silk ribbon tied at the back in a bow. Each bridesmaid wore white leather Aquazurra shoes,  monogrammed with her initials and the wedding date. The shoes were a gift from the bride as a keepsake of the special day. Florist Philippa Craddock designed the bridesmaids’ flower crowns

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Prince George of Cambridge in his page boy’s uniform

The four page boys wore a miniature version of the Blues and Royals frockcoats that Prince Harry and The Duke of Cambridge wore. As a special memento, each page boy has his initials embroidered in gold on the shoulder straps.   The uniforms were cut and made by the tailors Dege & Skinner in Savile Row in London.

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Cleave and Company was chosen to make the wedding rings. Meghan’s ring was made from a piece of Welsh gold, given by Her Majesty The Queen.  Prince Harry’s ring was a platinum band with a textured finish.  The rings were carried to St. George’s Chapel on the day of the wedding by The Duke of Cambridge, in his capacity as best man.

The Ceremony

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Prince Harry and his brother and best man Prince William arrived at St. George’s Chapel by foot and entered via the West Steps. The two princes acknowledged the people gathered in the Castle precincts, including the 200 charity representatives gathered in the Horseshoe Cloister at the bottom of the West Steps.

In past royal weddings, it was the father who rode to the wedding with his daughter and walked her down the aisle.  Meghan wanted to involve both her parents, who divorced when she was six years old.  Meghan spent the night before the wedding at the Cliveden House Hotel with her mother Doria Ragland. Meghan and her mother rode in a car to Windsor Castle by way of the Long Walk, so that the public gathered there could see the bride as the car passed by. There was a brief stop at Windsor Castle where Ms. Ragland headed to the St. George’s Chapel and the bride was then joined by the bridesmaids and page boys before she continued her journey to the chapel.

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At 12:00 noon, Meghan entered the chapel by the West Steps along with the bridesmaids and page boys and walked unescorted down the aisle in the nave.  Originally, Megan’s father Thomas Markle was to meet his daughter at the start of the quire and walk her the rest of the way down the aisle. However, Mr. Markle was unable to attend the wedding due to ill health.  Two days before the wedding, Meghan released a statement: “Sadly, my father will not be attending our wedding. I have always cared for my father and hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health.” The day before the wedding, Kensington Palace released this statement: “Ms. Meghan Markle has asked His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales to accompany her down the aisle of the Quire of St. George’s Chapel on her Wedding Day. The Prince of Wales is pleased to be able to welcome Ms. Markle to The Royal Family in this way.”

The Dean of Windsor, The Right Reverend David Conner conducted the service. The Most Reverend and Right Honorable Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, officiated as the couple took their marriage vows. Harry and Markle asked The Most Reverend Michael Bruce Curry, the 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church, the United States-based member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion, to give the address at their wedding. Presiding Bishop Curry traveled from Chicago, Illinois to Windsor to participate in the wedding service and gave a rousing address in the style of African-American ministers about the importance of love.

It was important to Prince Harry that his mother’s family be involved in his wedding. All three siblings of Diana, Princess of Wales attended the wedding and Diana’s sister Lady Jane Fellowes gave the reading.

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London-based florist Philippa Craddock created the floral displays for St. George’s Chapel using flowers and plants that were in season and blooming naturally in May including branches of beech, birch, and hornbeam, as well as white garden roses, peonies, and foxgloves. After the wedding, Harry and Meghan arranged for the flowers to be distributed to charitable organizations.

Music

The music was under the direction of James Vivian, Director of Music, St. George’s Chapel and was performed by:

  • Orchestra conducted by Christopher Warren-Green and was made up of musicians from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the English Chamber Orchestra and the Philharmonia.
  • The Choir of St George’s Chapel
  • Luke Bond, Organist and Assistant Director of Music, St George’s Chapel
  • State Trumpeters from the Band of the Household Cavalry
  • Elin Manahan Thomas, Welsh soprano
  • David Blackadder, principal trumpet with both the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Academy of Ancient Music
  • Karen Gibson and The Kingdom Choir, a gospel choir
  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason, a 19-year-old cellist

Music Performed During the Wedding Service

  • Bride’s Entrance: Eternal Source of Light Divine by George Frederick Handel (1685–1759), performed by the Orchestra and Elin Manahan Thomas (Soprano) with David Blackadder (Trumpet)
  • Hymn: Lord of All Hopefulness, words by Jan Struther (1901–53), music Slane, traditional Irish melody
  • Motet: If Ye Love Me by Thomas Tallis (1505–85), performed by the Choir of St George’s Chapel
  • Stand by Me, words by Jerry Leiber (1933–2011), music by Ben E. King (1938–2015) and Mike Stroller (b. 1933), arranged by Mark Delisser (b. 1973) performed by Karen Gibson and The Kingdom Choir
  • The Anthem: The Lord Bless You and Keep You by John Rutter (b. 1945) performed by the Choir of St George’s Chapel
  • Hymn: Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, words by William Williams (1717–91), music Cwm Rhondda’, John Hughes (1873–1932), Descant verse: James Vivian (b. 1974)
  • During the Signing of the Register: performed by Sheku Kanneh-Mason (cellist) and the Orchestra:
    • Sicilienne by Maria Theresia von Paradis (1759–1824), arranged by Chris Hazell (b.1948)
    • Après un rêve by Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924), arranged by Chris Hazell
    • Ave Maria by Franz Schubert (1797–1828), arranged by Chris Haze
  • National Anthem: God Save The Queen
  • Procession of the Bride and Groom:
    • Symphony no. 1 in B-flat – Allegro by William Boyce (1711–1779)
    • Amen by Jester Hairston (1901–2000)
    • This Little Light of Mine by Harry Dixon Loes (1892–1965)

Involving the Public

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Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle wanted their wedding day to be arranged to allow members of the public to feel part of the celebrations too.  They invited 2,640 people into the grounds of Windsor Castle to watch the arrivals of the wedding party and the wedding guests at the chapel and to watch the carriage procession as it departs from the castle. This group was made up of:

  • 1,200 members of the public from every corner of the United Kingdom will be nominated to attend by nine regional Lord Lieutenant offices.
  • 200 people from a range of charities and organizations with which Prince Harry and Meghan have a close association, including those with which Prince Harry serves as Patron.
  • 100 pupils from two local schools: The Royal School, Great Park, Windsor and St George’s School, Windsor Castle
  • 610 Windsor Castle community members, including residents of Windsor Castle and members of the St George’s Chapel community.
  • 530 Members of The Royal Households and Crown Estate.

Credit – https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/04/europe/royal-wedding-prince-harry-meghan-markle-intl/index.html

In addition, following the wedding service, the newly married couple undertook a carriage procession along a route from St. George’s Chapel, leaving Windsor Castle via Castle Hill and processing along the High Street and through Windsor Town, returning to Windsor Castle along the Long Walk. Harry and Meghan hoped that the carriage procession would provide an opportunity for more people to come together around Windsor to enjoy the atmosphere of this special day. The newlyweds rode in the Ascot Landau carriage pulled by Windsor Grey horses and were accompanied by an escort of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.

The Lunchtime Wedding Reception

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St. George’s Hall set up for a banquet

Following the service, there was a reception at St. George’s Hall in Windsor Castle. All 600 guests who attended the wedding service were also invited to the lunchtime reception given by Her Majesty The Queen. Harry and Meghan joined the reception on return from the carriage procession.

The menu included:

A selection of canapés:

  • Scottish Langoustines wrapped in Smoked Salmon with Citrus Crème Fraiche
  • Grilled English Asparagus wrapped in Cumbrian Ham
  • Garden Pea Panna Cotta with Quail Eggs and Lemon Verbena
  • Heritage Tomato and Basil Tartare with Balsamic Pearls
  • Poached Free Range Chicken bound in a Lightly Spiced Yoghurt with Roasted Apricot
  • Croquette of Confit Windsor Lamb, Roasted Vegetables, and Shallot Jam
  • Warm Asparagus Spears with Mozzarella and Sun-Blush Tomatoes

A selection of bowl food:

  • Fricassee of Free Range Chicken with Morel Mushrooms and Young Leeks
  • Pea and Mint Risotto with Pea Shoots, Truffle Oil, and Parmesan Crisps
  • Ten Hour Slow Roasted Windsor Pork Belly with Apple Compote and Crackling

A selection of sweet canapés:

  • Champagne and Pistachio Macaroons
  • Orange Crème Brûlée Tartlets
  • Miniature Rhubarb Crumble Tartlets

A selection of drinks:

  • Pol Roger Brut Réserve Non-Vintage Champagne
  • A selection of wines
  • A range of soft drinks including an apple and elderflower mocktail, made with the same elderflower syrup as used in the wedding cake, and Sandringham Cox’s apple juice

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The wedding cake designed by native Californian Claire Ptak who owns the small, trendy Violet Bakery in east London, featured elderflower syrup made at The Queen’s residence in Sandringham from the estate’s elderflower trees.  A light sponge cake was specially made for the couple with an Amalfi lemon curd and elderflower buttercream filling. The cake was decorated with Swiss meringue buttercream and 150 fresh flowers, mainly British and in season, including peonies and roses.

The reception included the cutting of the wedding cake and speeches from The Prince of Wales and Prince Harry. The Duke of Cambridge, the Best Man, acted as master of ceremonies for the reception. The Prince of Wales described how emotional he felt watching his youngest son, whom he still remembered so clearly as a baby, marrying the love of his life. Prince Harry gave a heartfelt speech and made it clear he was the happiest man in the world. He described how beautiful his new wife looked and made the guests laugh when he promised that the Americans would not steal the swords in the castle.

Sir Elton John was asked to perform at the lunchtime reception in recognition of the close connection he has with Prince Harry and his family. Sir Elton performed Tiny Dancer, which he dedicated to the bride, Your Song, and The Circle of Life.

The Evening Wedding Reception

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Later that evening, around 200 guests attended the private evening reception given by The Prince of Wales at Frogmore House.  The newlywed couple traveled the short distance from Windsor Castle to Frogmore House in a silver-blue Jaguar E-Type Concept Zero. The bride wore an evening dress made of lily-white silk crepe with a high neck, designed by Stella McCartney.

Talk show host James Corden served as master of ceremonies for the evening reception, which included a sit-down dinner and dancing to music spun by DJ Sam Totolee. The evening guests dined on a more casual menu of dirty burgers, cotton candy, and playful cocktails, including one called “When Harry Met Meghan.” Some drinks featured rum and ginger in a nod to the groom’s ginger (red) hair.

The best man, Prince William, gave a speech, as did the groom and the bride, making Meghan the first royal bride to give a speech. The entertainment, which included an incredible firework display in the gardens of Frogmore House, went on until around 3:00 AM.

The Honeymoon

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The new Duke and Duchess of Sussex at their first royal engagement as a married couple, with The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall

Meghan and Harry did not leave for their honeymoon immediately after the wedding. Their honeymoon destination was kept private, but it was speculated by the press that the destination was somewhere in East Africa.  The couple stayed at Windsor Castle on Saturday, May 19, 2018, after an evening reception with 200 of their friends and family.  The next day, the newly married Duke and Duchess of Sussex left Windsor Castle. On Tuesday, May 22, 2018, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended their first royal engagement as a married couple, a Buckingham Palace garden party, part of the Prince of Wales’ 70th birthday celebrations.  The garden party, held six months ahead of Prince Charles’ actual 70th birthday in November, celebrated his charity work, patronages, and military affiliations. More than 6,000 people from charities Prince Charles supports attended and Prince Harry gave a speech in honor of his father.

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.

Works Cited

  • Barry, Ellen. “A Royal Union For The 21St Century, With An Air Of Black Culture”. The New York Times, 2018, Accessed 22 May 2018.
  • Barry, E. (2018). Meghan Markle’s Mother Gets Formal Role in Royal Wedding. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/04/world/europe/meghan-markle-doria-ragland-royal-wedding.html [Accessed 4 May 2018].
  • “Bridegroom And Best Man Uniform”. The Royal Family, 2018, https://www.royal.uk/bridegroom-and-best-man-uniform. Accessed 22 May 2018.
  • Friedman, Vanessa. “A Dress Made For A Person, Not A Fairy Tale”. The New York Times, 2018, Accessed 22 May 2018.
  • “Lunchtime Reception”. The Royal Family, 2018, https://www.royal.uk/lunchtime-reception-0. Accessed 22 May 2018.
  • Lyall, Sarah. “Before Assembly Of Aristocrats, A Black Preacher Speaks Of Love”. The New York Times, 2018, Accessed 22 May 2018.
  • Max Foster and Lauren Said-Moorhouse, C. (2018). Royal wedding: Role of Meghan Markle’s parents revealed. [online] CNN. Available at: https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/04/europe/royal-wedding-prince-harry-meghan-markle-intl/index.html [Accessed 4 May 2018].
  • “Meghan, The Duchess Of Sussex”. Unofficial Royalty, 2018, https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/meghan-markle/. Accessed 22 May 2018.
  • “Prince Harry Of Wales”. Unofficial Royalty, 2018, https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/prince-harry-of-wales/. Accessed 22 May 2018.
  • “Prince Harry And Ms. Meghan Markle’s Wedding Rings”. The Royal Family, 2018, https://www.royal.uk/prince-harry-and-ms-meghan-markles-wedding-rings. Accessed 22 May 2018.
  • “Royal Wedding Evening Reception”. The Royal Family, 2018, https://www.royal.uk/royal-wedding-evening-reception. Accessed 22 May 2018.
  • “Sir Elton John Performs At Royal Wedding Lunchtime Reception”. The Royal Family, 2018, https://www.royal.uk/sir-elton-john-performs-royal-wedding-lunchtime-reception. Accessed 22 May 2018.
  • “The Order Of Service For Prince Harry And Ms. Meghan Markle’s Wedding”. The Royal Family, 2018, https://www.royal.uk/order-service-prince-harry-and-ms-meghan-markles-wedding. Accessed 22 May 2018.
  • The Royal Family. (2018). Claire Ptak to make the Royal wedding cake. [online] Available at: https://www.royal.uk/claire-ptak-make-royal-wedding-cake-0 [Accessed 4 May 2018].
  • The Royal Family. (2018). Details of the Flowers at the Wedding of HRH Prince Henry of Wales and Ms. Meghan Markle announced. [online] Available at: https://www.royal.uk/details-flowers-wedding-hrh-prince-henry-wales-and-ms-meghan-markle-announced [Accessed 4 May 2018].
  • The Royal Family. (2018). An update from the Communications Secretary to Prince Harry on the Wedding of Prince Harry and Ms. Markle. [online] Available at: https://www.royal.uk/update-communications-secretary-prince-harry-wedding-prince-harry-and-ms-markle [Accessed 4 May 2018].
  • The Royal Family. (2018). The Carriage for the Wedding of Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle. [online] Available at: https://www.royal.uk/carriage-wedding-prince-harry-and-ms-meghan-markle [Accessed 4 May 2018].
  • “The Royal Wedding Guest List In Full”. Evening Standard, 2018, https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/royal-wedding-guest-list-in-full-all-the-celebrities-friends-and-family-members-who-were-invited-to-a3843506.html. Accessed 22 May 2018.
  • “Royal Wedding Guide To Who Sat Where At Harry And Meghan’s Marriage”. Mail Online, 2018, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5748561/Royal-wedding-whos-sitting-best-seats-Harry-Meghans-marriage.html. Accessed 22 May 2018.
  • “The Wedding Dress, Bridesmaids’ Dresses And Page Boys’ Uniforms”. The Royal Family, 2018, https://www.royal.uk/wedding-dress-bridesmaids%E2%80%99-dresses-and-page-boys-uniforms. Accessed 22 May 2018.
  • “These Were The Wedding Guests Of The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex”. Nettyroyal, 2018, https://www.nettyroyalblog.nl/engagements-weddings/wedding-guests-sussex/. Accessed 24 May 2018.

History and Traditions: Windsor Weddings Part 2 – Later Windsor Weddings

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Bringing Royal Weddings into Our Homes

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In 1947, when the future Queen Elizabeth II married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten (born Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark), an estimated 200 million people listened to the Westminster Abbey ceremony on the radio. Thirteen years later, 300 million television viewers around the world witnessed the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II’s sister Princess Margaret as she married Antony Armstrong-Jones in Westminster Abbey. It was the first televised British royal wedding.

Since Princess Margaret’s wedding, a total of eight British royal weddings have been televised:

  • Princess Anne and Mark Phillips at Westminster Abbey on November 14, 1973
  • Prince Charles (King Charles III) and Lady Diana Spencer at St. Paul’s Cathedral on July 29, 1981
  • Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey on July 23, 1986
  • Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on June 19, 1990
  • Prince Charles (King Charles III) and Camilla Parker Bowles at Windsor Guildhall followed by a Service of Prayer and Dedication at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on April 9, 2005
  • Prince William (The Prince of Wales) and Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011
  • Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018
  • Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on October 12, 2018

Today, viewers can watch royal weddings not only on television but also by live-streaming on their computers and other devices. In 2011, when Prince William married Catherine Middleton, around 23 million Americans and 27 million British watched on their televisions and an additional 72 million people live-streamed the wedding. I have even live-streamed the weddings of the three children of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. Of course, the ceremonies were in Swedish but nevertheless, I enjoyed watching.

In keeping with the times, the British Royal Family is active with social media.

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Overview of the Later Windsor Weddings

Because here at Unofficial Royalty, we have wedding articles with extensive information on all the later Windsor weddings, only several trivia items about each wedding will be noted. If available, a YouTube video of the wedding (or part of the wedding will be added). Please check the Unofficial wedding articles for detailed information about each wedding. At the end of the overviews is a list of weddings of other grandchildren of King George V, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II.

Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom (then Princess Elizabeth) married (November 20, 1947) Lt Philip Mountbatten (Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark) at Westminster Abbey in London, England

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Princess Elizabeth’s wedding was the first major royal event after World War II. The princess had to use the still required ration coupons to buy the material for her wedding gown. The princess’ mother Queen Elizabeth loaned her the Queen Mary Fringe Tiara.  Originally made in 1919 for Queen Mary, it was given to Queen Elizabeth in 1936. While Princess Elizabeth was dressing, the tiara suddenly broke. Luckily, the court jeweler, who was standing by in case of emergency, was rushed to his work room by a police escort.

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Prince William of Gloucester and Prince Michael of Kent staying warm as they wait to leave Westminster Abbey after the wedding

Two of Princess Elizabeth’s first cousins served as pages. Five-year-old Prince Michael, son of the late Duke of Kent, and six-year-old Prince William, the elder son of the Duke of Gloucester, wore Royal Stuart tartan kilts. It was their duty to carry their cousin Elizabeth’s train. As Princess Elizabeth walked down the aisle, she felt a tug on her gown. Six-year-old page Prince William of Gloucester was so nervous that he stepped on her train, but luckily had not torn it. The other page, five-year-old Prince Michael of Kent clutched the train so tightly that he committed the sin of walking right over the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in the Abbey aisle. As Elizabeth and Philip moved to the high altar, King George VI bent down and helped Prince Michael with the train which had become too heavy for him. During the recessional, Prince Michael once again delayed the bride’s progress and Philip glanced back at him several times to make sure poor little Michael kept in step.

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Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom married (May 6, 1960) Antony Armstrong-Jones (later 1st Earl of Snowdon) at Westminster Abbey in London, England, divorced 1978

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The public was enthusiastic about Princess Margaret’s wedding, especially after she was not allowed to marry Group Captain Peter Townsend in 1955 because he was divorced. Prime Minister Winston Churchill had advised Queen Elizabeth II that Parliament would not approve a marriage to Group Captain Townsend unless Margaret were to relinquish her rights to the throne and her royal position. Margaret then issued a statement in which she announced that she would not be marrying Group Captain Townsend. She chose to put her royal role and duties ahead of her personal happiness.

Despite the public’s enthusiasm, some members of European royal families disapproved of a king’s daughter marrying a photographer and declined their wedding invitations. Among the royalty who did attend were Princess Margaret’s godmother Queen Ingrid of Denmark, King Gustaf VI Adolf and Queen Louise of Sweden (maternal aunt of the Duke of Edinburgh), Prince Karl of Hesse, Prince Ludwig of Baden and Prince Maximillian of Baden (all nephews of the Duke of Edinburgh).

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Princess Anne (later Princess Royal) married (November 14, 1973) Mark Phillips at Westminster Abbey in London, England, divorced 1992

Mark Phillips and Princess Anne; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

It was through their mutual love of horses that Mark Phillips met Princess Anne. The couple first met at the equestrian events during the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City where Mark was a reserve member of the British equestrian team. At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Mark won an Olympic Gold Medal in the Team Three-Day Event. He also won a Silver Medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Princess Anne competed as a member of the British Equestrian Team in the 1976 Olympics. Their love of horses was inherited by their daughter Zara who won a Silver Medal in the Three-Day Event with the British equestrian team in 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Anne chose to have only two attendants because of her personal experience as a bridesmaid trying to keep younger attendants in line. Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, the bride’s nine-year-old first cousin and the daughter of Princess Margaret, was her bridesmaid and Prince Edward, her nine-year-old brother was her page boy.

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Charles, Prince of Wales (later King Charles III) married (July 29, 1981) Lady Diana Spencer at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, England, divorced 1996

Diana and Charles on their wedding day; Photo Credit – By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44115689

Charles and Diana selected St Paul’s Cathedral in London over Westminster Abbey, the traditional site of Windsor royal weddings, because St. Paul’s offered more seating and permitted a longer procession through London. There were 3,500 guests at St. Paul’s and two million people lined the procession route. There had only been one other royal wedding at St. Paul’s Cathedral. In 1501, Arthur, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of King Henry VII, married Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, at the Old St. Paul’s Cathedral which was destroyed during the Great Fire of London in 1666. The present St. Paul’s Cathedral was built to replace the burned cathedral.

Diana wore the Spencer family tiara. According to her brother, Charles Spencer, now the 9th Earl Spencer, the tiara gave Diana a headache because she was not used to wearing it. The twenty-five-foot train of Diana’s gown posed problems. The gown’s designers realized too late that they had forgotten to allow for the train’s length in relation to the size of the glass coach Diana and her father rode in to the ceremony. The train did not fit easily into the glass coach and as a result, it was badly crushed. This accounted for the visible wrinkles in the wedding gown when Diana arrived at the cathedral.

Diana accidentally changed the order of Charles’s names during her vows, saying “Philip Charles Arthur George” instead of the correct “Charles Philip Arthur George”. Charles also made an error. He said he would offer her “thy goods” instead of “my worldly goods”. Diana did not promise to “obey” Charles as part of the traditional vows. That word was eliminated at the couple’s request, which caused a sensation at the time.

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Prince Andrew, Duke of York married (July 23, 1986) Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey in London, England, divorced 1996

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Sarah Ferguson boasts a royal descent although it is from the wrong side of the sheets. Like the Duchess of Cornwall, the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and the late Princess Alice of Gloucester, Sarah is descended from King Charles II via his illegitimate children. Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, son of Charles II and his mistress Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth and James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, son of Charles II and his mistress Lucy Walter are Sarah’s ancestors.

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Four-year-old Prince William was one of the page boys. William looked adorable in the sailor’s uniform of the Royal Navy from 1782, complete with sailor hat, but his ability to pay attention was non-existent. He made several silly faces, got squirmy and even yawned in boredom at one point. As Andrew and Sarah were leaving for their honeymoon in a horse-drawn carriage, William started running after them. His grandmother, The Queen, had to run and catch him.

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Anne, Princess Royal married (December 12, 1992) Timothy Laurence at Crathie Kirk in Ballater, Scotland

Photo Credit – www.dailymail.co.uk

Anne and Timothy were married at a small, private ceremony on December 12, 1992, at the tiny Crathie Church in Crathie, Scotland where the British Royal Family worships when they are staying at Balmoral Castle. The couple chose to marry in Scotland as the Church of England did not at that time allow divorced persons whose former spouses were still living to remarry in its churches. The Church of Scotland does not consider marriage to be a sacrament and has no objection to the remarriage of divorced persons. Princess Anne arrived at Crathie Church accompanied by her father Prince Philip and her 11-year-old daughter Zara who acted as her bridesmaid.

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Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (later Duke of Edinburgh) married (June 19, 1999) Sophie Rhys-Jones at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England

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Sophie and Edward opted for a low-key (for royalty) wedding at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. They did not want the wedding to be turned into a state occasion so there was no ceremonial, state or military involvement. Prime Minister Tony Blair and other politicians were not invited. The couple requested that guests wear formal evening gowns, and not to wear hats to reflect their wish for a more informal royal wedding. Nevertheless, Edward’s grandmother, The Queen Mother, who was rarely seen in public without a hat, wore one. Edward’s two brothers, The Prince of Wales and The Duke of York, both served as his supporters.

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Charles, Prince of Wales (later King Charles III) married (April 9, 2005) Camilla Shand Parker-Bowles, civil service at the Guild Hall in Windsor, England followed by a Service of Prayer and Dedication at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England

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The Privy Council met on March 2, 2005 to give their approval to the Queen’s consent to the marriage, in accordance with the provisions of the Royal Marriages Act 1772. The government indicated that the marriage was not morganatic.

A civil ceremony was chosen to avoid potential controversy caused by the future Supreme Governor of the Church of England (Charles) marrying a divorcée (Camilla) in a religious ceremony. However, the marriage of a divorced person whose spouse is still living has been possible in the Church of England, with the approval of the minister conducting the ceremony, since 2002.

Originally, it was announced that a civil marriage would take place on April 8, 2005, followed by a Service of Prayer and Dedication at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor. This was later postponed until April 9, 2005, allowing The Prince of Wales to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II in Rome.

Upon marriage, Camilla took on all of Prince Charles’ titles, including Princess of Wales. However, out of respect for the late Diana, Princess of Wales, it was decided that she would be styled HRH The Duchess of Cornwall.

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Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (later The Prince of Wales) married (April 29, 2011) Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey in London, England

Photo Credit – Wikipedia

As Prince William was not the heir apparent to the throne, the wedding was not a full state occasion and many details were left to the couple to decide, such as much of the guest list of about 1,900. Guests included the bride’s and groom’s families, members of foreign royal dynasties, diplomats, and the couple’s personal guests. The cost of the wedding itself was paid for by the Royal Family and the Middletons, however, the costs of security and transport were covered by Her Majesty’s Treasury.

In a break with royal tradition, the groom had a best man, his brother Prince Harry, rather than a supporter, while the bride chose her sister Pippa Middleton as maid of honor. In addition to the usual lunchtime wedding reception at Buckingham Palace, there was also an evening reception for three hundred of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s closest friends and family hosted by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.

Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton
YouTube: The Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton

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Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex married Meghan Markle (May 19, 2018) at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England

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Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
YouTube: Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

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Windsor Weddings of Other Grandchildren of King George V, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II

Grandchildren of King George V

Grandchildren of King George VI

Grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth II

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.

Works Cited

  • Ashdown, D. (1981). Royal Weddings. London: Robert Hale Limited.
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2018). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com [Accessed 2 Apr. 2018]. (wedding and biography articles)
  • Wikipedia. (2018). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/ [Accessed 2 Apr. 2018].  (biography articles)

History and Traditions: Windsor Weddings Part 1 – Children of King George V

by Susan Flantzer – compiled, revised, and edited from articles at Unofficial Royalty
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Family of King George V – Seated: Princess Mary, Queen Mary  Standing: The Prince of Wales (future King Edward VIII and Duke of Windsor), Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, King George V; Prince Albert, Duke of York (future King George VI) and Prince George, Duke of Kent; Photo Credit – Royal Family Group by Bassano Ltd, 12 x 10 inch glass plate negative, 26 April 1923, NPG x95760 © National Portrait Gallery, London

George V, King of the United Kingdom (son of Edward VII) married (1893) Mary of Teck at the Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace in London, England

In 1917, during World War I, due to anti-German sentiment, King George V decided that to show the British people that the British Royal Family was indeed British and so a change of name was necessary. The British Royal Family’s dynastic name had gone from one German name to another, the House of Hanover to the decidedly more Germanic-sounding, House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. On July 18, 1917, the day after the Privy Council had given its final approval, the following proclamation from King George V appeared in newspapers: “WHEREAS We, having taken into consideration the Name and Title of Our Royal House and Family, have determined that henceforth Our House and Family shall be styled and known as the House and Family of Windsor.”  See Unofficial Royalty: July 17, 1917: The Birth of the House of Windsor.

Mary and George on their wedding day; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

King George V, then Prince George, Duke of York, had married Princess Victoria Mary of Teck (also known as Princess May and later Queen Mary) in 1893 during the reign of his grandmother Queen Victoria. He had a typical royal wedding of the time at the Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace in London. There was an opportunity for the public to see the royals as they left Buckingham Palace and proceeded the short distance to St. James’ Palace. Crowds gathered in the morning along the bridal procession route on Constitution Hill, Piccadilly, and St. James Street.

At 11:30 a.m., the first of the carriage processions left Buckingham Palace. Royalty from Britain and abroad rode in twelve open state landaus driven by cream-colored horses. The bridegroom and his father left the Palace at 11:45 a.m. followed by Queen Victoria in the Glass Coach. Accompanying the Queen was her first cousin, the beaming Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, the mother of the bride. The bride’s procession came last. Mary was accompanied by her brother Adolphus.

After the wedding service, the guests returned in state to Buckingham Palace. The royal guests feasted at round tables covered with food in a room separate from the other guests. The other guests enjoyed themselves in the Ballroom where large buffet tables were set up. Queen Victoria led George and Mary out onto the balcony at Buckingham Palace and presented them to the cheering crowds. The balcony appearance would later become a tradition of Windsor weddings.

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Westminster Abbey Choir leading to the Altar

Another tradition of Windsor weddings would be the use of Westminster Abbey in London as a wedding venue. Westminster Abbey was completed around 1060 and was consecrated in 1065.  It was the wedding venue for six royal weddings during the reigns of the Plantagenet kings including that of King Richard II to Anne of Bohemia in 1382. That would be the last royal wedding at Westminster Abbey until the reign of King George V. Queen Victoria’s granddaughter and King George V’s first cousin Princess Patricia of Connaught married The Honorable Alexander Ramsay at Westminster Abbey in 1919. This was the first major royal event after World War I.

Five of the six children of King George V married and three of the five were married at Westminster Abbey. (George V’s youngest child Prince John died at the age of 14 following a severe epileptic seizure.) The large size of Westminster Abbey allowed more guests to be present at the wedding ceremony and the long drive from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey brought out immense crowds along the route. With each royal wedding, the anticipation and excitement grew.

It was George V’s children who really started the trend to marry non-royals. Only his son Prince George, Duke of Kent married a royal. Since that time, there has been only one member of the House of Windsor who married another royal – Queen Elizabeth II whose husband was born Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark.

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Weddings of King George V’s Children

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Wedding of Princess Mary and Henry, Viscount Lascelles

Princess Mary, the only daughter, was the first of her siblings to marry. On November 20, 1921, she became engaged to Henry, Viscount Lascelles, the eldest son of Henry Lascelles, 5th Earl of Harewood. Lord Lascelles was staying at York Cottage, the country home of Mary’s family, and it was there that the proposal took place. Queen Mary wrote in her diary for that day, “At 6.30 Mary came to my room to announce to me her engagement to Lord Lascelles! We then told G. (King George V) & then gave Harry L. our blessing. We had to keep it quiet owing to G. having to pass an order in council to give his consent. Of course, everybody guessed what had happened & we were very cheerful & almost uproarious at dinner. We are delighted.”

Princess Mary and Lord Lascelles (Henry) were married at Westminster Abbey on February 28, 1922. The wedding was the first time a child of a monarch had married at Westminster Abbey since 1290 when Margaret of England, daughter of King Edward I, married John II, Duke of Brabant. It also was the first royal occasion for Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later wife of Mary’s brother King George VI), a friend of Mary’s and one of her bridesmaids.

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On the Buckingham Palace balcony: King George V, Princess Mary, Viscount Lascelles, Queen Alexandra, and Queen Mary

Despite their fifteen-year age difference and despite rumors that the marriage was not happy, their elder son George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood said the marriage was a happy one. He wrote in his memoirs that they “got on well together and had a lot of friends and interests in common.” In 1929, Henry’s father died, he became the 6th Earl of Harewood, and the family moved to Harewood House near Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. On January 1, 1932, Mary was given the style Princess Royal by her father, a style for the eldest daughter of the sovereign. The previous Princess Royal, Mary’s aunt Louise, had died the previous year.

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Wedding of Prince Albert, Duke of York (the future King George VI) and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

In 1916, the second son of King George V, Prince Albert, known as Bertie, had been introduced to Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the youngest daughter and the ninth child of the ten children of Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th and 1st Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne at a tea party. The two had actually first met in 1905 at a children’s party but neither recalled that meeting. Bertie, who was created Duke of York in June 1920, 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 The Honorable James Stuart (the future 1st Viscount Stuart of Findhorn), the youngest son of the 17th 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.

Bertie first proposed to Elizabeth in 1921 but was rejected because Elizabeth feared the changes in her life being a member of the Royal Family would require. Elizabeth served as a bridesmaid in the wedding of Bertie’s sister Mary, Princess Royal 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 her diary, Elizabeth decided on January 14, 1923 to accept Bertie’s proposal although she still has misgivings.

The wedding of HRH The Duke of York and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was held on April 26, 1923 at Westminster Abbey in London. As Elizabeth was proceeding down the aisle, she passed the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, a casualty of World War I whose remains had been brought from France and buried in the Abbey floor three years earlier. Elizabeth 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. Placing bouquets on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior has become a Windsor royal wedding tradition.

Tomb of the Unknown Warrior: Photo Credit – By Mike from England – Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18443245

In 1936, after the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII, Bertie acceded to the throne as King George VI and his wife became Queen Elizabeth, known as The Queen Mother during the reign of her daughter Queen Elizabeth II.

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Wedding of Prince George, Duke of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark

In August 1934, Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Prince George, Duke of Kent to Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. The two were second-cousins, through their mutual descent from King Christian IX of Denmark. They married on November 29, 1934 at Westminster Abbey followed by a Greek Orthodox ceremony in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace. George’s eldest brother The Prince of Wales served as best man and his other two brothers were groomsmen. George and Marina’s wedding was the first royal wedding to be broadcast on the radio.

Princess Marina in her wedding dress; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Marina was considered to be the most glamorous of the early Windsor brides.  Her gown, designed by British designer Edward Molyneux, was made from silver and white brocade with a flower design and was lined with silver lamé. The court train was fifteen feet long and the sleeves were long and in a medieval style. The veil, made of handmade lace and white tulle, had been worn by Marina’s mother, born Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia, and by Marina’s sister Olga at their weddings. It was secured by the Kent City of London Fringe Tiara, a wedding gift to Marina from the City of London.  Princess Marina was the first British royal bride to wear the now de rigueur tiara.

The Kent City of London Fringe Tiara; Photo Credit – http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.com

Contrast Marina’s wedding outfit with that of Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon who had married eleven years earlier and was a victim of the fashions of the early 1920s. (See photo of Elizabeth, The Duke of York and the bridesmaids above.) Elizabeth had worn a sack-like dress with her lace veil firmly set over her forehead. Her bridesmaids wore floral headgear resembling headphones.

George and Marina’s wedding would be the last marriage of a foreign princess into the British Royal Family. Sadly, just six weeks after the birth of their third and youngest child, Prince George was killed when his military plane crashed in Scotland on August 25, 1942.

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The wedding of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott

In August 1935, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the third son of King George V became engaged to Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott, daughter of John Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch and 9th Duke of Queensberry. Sadly, Alice’s father died from cancer on October 19, 1935, less than a month before the wedding date, November 6, 1935. The wedding was originally set to be held at Westminster Abbey but the wedding venue was changed. It was deemed more appropriate to have the wedding at the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace. Among the bridesmaids were the groom’s nieces Princess Elizabeth (the future Queen Elizabeth II) and Princess Margaret Rose. Despite the wedding being held at Buckingham Palace, the public was still able to see the bride as she rode from her Mayfair home to Buckingham Palace in the Glass Coach and then made the traditional appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony with her new husband.

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The Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace

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Wedding of The Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson

“After I am dead, the boy will ruin himself in twelve months.” King George V’s prophecy about his eldest son The Prince of Wales, christened with a long string of names, Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David, but known as David in the family, came true. King George V died on January 20, 1936 and on December 11, 1936, David, who reigned as King Edward VIII, abdicated due to the widespread unwillingness to accept the twice-divorced Wallis Simpson as his wife and David’s refusal to give her up.

On December 12, 1936, at the accession meeting of the Privy Council, the new King George VI announced he was going to give his brother the title Duke of Windsor with the style of Royal Highness. Letters Patent dated May 27, 1937 re-conferred the “title, style, or attribute of Royal Highness” upon the Duke of Windsor, but specifically stated that “his wife and descendants, if any, shall not hold said title or attribute”.

Château de Candé, near Tours, France, the wedding venue for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

On June 3, 1937, David married Wallis Simpson at the Château de Candé, near Tours, France surrounded by a small group of faithful friends. David had wanted his brothers Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Prince George, Duke of Kent along with his close friend and second cousin Lord Louis Mountbatten (the future 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma) to attend the ceremony but his brother King George VI forbade members of the royal family from attending.

When the Church of England refused to sanction the wedding, Reverend Robert Anderson Jardine, the Vicar of St Paul’s Church in Darlington, County Durham, England, offered to perform the ceremony. When Reverend Jardine returned home to Darlington, he soon became aware that he had performed an act which the Church of England could not accept. He was forced to resign his position and under pressure, he left England and settled in California.

The legality of King George VI’s Letters Patent stating that David’s style Royal Highness could not be extended to his wife or any children is doubtful. As the son of a British monarch, David was entitled to that style which should have automatically reverted to him upon his abdication and automatically extended to his legal wife and any legitimate children. David considered the holding back of the style Her Royal Highness from his wife unjust but out of respect for his brother, he never made a public issue. In their household, the Duchess of Windsor was always addressed as Royal Highness.

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Works Cited

  • Ashdown, D. (1981). Royal Weddings. London: Robert Hale Limited.
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2018). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com [Accessed 2 Apr. 2018]. (wedding and biography articles)
  • Wikipedia. (2018). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/ [Accessed 2 Apr. 2018].  (biography articles)

Bridesmaids and Page Boys at the Wedding of Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle

Prince George and Princess Charlotte were in the wedding party at the wedding of their aunt Pippa Middleton in 2017; Photo Credit – Today Show

Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle have chosen the following Bridesmaids and Page Boys for their wedding on Saturday, May 19, 2018.

Bridesmaids:

  • Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge: age 3, niece of Prince Harry, daughter of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
  • Miss Florence van Cutsem: age 3, goddaughter of Prince Harry, daughter of Mrs. Alice van Cutsem and Major Nicholas van Cutsem, a close friend of Prince Harry
  • Miss Remi Litt: age, 6, goddaughter of Meghan Markle, daughter of Mrs. Benita Litt, a close friend of Meghan Markle, and Mr. Darren Litt
  • Miss Rylan Litt: age, 7, goddaughter of Meghan Markle, daughter of Mrs. Benita Litt, a close friend of Meghan Markle, and Mr. Darren Litt
  • Miss Ivy Mulroney: age 4, daughter of Mrs. Jessica Mulroney, fashion stylist and a close friend of Meghan Markle, and Mr. Benedict Mulroney, a Canadian television host and son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
  • Miss Zalie Warren: age 2, goddaughter of Prince Harry, daughter of Mrs. Zoe Warren and Mr. Jake Warren, a close friend of Prince Harry

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Page Boys:

  • His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge: age 4, nephew of Prince Harry, son of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
  • Master Jasper Dyer: age 6, godson of Prince Harry, son of Mrs. Amanda Dyer and Mr. Mark Dyer, a former equerry to The Prince of Wales who has been an influence on Prince Harry since his childhood
  • Master Brian Mulroney: age, 7, twin of John below, son of Mrs. Jessica Mulroney, fashion stylist and a close friend of Meghan Markle, and Mr. Benedict Mulroney, a Canadian television host and son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
  • Master John Mulroney: age, 7, twin of Brian above, son of Mrs. Jessica Mulroney, fashion stylist and a close friend of Meghan Markle, and Mr. Benedict Mulroney, a Canadian television host and son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney

History and Traditions: Weddings of Queen Victoria and Her Children

by Susan Flantzer – compiled, revised, and edited from articles at Unofficial Royalty 
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Engraved illustration from Harper’s Weekly newspaper of the wedding of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and Alexandra of Denmark at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor; Credit – Wikipedia

During the reign of Queen Victoria (1837 – 1901), royal weddings started to move more toward the customs of today’s royal weddings. They were not in any sense as public as today’s royal weddings but sometimes there were opportunities for the public to see the wedding processions if the wedding was held at the Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace in London. Even the weddings of Queen Victoria and the weddings of two future kings (Edward VII and George V), all of which occurred during Victoria’s reign, were nowhere near the occasions of the weddings of the future Queen Elizabeth II, her heir Prince Charles or the next heir Prince William.

Westminster Abbey was not a royal wedding venue during Queen Victoria’s reign. There would not be a royal wedding at Westminster Abbey until Queen Victoria’s granddaughter Princess Patricia of Connaught married The Honorable Alexander Ramsay there in 1919, eighteen years after Queen Victoria’s death. This was the first major royal event after World War I and the first royal wedding at Westminster Abbey since the 1382 wedding of King Richard II and Anne of Bohemia. With Queen Victoria herself and several of her children, we see a continuation of weddings at the Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace in London that had become somewhat of the norm with the earlier Hanovers. However, we also see the start of royal weddings at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. In 1863, the wedding of Queen Victoria’s eldest son and heir, the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, and Princess Alexandra of Denmark would be the first royal wedding held at St. George’s Chapel, a tradition which has continued to this day for many members of the British Royal Family.

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First Cousins’ Marriage

Wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha at the Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace, London; Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha were first cousins. Victoria’s mother, born Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and Albert’s father Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha were siblings. The Coburg family had strong ties to the British Royal Family. Victoria and Albert’s uncle Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld had married Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only child of King George IV who had died tragically in childbirth. Leopold’s sister Victoria had married King George III’s son, Edward, Duke of Kent, and was the mother of Queen Victoria. The Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, the grandmother of Victoria and Albert, suggested the possibility of marriage between them in a letter to her daughter Victoria, Duchess of Kent, in 1821, when the children were but two years old. Later, the idea was taken up by their uncle Leopold, who became the first King of the Belgians in 1831.

First cousins Victoria and Albert met for the first time in 1836 when Albert and his elder brother Ernst visited England. Seventeen-year-old Victoria seemed instantly infatuated with Albert. She wrote to her uncle Leopold, “How delighted I am with him, and how much I like him in every way. He possesses every quality that could be desired to make me perfectly happy.”

In October of 1839, Albert and Ernst again visited England, staying at Windsor Castle with Victoria, who was now Queen. On October 15, 1839, the 20-year-old monarch summoned her cousin Albert and proposed to him. Albert accepted, but wrote to his stepmother, “My future position will have its dark sides, and the sky will not always be blue and unclouded.”

The couple was married in the Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace in London on February 10, 1840, at 1 PM. Traditionally, royal weddings took place at night, but this wedding was held during the day so Queen Victoria’s subjects could see the couple as they traveled down The Mall from Buckingham Palace.

Queen Victoria’s wedding dress

Albert wore the uniform of a British field marshal, over which hung the collar of the Order of the Garter, an honor that had recently been bestowed on him by Victoria. Her wedding dress was of rich white satin, trimmed with orange flower blossoms. On her head, she wore a wreath of the same flowers, over which was a veil of Honiton lace. She wore her Turkish diamond necklace and earrings and Albert’s wedding present of a sapphire brooch.

Most of the wedding guests were members of the British royal family and the Coburg ducal family. The simple ceremony took place at the altar and was performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of York, and the Bishop of London. There had been no rehearsal and the chapel was really too small for the large wedding party. The bridesmaids stepped on each other’s dresses and kicked each other’s heels. At times it appeared Albert was not quite sure what he should be doing, and he seemed rather awkward and embarrassed.

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The Dynastic Marriage

The Marriage of Victoria, Princess Royal, 25 January 1858 by John Phillip; Credit – Royal Collection Trust/ © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Victoria and Albert’s first child was born on November 21, 1840, at Buckingham Palace, nine months after her parents’ marriage. Named Victoria after her mother and called Vicky in the family, she was created Princess Royal in 1841.

In 1851, Prince Wilhelm of Prussia (the future King of Prussia and German Emperor) and his wife Augusta were invited to London by Queen Victoria to visit the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, which her husband Prince Albert was instrumental in organizing. Wilhelm and Augusta brought their two children, 20-year-old Friedrich and 13-year-old Louise. On a visit to the Great Exhibition, ten-year-old Vicky was allowed to accompany the group as a companion to Louise. Despite being only ten years old, Vicky made an impression on Friedrich (Fritz), who was ten years older.

Four years later, in 1855, Fritz was invited back to England by Victoria and Albert for a visit to their Scottish home Balmoral. Both the British and Prussian royal families expected that Fritz and Vicky should come to a decision about their future together. Fritz was second in line to the Prussian throne after his father, who was expected to succeed his childless brother. Despite the fact that the marriage would not be universally popular in either country, Vicky and Fritz agreed to marry each other. Their marriage would be one of the most romantic of royal marriages. Because Vicky was so young, her parents decreed that the wedding would have to wait until Vicky was 17 years old.

Because Vicky was marrying a future monarch, the wedding was expected to be in Berlin. However, Queen Victoria had other ideas: “The assumption of it being too much for a Prince Royal of Prussia to come over to marry the Princess Royal of Great Britain in England is too absurd, to say the least…Whatever may be the usual practice of Prussian Princes, it is not every day that one marries the eldest daughter of the Queen of England. The question must, therefore, be considered as settled and closed…” Queen Victoria got her way and the wedding was scheduled for Monday, January 25, 1858, in the Chapel Royal of St. James’ Palace in London, England, where the bride’s parents had been married.

Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and Victoria, Princess Royal; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Eighteen carriages and 300 soldiers were in the procession for the short ride from Buckingham Palace to St. James’ Palace. Queen Victoria and Vicky were in the very last carriage. Vicky’s four brothers were in Highland dress and the elder two (Bertie and Alfred) preceded the Queen down the aisle. Vicky’s two younger brothers (Arthur and Leopold) accompanied their mother down the aisle followed by three of Vicky’s four sisters (Alice, Helena, and Louise) who were dressed in white lace over pink satin. Beatrice, Vicky’s youngest sibling, was left back at Buckingham Palace as she was not even a year old. Next came Fritz, wearing a dark blue tunic and white trousers, the uniform of the Prussian First Infantry Regiment of the Guard, accompanied by his father and his uncle Prince Albrecht of Prussia. Finally, Vicky came down the aisle escorted by her father Prince Albert and her great-uncle King Leopold I of the Belgians.

John Sumner, Archbishop of Canterbury, conducted the service and he was so nervous that he left out several parts of the service. However, Queen Victoria was pleased that both “Vicky and Fritz spoke plainly,” as she wrote in her journal. The service was concluded with George Friedrich Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus and then Vicky and Fritz led the recessional to The Wedding March by Felix Mendelssohn, the first time it was used for a wedding. Thereafter it became a popular wedding recessional. The music is from a suite of incidental music to Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Queen Victoria loved Mendelssohn’s music and the composer often played for her when he visited Great Britain. After the wedding, Vicky and Fritz led the carriage procession back to Buckingham Palace where they appeared on the balcony with and without their parents.

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“More of a Funeral than a Wedding”

Princess Alice and Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine on their wedding day; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

With Vicky married to the Prussian heir, Victoria and Albert had hoped to make an equally impressive marriage for their second eldest daughter Alice. A visit from Willem, Prince of Orange, the eldest son of King Willem III of the Netherlands who would predecease his father, had failed to make a positive impression on Alice and her parents. Vicky had met the future Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine in the early months of her marriage and suggested that he may be suitable for Alice. Ludwig visited England with his brother Heinrich in 1860 to watch the Ascot Races – and to meet Alice. The visit was a success, and during the second visit in December of the same year, the couple became engaged. The engagement was announced in April 1861, with a wedding tentatively planned for the following spring.

Unfortunately for Alice and Ludwig, the British royal family suffered two deaths in 1861. Queen Victoria’s mother, the Duchess of Kent, died in March 1861. While still grieving her loss, Prince Albert died on December 14, 1861, after a short illness. As the eldest daughter still at home, it fell to Alice to console her grieving mother through the following months. Alice ran herself so ragged during this time that during a visit with her fiancé in the spring of 1862, Ludwig was genuinely worried for her health.

Vicky’s wedding in 1858 had been a grand affair but Alice’s was a sad ceremony meant for close family only. A muted celebration was scheduled for July 1, 1862, at Osborne House in the Isle of Wight. The wedding ceremony was planned for the dining room at Osborne House, preventing the guest list from growing too large. Alice’s sisters Helena, Louise, and Beatrice served as bridesmaids, along with Ludwig’s sister Anna. Prince Albert’s brother Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was recruited to give the bride away.

Although Alice and her mother apparently took some joy in arranging her trousseau, all of the outfits were black due to the required mourning. Alice wore a white dress trimmed with Honiton lace, orange blossoms, and myrtle. Her bridesmaids wore similar white dresses, but all of the women changed back into black mourning attire immediately following the service.

The Marriage of Princess Alice, 1st July 1862 by George Housman Thomas; Credit – Royal Collection Trust © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2017

Queen Victoria would later describe the service to Vicky who was unable to attend due to a pregnancy as “more of a funeral than a wedding.” Other guests similarly described the wedding as being a very sad occasion. Alice’s brothers cried throughout the service, as did the Archbishop of Canterbury, who officiated. The death of Ludwig’s aunt Mathilde a few weeks before the wedding did nothing to raise the spirits of the wedding guests. During the ceremony, Queen Victoria continually stared at a portrait of Albert with his family hanging above the bride and groom.

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“Sea King’s daughter from over the sea”

Alexandra of Denmark and The Prince of Wales; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Before he died, Prince Albert, along with his wife, had been searching for a bride for the Prince of Wales, called Bertie in the family. Bertie’s elder sister Vicky was enlisted to help with the search. Princess Alexandra of Denmark, the daughter of the future King Christian IX of Denmark, had originally been fifth on the list of potential brides, but Vicky thought Alix, as she was called in her family, would be the perfect match for Bertie and she sent back glowing reports of her to Victoria and Albert. Prince Albert came to the conclusion that Alix was “the only one to be chosen.” Vicky then arranged the first meeting between Alix and Bertie in Speyer Cathedral in Germany on September 24, 1861. On September 9, 1862,  Bertie proposed to Alix at the Royal Palace of Laeken, the home of his great-uncle, King Leopold I of the Belgians.

Princess Alexandra arrived in England on March 7, 1863, having sailed from Denmark aboard the British royal yacht Victoria and Albert II. Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the Poet Laureate, wrote the following ode in her honor:

A Welcome to Alexandra

Sea King’s daughter from over the sea,
Alexandra!
Saxon and Norman and Dane are we,
But all of us Danes in our welcome of thee,
Alexandra!

Despite her perpetual mourning for Prince Albert, Queen Victoria decreed that the Prince of Wales should be married with “the utmost magnificence”, and chose St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle as the site of the ceremony. This would be the first of many royal weddings at St. George’s Chapel. The wedding date was set for March 10, 1863.

Alix’s dress was a gift from King Leopold I of the Belgians. It was made of white silk trimmed with orange blossoms and myrtle and was overlaid with flounces of tulle and Honiton lace. The train, 21-feet in length, was of silver moiré also trimmed in orange blossoms. Her veil, trimmed with the same lace as her gown, featured English roses, Irish shamrocks, and Scottish thistles, and was held in place by a wreath of orange blossoms and myrtle atop her head. She was supported by her father, Prince Christian of Denmark and Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, Queen Victoria’s first cousin. Bertie wore a full dress uniform of a British General beneath his Garter Robes and was supported by his brother-in-law, Crown Prince Friedrich of Prussia, and his uncle, Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Painting by William Frith, circa 1865; Credit – Wikipedia

During the wedding ceremony, Queen Victoria, in perpetual mourning for Prince Albert, sat in the Catherine of Aragon Closet, a room with an oriel window overlooking the left side of the altar. Dressed in a black silk dress with white collar and cuffs, along with her widow’s cap, she took her seat largely out of view of the guests in the chapel. She can be seen in the above painting on the top right.

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The Russian Marriage

Wedding of Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna and Prince Alfred at the Winter Palace; Credit – Wikipedia

All of Queen Victoria’s children with the exception of Prince Alfred were married in the United Kingdom. Alfred married Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, the only daughter of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia and Marie of Hesse and by Rhine (Empress Maria Alexandrovna). During several visits to relatives, Alfred and Maria had met each other and wanted to marry. Despite the misgivings of Queen Victoria and Maria’s parents, the couple was married at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia on January 23, 1874. First, there was a Russian Orthodox ceremony in the Grand Church of the Winter Palace and then a Church of England ceremony was conducted by Arthur Stanley, the Dean of Westminster in Alexander Hall at the Winter Palace. Three of Alfred’s siblings attended the wedding. The Prince and Princess of Wales (Edward, known in the family as Bertie, and his wife, the former Alexandra of Denmark, known as Alix) officially represented Queen Victoria. Also attending were Prince Arthur and Queen Victoria’s eldest child Victoria and her husband Friedrich, German Crown Prince. The members of Queen Victoria’s court who had traveled to St Petersburg to attend the wedding were overwhelmed by the scale of the celebrations, receptions, and entertainments marking the marriage.

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The Happy but Short Marriage

Prince Leopold and Princess Helena of Waldeck-Pyrmont; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Leopold was the youngest son of Queen Victoria and Prince and was described as delicate from a very early age. It became apparent that he suffered from the genetic disease hemophilia and was the first of the nine hemophiliacs among Queen Victoria’s descendants.

Leopold saw marriage as a way to become independent from Queen Victoria, his overbearing mother. Besides having hemophilia, Leopold also had mild epilepsy. Although hemophilia had more serious consequences, it was a disease that was not completely understood at the time, and it was Leopold’s epilepsy that caused him problems while seeking a bride. Epilepsy was considered a social stigma and many families hid away their epileptic relatives. After Leopold was rejected by several potential royal brides, Queen Victoria and her eldest daughter Victoria stepped in and made arrangements for Leopold and Princess Helena of Waldeck-Pyrmont to meet in Darmstadt where Leopold was staying with Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, who was the widower of Leopold’s sister Alice.

Leopold and Helena liked one another immediately, and after being briefed on Leopold’s health, the Waldeck-Pyrmont family had no objections to the marriage. During a visit to Helena’s family home, Leopold proposed and Helena accepted. The couple became engaged on November 17, 1881. Leopold was ecstatic when he wrote of the news to his brother-in-law Ludwig, widower of his sister Alice: “…we became engaged this afternoon…Oh, my dear brother, I am so overjoyed, and you, who have known this happiness, you will be pleased for me, won’t you?…You only know Helena a little as yet – when you really know her, then you will understand why I’m mad with joy today.”

The wedding was planned for April 27, 1882, at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Leopold took an interest in the planning of the wedding ceremony, requesting the assistance of composer and personal friend Charles Gounod to compose a march specifically for the wedding. His supporters were the Prince of Wales (his eldest brother) and Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, the widower of his sister Alice. Due to a hemophilia-related injury, Leopold walked with a slight limp at the wedding.

Helena in her wedding dress; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Helena’s dress, a gift from her sister and her sister Queen Emma of the Netherlands. The gown was made of white satin, decorated with traditional orange blossom and myrtle and trimmed with fleur-de-lis. The long tulle veil was held in place by a diamond headdress and a wreath of orange flowers and myrtle. The bride was led down the aisle by her father and her brother-in-law, King Willem III of the Netherlands. Helena had a group of eight British aristocratic women serve as her bridesmaids. The ceremony concluded in the early afternoon and was followed by a wedding breakfast, after which the new couple headed to their new home, Claremont House.

Unfortunately, Leopold and Helena’s marriage was short-lived. In early 1884, Leopold’s doctors recommended that he spend the winter in Cannes, France, which he had done before. At the time, Helena was expecting her second child. On March 27, 1884, Leopold slipped and fell on the staircase at Villa Nevada, the private home where he was staying in Cannes. He injured his knee and hit his head, and died early in the morning of March 28, 1884, apparently of a cerebral hemorrhage, the injuries having been exacerbated by his hemophilia. He was only 31 years old. Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany was buried in the Albert Memorial Chapel at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

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The Princess Who Stayed Home

Prince Henry  of Battenberg and Princess Beatrice by Unknown photographer albumen cabinet card, 1880s NPG x32978 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Princess Beatrice was born on April 14, 1857, the youngest of the nine children of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Beatrice’s parents realized that she would be their last child, and she was treated differently than her siblings. Prince Albert described her as “an extremely attractive, pretty, intelligent child – indeed the most amusing baby we have had.” Known as Baby in the family, Beatrice filled a void for her parents when her eldest sister Victoria, Princess Royal married less than a year after her birth and left to live in Prussia with her new husband. By the time Beatrice was three years old, she was an aunt twice over from that marriage.

When Prince Albert died in 1861, Beatrice was only four and a half and had lost one of her principal role models. Queen Victoria was grief-stricken. Because of her mother’s prolonged grief and mourning, Beatrice’s life would forever be shaped by her father’s death. She became a great solace to her mother, and as the years progressed, Queen Victoria hoped that Beatrice would always be her constant companion.

At the age of six, Beatrice had declared, “I don’t like weddings at all. I shall never be married. I shall stay with mother.” Queen Victoria said of Beatrice, “She is my constant companion and hope and trust will never leave me while I live.” By the age of fifteen, Beatrice was writing letters on behalf of Queen Victoria and she was developing into the quiet, attentive, and devoted helper the Queen wanted. When the last of her sisters married and left home, Beatrice took on the job of being her mother’s full-time personal assistant. While attending the wedding of her niece Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine and Prince Louis of Battenberg in 1884, Princess Beatrice fell in love.

The man who won Beatrice’s heart was Prince Henry of Battenberg, the brother of the groom. Henry was the third of the four children of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine and Countess Julia Hauke. As his parents’ marriage was morganatic, Henry and his siblings took their titles from their mother, who had been created Countess of Battenberg (later elevated to Princess of Battenberg in 1858).

Beatrice told her mother that she wanted to marry Henry. Queen Victoria reacted with silence. For seven months, from May to November 1884, Queen Victoria and Beatrice lived together, and the Queen did not speak to Beatrice, instead, the Queen communicated with Beatrice by notes. Members of the family including the Prince and Princess of Wales (Bertie and Alix), Alice’s widower Ludwig, and Beatrice’s eldest sister (Vicky) tried to persuade the Queen to agree to Beatrice’s marriage. Queen Victoria finally realized that Beatrice would not back down and offered her conditions that must be met. Henry must renounce his career, nationality, and home and agree to live with Beatrice and the Queen. By the end of 1884, Queen Victoria and Beatrice were reconciled and a wedding was being planned.

Photo Credit – Wikipedia; THE BACK: (L-R): Prince Alexander of Bulgaria, Princess Louise of Wales, Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine, Princess Victoria of Wales, Prince Franz Joseph of Battenberg * THE MIDDLE: (L-R): Princess Maud of Wales, Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, Princesses Marie Louise and Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein * THE FRONT: (L-R): Princesses Victoria Melita, Marie and Alexandra of Edinburgh and bridal couple.

Beatrice and Henry were married on July 23, 1885, at Saint Mildred’s Church in Whippingham, Isle of Wight, England near Queen Victoria’s beloved home Osborne House. Queen Victoria allowed Beatrice to wear the Honiton lace and veil which she herself had worn on her wedding day, the only one of her daughters allowed to do so. The ten royal bridesmaids were all nieces of Princess Beatrice: Princess Alix and Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine; Princess Alexandra, Princess Marie and Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh; Princess Louise, Princess Maud and Princess Victoria of Wales; and Princess Marie Louise and Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein.

Beatrice and Henry kept their promise and lived with Queen Victoria and Beatrice remained her full-time confidante and secretary. Henry was often bored by the lack of activity and in an effort to give him more to do, Queen Victoria appointed him to several positions. In November of 1895, Henry persuaded Queen Victoria to allow him to go to West Africa to fight in the Anglo-Ashanti Wars. Henry arrived in Africa on Christmas Day of 1895. By January 10, 1896, Henry was sick with malaria and it was decided to send him back to England. However, Henry died aboard ship off the coast of Sierra Leone at the age of 37.

Following Henry’s death, Beatrice remained her mother’s companion and secretary. As Queen Victoria aged, she relied more heavily on Beatrice for dealing with correspondence and other matters. After Queen Victoria’s death, Beatrice continued to serve her. For 30 years, Beatrice transcribed and edited her mother’s journals, which Victoria had kept since 1831 when she was 12 years old. Queen Victoria had ordered Beatrice to delete material that might prove hurtful to living people. Two-thirds of the content of the original journals was deleted. These deletions distressed Beatrice’s nephew, King George V and his wife Queen Mary, who could do nothing, and many historians since who felt that valuable information has been lost forever. The 111 notebooks that Beatrice copied are kept in the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle.

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Unofficial Royalty wedding articles for Queen Victoria’s children not mentioned above:

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Wedding venues that have official websites or Wikipedia articles will be linked below. Links are to Unofficial Royalty articles for the monarchs, their children, and their spouses.

Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (granddaughter of George III) married (1840) Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha at the Chapel Royal in St. James’ Palace in London, England

Three of Queen Victoria’s grandchildren married in the United Kingdom during her reign. All three were children of her eldest son and heir, the future King Edward VII. Their Unofficial Royalty wedding articles are listed below.

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.

Works Cited

  • Ashdown, D. (1981). Royal Weddings. London: Robert Hale Limited.
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2018). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com [Accessed 2 Apr. 2018]. (wedding and biography articles)
  • Wikipedia. (2018). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/ [Accessed 2 Apr. 2018].  (biography articles)

History and Traditions: Hanover Weddings

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Wedding of the future King George IV and Caroline of Brunswick; Credit – Wikipedia

Because the House of Stuart was unable to provide a Protestant heir to the British throne, Parliament passed the Act of Settlement 1701 which secured the Protestant succession to the throne after the deaths of King William III and his successor Queen Anne. The senior Protestant descendant was Sophia, Electress of Hanover. Born Sophia of the Palatine, she was the youngest daughter of Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of King James I of England, and Friedrich V, Elector of the Palatine of the Rhine. The Act of Settlement put Sophia of Hanover and her Protestant heirs in the line of succession after Queen Anne. Electress Sophia of Hanover, the heir to the throne according to the Act of Settlement, died on June 8, 1714, just six weeks before the death of Queen Anne, and so Sophia’s son became King George I and started the Hanover dynasty.

During the 187-year reign of the House of Hanover (which includes Queen Victoria but she will be covered in a separate article), weddings were still a private affair and a few of them were held at the Chapel Royal in St. James’ Palace in London, England. There were several dynastic marriages but most of the spouses, including all the spouses of the Hanoverian monarchs, came from the kingdoms, grand duchies, duchies, and principalities of Germany. Two royal wives were divorced and shut away. Parliament passed the Royal Marriages Act 1772 at the request of King George III who was less than happy with the spouses of his two surviving brothers. By 1817, twelve of the fifteen children of King George III who survived to adulthood either failed to have children or failed to get married resulting in a succession crisis. The one child who both married and had a child had one of the worst ever royal marriages.

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Anne, Princess Royal, Princess of Orange

Anne, Princess Royal and Willem IV, Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

The first two British monarchs from the House of Hanover were both married in Germany before King George I became King of Great Britain in 1714. The first Hanoverian marriage in Great Britain was that of Anne, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of King George II. In fact, it was the first royal wedding in Great Britain in fifty years, since Queen Anne’s wedding in 1683. A proposed marriage with King Louis XV of France fell through because the French insisted that Anne convert to Roman Catholicism and Anne’s family refused. Bored with life at her father’s court, Anne did not want to be a spinster and was anxious to marry. However, Anne had been disfigured by smallpox and was not considered attractive. Among the few Protestant possibilities, was Willem IV, Prince of Orange. Willem had a spinal deformity, which affected his appearance but Anne was so anxious to marry that said she would marry him even “if he were a baboon.” Anne and Willem were betrothed in 1733.

Willem IV, Prince of Orange arrived in London in November 1733, anxious to marry Anne. However, he became ill and developed pneumonia. For days, his survival was in question. After Willem recovered, he went off to Bath where the waters of the ancient Roman bath aided in his complete recovery. On March 25, 1734, Anne and Willem were married at the Chapel Royal in St. James’ Palace in London, England. After a honeymoon at the Dutch House at Kew, the newlyweds stayed in London for a short period before returning to the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, Anne and Willem took up residence at the Stadhouderlijk Hof in Leeuwarden, the provincial capital and seat of the States of Friesland (now in the Netherlands). After enduring two miscarriages and two stillbirths, Anne and Willem had three children, but only two survived to adulthood. Through their son Willem V, Prince of Orange, they are ancestors of the Dutch Royal Family.

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Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace

Embed from Getty Images 

Located in St. James’ Palace, a Tudor palace in London next to Clarence House and nearby Buckingham Palace, the Chapel Royal was built around 1540 and has had alterations over the years. Although St. James’ Palace is no longer used as one of the monarch’s residences, it is used for offices and receptions, and several minor members of the British Royal Family have apartments there.

The Chapel Royal in St. James’ Palace was the venue for several Hanover weddings. It was also the venue for the weddings of Queen Victoria and her grandson King George V. It is still used by the British Royal Family for events to the present day. The children of Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin, Prince Michael of Kent, Lord Frederick and Lady Gabriella Windsor, were christened in the Chapel Royal as was The Queen’s granddaughter Princess Beatrice of York. In 1997, the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales rested in the Chapel Royal before her funeral. Her grandsons Prince George of Cambridge and Prince Louis of Cambridge were christened there. In March 2018, Meghan Markle, the future wife of Prince Harry of Wales, was baptized and confirmed into the Church of England at the Chapel Royal in St. James’ Palace.

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Dynastic Marriages with Denmark

Louisa of Great Britain and Frederik V, King of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

The House of Hanover made two dynastic weddings with Denmark. The first occurred in 1743 when 19-year-old Princess Louisa, daughter of King George II, married Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Norway, the son and heir of King Christian VI of Denmark and Norway. A proxy ceremony was held on November 10, 1743 in Hanover with the bride’s brother, Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, standing in for the groom. Louisa then traveled to Altona, Holstein where she met her groom. Frederik and Louisa traveled together to Copenhagen, where they officially entered the capital and had a second wedding ceremony.

King Christian VI hoped that this marriage would cause the British government to support his or his son’s claim to the Swedish throne. Furthermore, the Danish government hoped (incorrectly) that marriage would put a damper on Crown Prince Frederik’s affairs and drunkenness. The couple got along reasonably well and although Frederik continued his affairs, Louisa pretended not to notice them. The couple had five children including the future King Christian VII of Denmark. Three years after the marriage, Louisa’s husband succeeded his father as King Frederik V. Sadly, five years later, while pregnant with her sixth child, 27-year-old Queen Louisa died after undergoing painful surgery for a strangulated umbilical hernia.

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Caroline Matilda of Wales, Queen of Denmark – A Queen Imprisoned

Caroline Matilda of Wales, Queen of Denmark by Jens Juel, 1769; Credit – Wikipedia

The second wedding with Denmark was that of Princess Caroline Matilda of Wales, the youngest sibling of King George III. Frederick, Prince of Wales, the father of Caroline Matilda, died four months before her birth. It is also the first of the two Hanoverian weddings that ended in imprisonment for the wives.

In 1766, Caroline Matilda’s 17-year-old first cousin succeeded to the Danish throne as King Christian VII after the early death of his father. King Christian VII was the son of Caroline Matilda’s aunt Louisa (above). Since there was a connection between the British and Danish royal families and both families were Protestant, it was natural that a British bride should be sought for Christian. Even before the death of King Frederik V, negotiations for such a marriage were started. The preferred choice for a bride was initially Caroline Matilda’s sister Princess Louisa, but when the Danish representative in London heard of her ill health, Caroline Matilda became the prospective bride. The betrothal was announced on January 10, 1765.

King Christian VII of Denmark by Nathaniel Dance-Holland, 1768; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 1, 1766, a proxy marriage was held at St. James’s Palace in London, with Caroline Matilda’s brother King George III standing in for King Christian VII. Fifteen-year-old Caroline Matilda soon left England for Denmark with a large contingent of attendants and servants. When she crossed the Danish border, Danish envoys sent her English attendants and servants back and replaced them with Danish ones. Caroline Matilda arrived in Copenhagen on November 8, 1766, and married Christian in person later that day in the Christiansborg Palace Chapel but it was not a happy marriage.

A copperplate engraving depicting the first dance of King Christian VII and Queen Caroline Matilda of Denmark at their wedding at Christiansborg Palace; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline Matilda soon discovered that her husband was mentally ill. Christian VII was personable and intelligent as a child but he was poorly educated and terrorized by a brutal governor. It is unknown if Christian’s mental illness was caused by the brutal treatment of his governor, possible porphyria inherited from his Hanover mother, or schizophrenia. Christian’s behavior wandered into excesses, especially sexual promiscuity. His symptoms included paranoia, self-mutilation, and hallucinations.

Johann Friedrich Struensee, Christian VII’s new personal physician, was the first person who understood that Christian was seriously ill. Struensee could handle Christian’s instability, which was a great relief to the king’s advisers, and Christian developed a confidence in him. Struensee also became the lover of the ill-treated Caroline Matilda, whose marriage was less than satisfactory. When Caroline Matilda gave birth to her daughter Louise Auguste, no one doubted that Struensee was the father of the princess.

Christian VII’s stepmother Queen Dowager Juliana Maria maneuvered a coup that would bring about the fall of Struensee and discredit Caroline Matilda. Christian VII was forced to sign orders for the arrest of Struensee and Caroline Matilda. Caroline Matilda was immediately taken to Kronberg Castle in Helsingør, Denmark. She was allowed to keep her daughter with her but the four-year-old Crown Prince Frederik stayed with his father. Upon hearing of Caroline Matilda’s arrest, Struensee confessed to his relationship with her and eventually, Caroline Matilda also confessed. Struensee was condemned to death and suffered a brutal execution. In the presence of thousands of people, his right hand was severed first, then his body was broken on the wheel, and finally, he was beheaded.

Caroline Matilda and Christian’s marriage was dissolved in 1772. She lost her title of Queen and was forcibly separated from her children whom she never saw again. Caroline Matilda was not quite 20 years old. Originally, it was decided that Caroline Matilda was to be held in custody for life at Aalborghus Castle in Aalborg, Denmark, but her brother King George III intervened. King George III sent Sir Robert Murray Keith, a British diplomat, to negotiate her release from Danish imprisonment. Caroline Matilda was sent to Celle in her brother’s Kingdom of Hanover and lived the rest of her life at Celle Castle. Her imprisonment was not to last long. Caroline Matilda died of “a putrid fever and sore throat,” probably scarlet fever, on May 10, 1775, at the age of 23. She was buried at the Stadtkirche St. Marien in Celle next to his great-grandmother Sophie Dorothea of Celle who suffered a similar fate.

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The Unfortunate Sophia Dorothea of Celle

Georg Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg (the future King George I) and Sophia Dorothea of Celle; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline Matilda’s great-grandmother, Sophia Dorothea of Celle, had married Georg Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg (the future King George I), the eldest son of Ernst August, Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Sophia of the Palatinate (commonly referred to as Electress Sophia of Hanover). The marriage was happy at first, but soon both George and Sophia Dorothea found affection elsewhere. George fell in love with one of his mother’s ladies-in-waiting, Melusine von der Schulenburg. Sophia Dorothea fell in love with a Swedish Count, Philip Christoph von Königsmarck, an officer in the Hanoverian army.

Despite warnings, from her mother and friends, Sophia Dorothea and her lover wrote letters to each other, met secretly, and planned to escape Hanover together. On the morning of July 2, 1694, after a meeting with Sophia Dorothea, von Königsmarck disappeared from Leineschloss Castle in Hanover and was never seen again. It was widely believed that George ordered von Königsmarck’s death. On December 28, 1694, a tribunal of judges and Lutheran Church officials declared the marriage of George and Sophia Dorothea dissolved on the grounds of Sophia Dorothea’s desertion.

Sophia Dorothea was imprisoned for the rest of her life, 32 years, in the Castle of Ahlden in Celle. She never again saw her two children, the future King George II and his sister Sophia Dorothea, the future Queen Consort of Prussia. In 1714, upon the death of Queen Anne, Sophia Dorothea’s former husband became King George I of Great Britain.

Sophia Dorothea with her two children; Credit – Wikipedia

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George III’s Brothers and the Royal Marriages Act 1772

George III’s problematic brothers as children – William and Henry; Credit – Wikipedia

King George III’s brothers were a constant headache for him but he was especially annoyed with Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland. In 1771, Prince Henry had married a commoner Anne Horton, the daughter of Simon Luttrell and the widow of Christopher Horton. George III considered Anne Horton inappropriate as a royal bride because she was from a lower social class and German law barred any children of the couple from the Hanoverian succession. George insisted on a new law that would forbid members of the royal family from legally marrying without the consent of the monarch. Although it was unpopular with both George III’s ministers and members of Parliament, the Royal Marriages Act 1772 was passed.

The Royal Marriages Act stipulated that no descendant of King George II, male or female, other than the issue of princesses who had married into foreign royal families, could marry without the consent of the monarch. Any member of the royal family over the age of 25 who had been refused the monarch’s consent could marry one year after giving notice to the Privy Council of their intention to marry unless both houses of Parliament expressly declared their disapproval. Any marriage in contravention of the Act was void. Royal family members who made such a marriage did not lose their place in the line of succession but their children would be made illegitimate by the voiding of the marriage and therefore lose their succession rights.

Unbeknownst to King George III, his brother Prince William, Duke of Gloucester had secretly married Maria Waldegrave, Dowager Countess Waldegrave in 1766. For six years, George believed that William was a bachelor and that Maria was his mistress. Not only was she not a royal but she was illegitimate as her parents had not married. Maria was, however, the granddaughter of Robert Walpole who is considered to be the first Prime Minister.

In September 1772, five months after the Royal Marriages Act was passed, William found out Maria was pregnant and confessed to his brother that he was married. George III was quite upset not only by the marriage but also by William’s deception. Because the provisions of the Royal Marriages Act could not be applied retroactively, William and Maria’s marriage was considered valid. However, Maria was never received at court.

In 2011, it was proposed that the provisions of the Royal Marriages Act be limited to only the first six people in the line of succession to the British throne. The Royal Marriages Act 1772 was repealed in its entirety and was replaced by the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 which stipulates that the first six people in the line of succession must obtain the monarch’s consent before marrying in order to remain eligible. Marriage without the monarch’s consent would disqualify the person and the person’s descendants from the marriage from being in the line of succession but the marriage would still be legally valid.

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The Worst Royal Marriage?

Wedding of the future King George IV and Caroline of Brunswick; Credit – Wikipedia

King George III also had marriage issues with his children. His eldest and heir, George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV) made a marriage in contravention to the Royal Marriages Act. In 1784, George fell in love Maria Fitzherbert, a twice-widowed Catholic Irish woman. A marriage with a Catholic would mean that George would lose his place in the succession as stipulated by the Act of Settlement 1701. In addition, under the Royal Marriages Act 1772, prohibited the marriage without the consent of the King, which would never have been granted. Nevertheless, the couple went through with a legally void marriage at Maria Fitzherbert’s home on December 21, 1785. Maria Fitzherbert was convinced she was the lawful wife of the Prince of Wales as she viewed church law to be superior to the law of the state. For political reasons, the marriage remained secret, although there were rumors spreading all over London, and Maria Fitzherbert had promised to not let anything about it be announced in public.

By 1794, George, who had been in debt ten years earlier, was again severely in debt. If he married, Parliament would settle his debts and his allowance would be increased by £100,000. On June 23, 1794, Maria Fitzherbert was informed by letter that her relationship with the Prince of Wales was over. Caroline of Brunswick, his first cousin, was selected the bride. Her father Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, was a favorite nephew of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia and had distinguished himself as a commander in the Seven Years’ War. Britain was at war with revolutionary France and eager to obtain allies on the European mainland. Caroline’s mother Augusta was a sister of George III. Caroline and George were married on April 8, 1795 at the Chapel Royal, St. James’ Palace, in London.

This marriage is one of the worst ever royal marriages. Upon first seeing Caroline, George said to his valet, “Harris, I am not well; pray get me a glass of brandy.” Caroline said George was fat and not as handsome as his portrait. It is doubtful that the couple spent more than a few nights together as husband and wife. Their only child, Princess Charlotte of Wales, was born nine months later. They both found each other equally unattractive and never lived together nor appeared in public together. To make matters worse, George’s mistress, Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey, was appointed Caroline’s Lady of the Bedchamber. Caroline was ignored at the court and lived basically under house arrest, and after two and a half years, she left the court and lived for ten years in a Montagu House in Blackheath, London. She was denied any part in the raising of her daughter Charlotte and was allowed to see her only occasionally. Caroline eventually went to live abroad where she ran up debts and had lovers.

When King George III died in January of 1820, Caroline was determined to return to England and assert her rights as queen. On her way back to England, she received a proposal from King George IV offering her £50,000 per year if she would continue to live outside of England. Caroline rejected the proposal and received a royal salute of 21 guns from Dover Castle when she set foot again in England. George IV was determined to be rid of Caroline and his government introduced a bill in Parliament, the Pains and Penalties Bill 1820, to strip Caroline of the title of queen consort and dissolve her marriage. The reading of the bill in Parliament was effectively a trial of Caroline. On November 10, 1820, a final reading of the bill took place, and the bill passed by 108–99. Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool then declared that since the vote was so close, and public tensions so high, the government was withdrawing the bill.

King George IV’s coronation was set for July 19, 1821, but no plans had been made for Caroline to participate. On the day of the coronation, Caroline went to Westminster Abbey, was barred at every entrance and finally left. Three weeks later on August 7, 1821, Caroline died at the age of 53, most likely from a bowel obstruction or cancer. Prior to her death, Caroline had requested that she be buried in her native Brunswick. The official route of Caroline’s cortege through London was to avoid major streets. However, members of the public blocked those streets and forced a new route through the major streets. Caroline was buried at Brunswick Cathedral in Germany alongside her father. Her casket bears the inscription, “Here lies Caroline, the Injured Queen of England.”

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Where are the Grandchildren?

Queen Charlotte painted by Benjamin West in 1779 with her 13 eldest children; Credit – http://www.royalcollection.org.uk

King George III and his wife Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz had fifteen children, all survived childbirth, and only two died in childhood. One would think that George and Charlotte would have had lots of grandchildren but that was not the case. In 1816, Princess Charlotte of Wales married Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Charlotte of Wales was the daughter of George, Prince of Wales and unbelievably, the only legitimate grandchild of King George III. Charlotte of Wales was second in the line of succession and she would have succeeded her father, the future George IV, as queen but on November 6, 1817, a great tragedy struck the British Royal Family. After a labor of over 50 hours, Charlotte delivered a stillborn son. Several hours later, twenty-one-year-old Princess Charlotte, the only child of George, Prince of Wales and King George III’s only legitimate grandchild, died of postpartum hemorrhage. Charlotte was mourned by the British people in a manner similar to the mourning of Diana, Princess of Wales. Charlotte’s pregnancy and delivery were grossly mismanaged and the doctor in charge, Sir Richard Croft, later committed suicide.

King George III’s six daughters had very sheltered upbringings and they spent most of their time with their parents and each other. The living conditions of King George III’s daughters came to be known as “the Nunnery.” None of the daughters was allowed to marry at the age when most princesses would marry, and only three of the six daughters ever married. At the time of Charlotte of Wales’s death, only two of her six aunts had married but their marriages were childless: Charlotte, Princess Royal and Princess Mary. Perhaps this over-protection of King George III’s daughters was due to what happened to his sister Caroline Matilda when she married King Christian VII of Denmark.

When Charlotte of Wales died, only two of her six living uncles were married and neither had children: Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Ernest, Duke of Cumberland (the future King of Hanover). Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex had married in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act in 1793 and the marriage was annulled the next year. Augustus would make another marriage in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act in 1831. Prince William, Duke of Clarence (the future King William IV) had ten children with his long-time mistress the actress Dorothea Jordan. Prince Edward, Duke of Kent had had several mistresses. The youngest surviving son, Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge seemed to be too busy with his army career to marry.

Since the death of Princess Charlotte of Wales left no legitimate heir in the second generation, it prompted the aging sons of King George III to begin a frantic search for brides to provide for the succession. King George III’s eldest son (Charlotte’s father) and his second son Frederick, Duke of York, were in loveless marriages, and their wives, both in their late forties, were not expected to produce heirs. The third son William, Duke of Clarence, age 53, married 26-year-old Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen. 50-year-old Edward, Duke of Kent, the fourth son, married 32-year-old widow Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saafeld. Victoire was the sister of Leopold, Princess Charlotte’s widower. 21-year-old Augusta of Hesse-Cassel was married to 44-year-old Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, the seventh son. It was then the scramble to produce an heir began.

Within a short time, the three new Duchesses, along with Frederica, wife of the fifth son Ernest, Duke of Cumberland, became pregnant. Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to a son on March 26, 1819; Adelaide, Duchess of Clarence had a daughter the following day. Victoria, Duchess of Kent produced a daughter on May 24, 1819, and three days later Frederica, Duchess of Cumberland had a boy. Adelaide’s daughter would have been the heir but the little princess died in infancy. The child of the next Royal Duke in seniority stood to inherit the throne. This was Alexandrina Victoria, daughter of Edward, Duke of Kent and Victoire of Saxe-Coburg-Saafeld. The baby stood fifth in line to the throne after her uncles George, Frederick and William, and her father.

The baby’s father Edward, Duke of Kent died on January 23, 1820, eight months after her birth. Six days later, King George III’s death brought his eldest son to the throne as King George IV. Frederick, Duke of York, died in 1827, bringing the young princess a step closer to the throne. King George IV died in 1830 and his brother William (IV) succeeded him. During King William IV’s reign, little Drina, as she was called, was the heiress presumptive. There was always the possibility that King William IV and Queen Adelaide would still produce an heir. But it was not to be. William died on June 20, 1837 and left the throne to his 18-year-old niece, who is known to history as Queen Victoria.

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Weddings of Hanover Monarchs and Their Children

Wedding venues that have official websites or Wikipedia articles will be linked below. Sometimes the city where the wedding took place is known but the actual wedding venue is unknown. Only married monarchs and their married children are listed. Links are to Unofficial Royalty articles for the monarchs, their children, and their spouses. Note that not all children and spouses have Unofficial Royalty articles.

George I, King of Great Britain (great-grandson of James I) married (1682) Sophia Dorothea of Celle in the mother of the bride’s apartments at Celle Castle in Celle now in Germany

  • Sophia Dorothea of Hanover married (1706) Friedrich Wilhelm, Margrave of Brandenburg (later King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia) in Cölln on the Spree now part of Berlin, Germany

George II, King of Great Britain (son of George I) married (1705) Caroline of Ansbach at the chapel at Schloss Herrenhausen in Hanover now in Germany

Frederick, Prince of Wales (son of George II, predeceased his father) married (1736) Augusta of Saxe-Gotha at the Chapel Royal in St. James’ Palace in London, England

George III, King of the United Kingdom (son of Frederick, Prince of Wales and grandson of George II) married (1761) Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz at the Chapel Royal in St. James’ Palace in London, England

George IV, King of the United Kingdom (son of George III) married (1795) Caroline of Brunswick at the Chapel Royal in St. James’ Palace in London, England

William IV, King of the United Kingdom (son of George III) married (1818) Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen at Kew Palace in London, England

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.

Works Cited

  • Ashdown, D. (1981). Royal Weddings. London: Robert Hale Limited.
  • Fraser, F. (2004). Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
  • Genealogics.org. (2018). [online] Available at: http://www.genealogics.org [Accessed 2 Apr. 2018].
  • Hibbert, C. (1998). George III. New York: Basic Books.
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2018). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com [Accessed 2 Apr. 2018]. (Hanover articles)
  • Van Der Kiste, J. (1992). George III’s Children. Trowbridge: Sutton Publishing.
  • Van Der Kiste, J. (2000). The Georgian Princesses. Sparkford: Sutton Publishing.
  • Wikipedia. (2018). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/ [Accessed 2 Apr. 2018].  (for wedding venue and genealogy information)

History and Traditions: Stuart Weddings

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Union of the Crowns Badge Tudor Rose dimidiated with the Scottish Thistle, used by King James VI/I to symbolize the personal union of his realms; Credit – Wikipedia

During the reign of the Stuart monarchs, England transitioned from monarchs who believed in the divine right of kings to constitutional monarchs. In his book The Sickly Stuarts: The Medical Downfall of a Dynasty, Frederick Holmes, a former Professor of Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center writes: “While it might be imagined that Parliament grew in strength throughout the seventeenth century because right was on their side and Englishmen were successful in their demand to rule themselves, this, in fact, is only part of the picture, and perhaps the smaller part. In reality, the Stuarts were a sickly lot who were sapped of their strength and vitality by disease and disability during the four generations their six monarchs ruled England. The power of the Stuarts and the English monarchy slowly faded throughout the long seventeenth century as the Stuarts were brought down by a variety of medical problems and Parliament simultaneously increased in power to fill the void.”

Illness, the inability to conceive children, the inability to bring a pregnancy to term, and giving birth to weak children affected the Stuarts’ ability to fulfill the primary duty of a king: to marry and have sons (or even daughters) to succeed to the throne. A look at a short history of the children or lack of children of the six Stuart monarchs will illustrate this.

King James I/King James VI of Scotland

  • had seven children
  • four died before the age of two
  • the eldest and the heir Henry, Prince of Wales died of typhoid fever at age 18
  • two survived to adulthood: King Charles I and Elizabeth who married Friedrich V, Elector Palatine of the Rhine and their grandson George, Elector of Hanover succeeded to the British throne upon the demise of the House of Stuart

King Charles I

  • had nine children
  • three died before the age of three
  • Elizabeth died from pneumonia at the age of 15
  • Henry, Duke of Gloucester died of smallpox at age 20
  • four survived to adulthood: King Charles II, King James II, Mary, Princess Royal (mother of King William III) and Henrietta who married into the French royal family – her Catholic descendants were barred from the British line of succession by the Bill of Rights 1689 which prohibited Catholics from inheriting the British throne

King Charles II

  • no legitimate children, it is thought that his wife Catherine of Braganza had at least three miscarriages
  • had at least 14 illegitimate children

King James II

  • had eight children with his first wife Anne Hyde
  • six died before the age of three
  • two survived to adulthood: Queen Mary II and Queen Anne
  • his second wife Maria Beatrice of Modena had 12 pregnancies, gave birth to five live children
  • only two survived to childhood: James Edward Francis Stuart (The Old Pretender) and Louisa Maria Teresa who died of smallpox at age 20
  • deposed in 1688, children from second marriage were Catholic and were ineligible for the British throne

Queen Mary II and King William III

  • no children, Mary had at least one miscarriage and possibly more

Queen Anne

  • had 17 pregnancies but only five live births
  • only Prince William, Duke of Gloucester survived early childhood but he died at age 11

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King James VI of Scotland/King James I of England

James I and Anne of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Throughout his life, King James VI of Scotland had close relationships with male courtiers, which has caused debate among historians about the nature of the relationships. However, a marriage was necessary to provide heirs to the throne of Scotland. On August 20, 1589, James was married by proxy to Anne of Denmark at Kronborg Castle in Helsingør, Denmark. Anne was the eldest daughter of King Frederik II of Denmark and Sophia of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, who conducted the marriage negotiations after the death of her husband in 1588. Ten days after the proxy wedding, Anne set sail for Scotland, but severe storms forced her to land in Norway. Upon hearing this, James set sail to personally bring Anne to Scotland. On November 23, 1589, the couple was formally married at the Old Bishop’s Palace in Oslo, Norway. After a prolonged visit to Denmark, James and Anne landed in Scotland on May 1, 1590. On May 5, 1590, Anne made her state entry into Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. She was crowned Queen of Scots on May 17, 1590, at the Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh.

The first Stuart King of England got the throne because the Tudors failed to provide for the succession. King James VI of Scotland, the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, succeeded to the English throne in 1603 upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I. James VI was the great-great-grandson of the first Tudor king, King Henry VII of England, through Henry’s daughter Margaret who had married King James IV of Scotland. James VI had been King of Scots since he was eleven months old. He succeeded to the English throne as King James I of England when he was 37 years old. He was already married and five of his seven children had already been born.

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Wedding of  Elizabeth Stuart and Friedrich V, Elector Palatine of the Rhine

Elizabeth Stuart and Friedrich V, Elector Palatine of the Rhine; Credit – Wikipedia

Sadly, James I’s eldest son and heir, Henry, Prince of Wales died in 1612 from typhoid fever. James I had planned a Catholic wedding for Henry and had arranged a Protestant marriage for his only surviving daughter Elizabeth to Friedrich V, Elector Palatine of the Rhine and the wedding plans went on as planned despite Henry’s death. There had not been a royal wedding in England since that of Queen Mary I and Prince Philip of Spain in 1554 and never had there been a royal wedding so magnificent and expensive.

The wedding of Elizabeth Stuart and Friedrich V, Elector Palatine of the Rhine, both 16-year-olds, was held on St. Valentine’s Day in 1613 at the Chapel Royal at the Palace of Whitehall in London, England. As the wedding was a private affair and not the large public, royal weddings we have become accustomed to, only the courtiers saw Elizabeth in her magnificent attire. The bride was dressed in a white satin gown with diamonds sewn upon the sleeves. Elizabeth’s hair was plaited down her back to her waist with gold spangles, pearls, and diamonds between every plait. Upon her head, she wore a gold crown with pearls and diamonds. The court celebrated the wedding with days of feasts, sports in the palace tiltyard, and performances of masques. London’s citizens were treated to mock battles between galleons in the Thames by day and fireworks along the Thames at night. No other Stuart wedding would be as grand.

Elizabeth proved to be the most successful Stuart in having children – fourteen children with only one dying in childhood. Her daughter Sophia of the Palatinate who married Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover was the mother of King George I of Great Britain, the first monarch of the House of Hanover, and is the ancestress of the current British Royal Family.

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Wedding of King Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France

Charles I and Henrietta Maria; Credit – Wikipedia

With Elizabeth leaving home in 1613, her 12-year-old brother Charles, the heir to the throne since the death of his brother and the future King Charles I, was the only child left at home. As a child, Charles was frail and late in development, possibly from rickets, and could not yet walk or talk by the age of three. He overcame his early physical problems, although he grew no taller than five feet four inches, and learned to ride, shoot, and fence. However, he was no physical match for his stronger and taller elder brother Henry, Prince of Wales, whom he adored.

King James I, seeking a Spanish alliance, had visions of Charles marrying Infanta Maria Anna of Spain, the youngest daughter of King Philip III of Spain. In 1623, Charles went to Madrid with his father’s favorite George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham for marriage negotiations regarding the Infanta. The negotiations had long been at a standstill, and although religion was a stumbling block, it is believed that Buckingham’s offensive behavior was a key to the total collapse of the negotiations.

While Charles was traveling to Spain in 1623, he first saw Henrietta Maria, the French king’s sister and his future wife, in Paris as she rehearsed a court entertainment with other members of the French royal family. On March 27, 1625, King James I died and Charles succeeded him. Since the Spanish negotiations failed, King Charles I now looked toward a French alliance and a marriage with Henrietta Maria was successfully negotiated. Henrietta Maria was the youngest daughter of King Henri IV of France and his second wife Marie de’ Medici. Henri IV had been assassinated in 1610 when Henrietta Maria was still a baby and her brother King Louis XIII had succeeded their father. Charles I and Henrietta Maria were married by proxy on May 1, 1625, on the steps of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France.

15-year-old Henrietta Maria had stormy weather as she crossed the English Channel on her voyage from France to England. Her ship was tossed by storms for a day and upon reaching Dover on June 12, 1625, she had to be carried to Dover Castle. A messenger was sent to ask Charles I to postpone his arrival for a day so she could recover. The next day Charles I and Henrietta Maria were married at Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, England. As his bride was young and had recently left her family, Charles did her a kindness on their wedding night. As the embarrassing bedding ceremony was approaching, Charles elbowed his attendants away, went alone into Henrietta Maria’s bedchamber, and barred the door against them.

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Wedding of Mary, Princess Royal and Willem II, Prince of Orange

Mary, Princess Royal and Willem II, Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

The first of Charles I and Henrietta Maria’s children to marry was their eldest daughter Mary, Princess Royal. Charles I wanted Mary to marry one of the sons of King Felipe IV of Spain or her first cousin Karl I Ludwig, Elector Palatine of the Rhine but both marriage prospects failed. Instead, Mary was betrothed to Willem, Hereditary Prince of Orange the future Willem II, Prince of Orange), son of Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange.

On May 2, 1641, at the Chapel Royal of the Palace of Whitehall, nine-year-old Mary married Willem, who would have his 15th birthday in a couple of weeks. The whole wedding was truly a children’s affair. Mary was led to the altar by her ten-year-old brother Charles (the future Charles II) and her eight-year-old brother James (the future James II). The six bridesmaids were all young girls no older than the bride. Willem wore a velvet suit embroidered with gold thread while Mary wore a white silk dress embroidered in silver. Her hair was tied up with silver ribbons and on her head, she wore a pearl circlet. There were no festivities. The family ate lunch as usual, then took an afternoon walk in Hyde Park and ate supper together. Because of Mary’s young age, the marriage was not consummated for several years. Instead of the traditional bedding ceremony, Mary and Willem simply sat on a bed side by side for about an hour.

Charles I had demanded in the marriage contract that Mary remain in England for several years. However, by 1642, he was dealing with so many political problems that he needed Dutch support. In February 1642, Mary, accompanied by her mother, sailed from England to The Hague in the Dutch Republic. Once in The Hague, Mary was warmly greeted by her in-laws and her paternal aunt Elizabeth, Electress Palatine of the Rhine and some of her children. A second marriage ceremony was held in The Hague on November 4, 1643. By the time Queen Henrietta Maria returned to England in February 1643, England was in the midst of a civil war that would result in King Charles I losing his head in 1649.

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Wedding of King Charles II and Catherine of Braganza

Charles II and Catherine of Braganza; Credit – Wikipedia

While Oliver Cromwell had ruled England as Lord Protector, Charles II, who had been the de jure King since his father’s execution, lived in mainland Europe. After Cromwell’s death, Parliament formally invited Charles, as King Charles II, to be the English monarch in what has become known as the Restoration. Charles II returned to England in 1660.

Catherine of Braganza, the daughter of King João IV of Portugal, had first been suggested as a bride for Charles II in 1645 during the reign of Charles I and again in 1660 when the monarchy was restored in England. Already there were rumors of Catherine’s inability to have children but the newly restored King Charles II was eager to have the £300,000 dowry. The marriage contract was signed on June 23, 1661. Catherine set sail for England in April of 1662 and landed at Portsmouth, England on May 13, 1662. On May 21, 1662, King Charles II and Catherine were married.  First, a secret, brief Catholic ceremony was held in Catherine’s Portsmouth bedchamber with only her Portuguese attendants as witnesses. Then, the legal Church of England ceremony took place in the Great Chamber in Governor of Portsmouth’s home. Catherine wore a rose-colored gown covered in lover’s knots made from blue ribbon. Her lace veil was covered with symbols of her new country including Tudor roses.

Catherine was horrified to find out that her lady-in-waiting was Barbara Villiers, Charles II’s current mistress. After the initial shock, Catherine maintained a dignified attitude towards her husband’s mistresses and showed many acts of kindness to his illegitimate children. Despite fathering at least 14 illegitimate children with his mistresses, Charles II had no children with Catherine. It is thought that Catherine did have at least three miscarriages. Despite having many mistresses, Charles insisted that Catherine be treated with respect, and sided with her over his mistresses when he felt she was not receiving the respect she was due.

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William and Mary

Mary II and William III; Credit – Wikipedia

During Charles II’s reign, two of his nieces: Mary (the future Queen Mary II) and Anne (the future Queen Anne), the only surviving children of his brother James, Duke of York from his first marriage, were married. James would reign as King James II for three years after his brother’s death before being deposed in 1688 during the Glorious Revolution.

In 1677, when Charles II’s niece Mary was 15-years-old, it became apparent that Catherine of Braganza, the wife of King Charles II, would not provide a Stuart heir. In addition, Maria Beatrice of Modena, the second wife of James, Duke of York, had two miscarriages and two daughters, one who had died in infancy and one who was sickly and not expected to survive. Mary’s marriage became a matter of dynastic importance for the House of Stuart. The bridegroom her uncle chose for her was William III, Prince of Orange, her first cousin. William was the only child of Mary’s paternal aunt Mary, Princess Royal and Willem II, Prince of Orange who had died of smallpox a few days before his son’s birth. William was fourth in line to the English throne after his uncle James and his cousins Mary and Anne.

15-year-old Mary and 27-year-old William were married on November 4, 1677, in Mary’s bedchamber at St. James’ Palace with only the closest relatives attending. The bride was miserable, the groom acted with cool correctness, the father of the bride was grimly resigned to the marriage, and the stepmother of the bride, who was very pregnant, was in tears at the prospect of losing her stepdaughter. The bride’s aunt Catherine of Braganza tried to comfort Mary saying, “When I came to England I had not even seen the King,” to which Mary replied, “Madam, you came into England, but I am going out of England.” Mary’s sister Anne and her governess Lady Frances Villiers were unable to attend as they were both ill with smallpox. Only the bride and groom’s uncle, King Charles II, was his usual cheerful and tactless self. Upon closing the curtains around the marital bed during the bedding ceremony, Charles II remarked, “Now nephew, to your work! Hey! St. George for England!”

William and Mary made a formal entry into The Hague, the seat of William’s Dutch Republic, on December 14, 1677. Mary soon became pregnant but suffered a miscarriage which may have prevented any successful pregnancies. It is suspected that she had at least two more miscarriages. Her inability to have children was Mary’s greatest unhappiness. Despite their physical mismatch, Mary was quite tall (5 feet 11 inches; 180 cm) and towered over the undersized and asthmatic William (5 feet 6 inches; 167 cm), William adored Mary and Mary was devoted to William. After the Glorious Revolution of 1688 deposed Mary’s father King James II, Parliament asked William and Mary to reign jointly as King William III and Queen Mary II.

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The Last Stuart

Anne and George of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

In December 1680, George, The Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg (the future King George I of Great Britain) made a three-month visit to England and rumors were flying that he would become the husband of his second cousin Princess Anne, the future Queen Anne, whom he later succeeded. However, on July 28, 1683, at the Chapel Royal in St. James’ Palace in London, Anne married Prince George of Denmark, son of King Frederick III of Denmark and the brother of King Christian V of Denmark. It was a small, happy wedding as Anne would be able to remain in England. After the ceremony, there was a small family supper and then the traditional bedding ceremony. Even though the marriage was arranged, the marriage was happy and Anne and George were faithful to each other.

Anne became pregnant a few months after the wedding but she gave birth to a stillborn daughter in May 1684. Anne’s obstetrical history is tragic. She had 17 pregnancies with only five children being born alive. Two died on the day of their birth, two died at less than two years old within six days of each from smallpox, and one died at age 11. Anne suffered from what was diagnosed as gout and had pain in her limbs, stomach, and head. Based on these symptoms and her obstetrical history, Anne may have had systemic lupus erythematosus which causes an increased rate of fetal death.

On December 28, 1694, Anne’s sister Queen Mary II died of smallpox. She was just 32 years old. King William III continued to reign alone for the remainder of his life. As William and Mary had no children, Anne was now the heir presumptive to the throne and her son Prince William, Duke of Gloucester was second in the line of succession.  However, on July 30, 1700, 11-year-old Prince William, Duke of Gloucester died.

The death of Prince William and the failure of the Protestant Stuarts to produce heirs meant the end of the Protestant Stuart dynasty as the legitimate descendants of King Charles I were either childless or Roman Catholic. The passage of the Bill of Rights 1689 which prohibited Catholics from inheriting the British throne exacerbated the Stuarts’ succession problems. To solve the succession crisis, Parliament passed the Act of Settlement 1701 which secured the Protestant succession to the throne after King William III’s sister-in-law and heir presumptive Princess Anne.

The Act of Settlement 1701 excluded the former King James II (who died a few months after the act received royal assent) and the Roman Catholic children from his second marriage and also excluded the descendants of King James II’s sister Henrietta, the youngest daughter of King Charles I as they were all Roman Catholic.  Parliament’s choice was limited to the Protestant descendants of Elizabeth, Electress Palatine of the Rhine, the only other child of King James I not to have died in childhood. The senior Protestant descendant was Elizabeth’s youngest daughter Sophia, Electress of Hanover. The Act of Settlement put Sophia of Hanover and her Protestant heirs in the line of succession after Anne.

Anne succeeded her brother-in-law and first cousin King William III upon his death in 1702 and reigned until her death in 1714. Sophia, Electress of Hanover, the heir to the throne according to the Act of Settlement, had died on June 8, 1714, just six weeks before the death of Queen Anne, and so Sophia’s son became King George I and started the Hanover dynasty.

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Weddings of Stuart Monarchs and Their Children

Like, the Tudors, the Stuarts did not have a lot of weddings. Wedding venues that have official websites or Wikipedia articles will be linked below.  Sometimes the city where the wedding took place is known but the actual wedding venue is unknown. Only married monarchs and their married children are listed. Links are to Unofficial Royalty articles for the monarchs, their children, and their spouses. Note that not all the spouses have Unofficial Royalty articles.

James I, King of England/James VI, King of Scots (great-great-grandson of Henry VII) married (1589) Anne of Denmark at the Old Bishop’s Palace in Oslo, Norway

Charles I, King of England (son of James I) married (1625) Henrietta Maria of France at Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, England

Charles II, King of England (son of Charles I) married (1662) Catherine of Braganza in Portsmouth, England

James II, King of England (son of Charles I) (1) married (1659) Lady Anne Hyde in Breda, the Netherlands (2) married (1673) Maria Beatrice of Modena in England

Mary II, Queen of England (daughter of James II) married (1677) Willem III, Prince of Orange (later William III, King of England), grandson of Charles I, in the bride’s bedchamber at St. James’ Palace in London England

Anne, Queen of Great Britain (daughter of James II) married (1683) George of Denmark at the Chapel Royal in St. James’ Palace in London, England

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.

Works Cited

  • Ashdown, D. (1981). Royal Weddings. London: Robert Hale Limited.
  • Fraser, A. (1979). King Charles II. London: Onion Books Ltd.
  • Genealogics.org. (2018). [online] Available at: http://www.genealogics.org [Accessed 2 Apr. 2018].
  • Holmes, F. (2003). The Sickly Stuarts: The Medical Downfall of a Dynasty. Thrupp UK: Sutton Publishing.
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2018). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com [Accessed 2 Apr. 2018]. (Stuart articles)
  • Waller, M. (2002). Ungrateful Daughters: The Stuart Princesses Who Stole Their Father’s Crown. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
  • Wikipedia. (2018). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/ [Accessed 2 Apr. 2018].  (for wedding venue and genealogy information)

History and Traditions: Tudor Weddings

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Double Portrait of Elizabeth of York and King Henry VII; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 22, 1485, at the Battle of Bosworth Field, the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the last king of the House of York and the Plantagenet dynasty, King Richard III of England, lost his life and his crown. The battle was a decisive victory for the House of Lancaster, whose leader Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, became King Henry VII, the first monarch of the House of Tudor.

Even though the first Parliament of Henry VII’s reign passed a bill confirming his right to the throne and settling the succession upon the heirs of his body, his genealogical claim to the English throne through his mother Lady Margaret Beaufort was tenuous. And so, he did what his Plantagenet ancestors did – he made a political marriage and that marriage helped validate Henry VII’s claim to the throne. Henry VII married Elizabeth of York, the eldest child of the Yorkist King Edward IV, thereby uniting the House of York and the House of Lancaster. Elizabeth had no surviving brothers and her uncle Richard III had no surviving children, and so her genealogical claim on the English throne was very much stronger than Henry VII’s. By today’s standards of absolute primogeniture, Elizabeth of York would have been the heir to the English throne.

During his reign, Henry VII’s two main goals were peace-keeping and economic prosperity, and he succeeded at both. He did not try to retake the territories lost in France during the reigns of his predecessors. Instead, he concluded a peace treaty with France, which helped fill the coffers of England again. Again, like his Plantagenet ancestors, Henry VII made political marriages for his two eldest children which helped fulfill his goals. He made a pact with Spain with the marriage treaty of his eldest son Arthur, Prince of Wales and Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. He also allied himself with Scotland by marrying his daughter Margaret to King James IV of Scotland. Ultimately, this marriage would unite England and Scotland when King Henry VII’s great-great-grandson King James VI of Scotland succeeded King Henry VII’s granddaughter Queen Elizabeth I of England. Through his daughter Margaret Tudor, Henry VII is the ancestor of the British royal family and many other European royal families.

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To help foster the legitimacy of the House of Tudor, Henry VII made sure that the wedding of his heir Arthur, Prince of Wales to Catherine of Aragon was a festive and grand affair. When 16-year-old Catherine arrived in London, she was greeted by jubilant citizens and a number of tableaux vivants including one depicting the life of her patron St. Catherine. On November 14, 1501, Arthur and Catherine were married in a splendid ceremony at the Old St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. Old St. Paul’s was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and its replacement was consecrated in 1697. There would not be another wedding at St. Paul’s Cathedral until 1981 when another Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, married Lady Diana Spencer.

A six-foot-high platform was built in Old St. Paul’s from the cathedral door to the altar so that all the guests could see all parts of the ceremony. The bride was escorted to the cathedral and led to the altar by the groom’s 10-year-old brother Henry, Duke of York, who, as King Henry VIII, would eventually become her second husband. Arthur and Catherine were dressed in white satin. Catherine’s dress was the first farthingale dress worn in England. The farthingale dress with hoop skirt stiffened with wood, became an essential part of Tudor fashion. A white silk veil bordered with gold and set with jewels was worn over the bride’s long, auburn flowing hair.

Wedding Feast of Arthur, Prince of Wales and Catherine of Aragon; Credit – Wikipedia

Festivities continued for days after the wedding for both the city of London and the royal court. There were so many people in the street that one observer noted, “There was nothing to the eye but only visages and faces, without the appearance of bodies.” Banquet after banquet was held in Westminster Hall for the royal court. Catherine and her ladies demonstrated Spanish dances and Prince Henry danced with his sisters and other ladies. Soon after their marriage, Catherine and Arthur went to live at Ludlow Castle in Shropshire, close to Wales, where, as Prince of Wales, Arthur presided over the Council of Wales and the Marches. Less than five months later, on April 2, 1502, Arthur died, probably of the sweating sickness, and 16-year-old Catherine was left a widow.

King Henry VII did not want to lose Catherine of Aragon’s dowry or the alliance he had made with Spain, so he offered his new heir Henry, who was five years younger than Catherine, to be her husband. A number of problems with negotiations made it doubtful that the marriage would ever take place. With little money, Catherine lived as a virtual prisoner at Durham House in London from 1502 – 1509.

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The marriage of Henry VII’s eldest daughter Margaret was a very political one. In 1502, England and Scotland concluded the Treaty of Perpetual Peace, agreeing to end the warfare between England and Scotland which had occurred over the previous two hundred years. As part of the treaty, a marriage was arranged between 28-year-old James IV, King of Scots and twelve-year-old Margaret Tudor. A proxy marriage was held on January 25, 1503, at Richmond Palace with Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell standing in for King James IV. Margaret was exactly the same age as her grandmother Margaret Beaufort had been when she married Edmund Tudor. Margaret Beaufort was determined that her granddaughter not consummate her marriage at such an early age and insisted that Margaret must remain in England a while longer.

James IV, King of Scots and Margaret Tudor; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1503, Margaret left London with her father to make the journey to Scotland. Her formal court farewell was held at her paternal grandmother’s home Collyweston Palace near Stamford, Northamptonshire, England. After two weeks of celebrations, Margaret rode out to her new life with only one relative, Sir David Owen, the illegitimate son of her great-grandfather Owen Tudor. On August 3, 1503, at Dalkeith Castle in Midlothian, Scotland, Margaret first met King James IV. The couple was married in person on August 8, 1503, at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland.

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King Henry VII died on April 21, 1509, and 17-year-old Henry succeeded him. Henry VIII’s reign seems to be the beginning of the period when royal weddings were mostly private and held in palace chapels, the Queen’s Closet (a small room used as a private chapel or prayer room) or bedchambers. This tradition continued with the Stuarts and the Hanovers. It was not until the reign of Queen Victoria that royal weddings became more public.

16th-century woodcut of the coronation of King Henry VIII of England and Catherine of Aragon showing their heraldic badges, the Tudor Rose and the Pomegranate of Granada; Credit – Wikipedia

Henry VIII’s first wedding to his brother’s widow Catherine of Aragon was quite sedate. Henry and Catherine walked from Greenwich Palace to a nearby Franciscan abbey, Grey Friars’ Church, and were married. Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne Boleyn was anything but public. Anne was pregnant and Henry was still legally married to Catherine of Aragon. On January 25, 1533, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn were secretly married at York Place in London which later became Whitehall Palace. Eleven days after the execution of Anne Boleyn in 1536, Henry VIII quietly married his third wife in the Queen’s Closet at Whitehall Palace. Seventeen months later, Jane Seymour would be dead due to childbirth complications after giving birth to Henry’s only son.

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Anne of Cleves has the distinction of being considered Henry VIII’s most fortunate wife. She arrived in Deal, England on December 27, 1539, and then she proceeded to Rochester on New Year’s Day. Henry VIII was so eager to see Anne, that he went to Rochester incognito. Henry was terribly disappointed by his new bride. He found Anne humorless and boring. She looked unimpressive in her German costume, acted shy and did not speak English. Henry postponed the wedding for two days and regretted that he could not withdraw from the marriage contract.

King Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Reluctantly, Henry married Anne of Cleves on January 6, 1540, at Greenwich Palace in Greenwich, London. The marriage was never consummated, and it was said that the couple spent the night playing cards. Henry told his chief minister Thomas Cromwell, “I liked her before not well, but now I like her much worse.” On July 6, 1540, Anne of Cleves was informed that Henry wanted to end the marriage and Anne agreed to an annulment which was finalized on July 9, 1540, on the grounds of non-consummation. Anne of Cleves remained in England. Henry VIII’s “most fortunate wife” was given a generous financial settlement and the use of Richmond Palace and Hever Castle. Anne was frequently at court, had a cordial relationship with Henry and his children, and was referred to as “the King’s Beloved Sister.” She survived Henry and all his wives.

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Henry secretly married his fifth wife, teenaged Catherine Howard at a very private wedding at Oatlands Palace in Surrey, England on July 28, 1540, the same day Thomas Cromwell, the scapegoat for the failed marriage to Anne of Cleves, was executed for treason and heresy. Henry called his teenage bride his “rose without a thorn.” Catherine soon proved to be a rose with many thorns because of her affair with Thomas Culpeper, a Gentleman to the King’s Privy Chamber and like her first cousin Anne Boleyn, she was executed.

King Henry VIII and Catherine Howard: Credit – Wikipedia

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Catherine Parr, Henry VIII’s sixth wife was more of a nursemaid to the ailing king. Catherine had fallen in love with Thomas Seymour, brother of Henry VIII’s late third wife Jane Seymour, and the two hoped to marry. However, Henry VIII began to show an interest in Catherine and she felt it was her duty to choose Henry’s proposal of marriage over Thomas Seymour’s. Seymour was appointed an ambassador to the Netherlands to get him out of England. In 1543, Catherine Parr and Henry VIII were married in the Queen’s Closet at Hampton Court Palace in front of twenty guests. Catherine proved to be a good nurse to Henry and a kind stepmother to his three children. After Henry VIII’s death in 1547, Catherine finally married Thomas Seymour, uncle of the new King Edward VI. Tragically, Catherine died on September 5, 1548, of childbed fever after giving birth to a daughter who appears to have died young. Six months after Catherine’s death, her widower Thomas Seymour was beheaded for treason.

King Henry VIII and Catherine Parr; Credit – Wikipedia

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All of Henry VIII’s children succeeded to the throne: his son by Jane Seymour King Edward VI, his daughter by Catherine of Aragon Queen Mary I and his daughter by Anne Boleyn Queen Elizabeth I. However, only Mary I married. Roman Catholic Mary I was 37 when she came to the throne and it was vital that she marry and produce an heir to supplant her Protestant sister Elizabeth. Mary had her heart set on marrying Prince Philip of Spain (later King Philip II of Spain), the only son of Mary’s first cousin Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Philip was a widower and was eleven years younger than Mary. Parliament begged her to reconsider fearing the threat a marriage to a foreign royal might have for English independence.

Queen Mary I and her husband Philip of Spain, Bedford Collection, Woburn Abbey; Credit – Wikipedia

Nevertheless, Mary and Philip were married at Winchester Cathedral on July 25, 1554. This was the first public wedding of a monarch since the wedding of Mary’s grandparents King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York in 1486. Philip wore a splendid outfit: a white doublet and breeches and a mantle of clot-of-gold trimmed with crimson velvet, and embroidered with gold thistles. Mary I wore a black velvet gown glittering with jewels of all colors and a cloth-of-gold mantle matching Philip’s. A lavish feast followed the wedding.

The marriage was not successful. Although Mary was in love with Philip, he found her repugnant. In September 1554, Mary thought she was pregnant and continued to exhibit signs of pregnancy until July 1555, when her abdomen returned to normal. There was no baby. After 14 months of marriage, Philip returned to Spain in August 1555. Mary was heartbroken and went into a deep depression. Philip did return to England in 1557 and was happily received by Mary. Philip wanted England to join Spain in a war against France. Mary agreed and the result was the loss of Calais, England’s last remaining possession in continental Europe. Philip left England in July 1557, never to return. Mary said of these losses, “When I am dead, you will find the words ‘Philip’ and ‘Calais’ engraved upon my heart.”

King Henry VII’s vision of a new dynasty lasted for only three generations.  After Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, a messenger was sent at once to Scotland to bring King James VI of Scotland, the great-grandson of Margaret Tudor, the news of his accession to the English throne as King James I of England.  The House of Stuart did not do much better – their dynasty lasted for only four generations.

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Weddings of Tudor Monarchs and Their Children

There were not a lot of Tudor weddings. Henry VIII’s six weddings accounted for nearly half of them. Wedding venues that have official websites or Wikipedia articles will be linked below.  Sometimes the city where the wedding took place is known but the actual wedding venue is unknown. Only married monarchs and their married children are listed. Links are to Unofficial Royalty articles for the monarchs, their children, and their spouses. Note that not all the spouses have Unofficial Royalty articles.

Henry VII, King of England (great-great-great-grandson of Edward III) married (1486) Elizabeth of York at St. Stephen’s Chapel in the Palace of Westminster

Henry VIII, King of England (son of Henry VII)
(1) married (1509) Catherine of Aragon at the Grey Friars’ Church in Greenwich, England
(2) married (1533) Anne Boleyn at York Place which later became Whitehall Palace
(3) married (1536) Jane Seymour in the Queen’s Closet at Whitehall Palace in London, England
(4) married (1540) Anne of Cleves at Greenwich Palace in Greenwich, England
(5) married (1540) Catherine Howard at Oatlands Palace in Surrey, England
(6) married (1543) Catherine Parr at Hampton Court Palace in Richmond, England

Mary I, Queen of England (daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon) married (1554) Prince Philip of Spain (later King Philip II of Spain) at Winchester Cathedral in Winchester, England

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.

Works Cited

  • Ashdown, D. (1981). Royal Weddings. London: Robert Hale Limited.
  • Genealogics.org. (2018). [online] Available at: http://www.genealogics.org [Accessed 2 Apr. 2018].
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2018). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com [Accessed 2 Apr. 2018]. (Tudor articles)
  • Weir, A. (2001). Henry VIII: The King and His Court. New York: Ballantine Books.
  • Wikipedia. (2018). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/ [Accessed 2 Apr. 2018].  (for wedding venue and genealogy information)

History and Traditions: Norman and Plantagenet Weddings

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Wedding of Matilda of England, King Henry I’s daughter, and Heinrich V, Holy Roman Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

The duty of a medieval king was to have sons to succeed to the throne because women were considered unfit to rule. The political advantage of the marriage was the prime consideration – not the looks, the personality or whether the couple liked each other. In Scotland, it was common for the King of Scots to marry a daughter of a Scottish peer but it was not so in England. A foreign alliance was of the utmost importance.

Princesses were often sent off to their wedding without even meeting their future groom. However, royal children were brought up knowing their eventual fate and their duty to king and country. Young princesses were often sent to be brought up in their future husbands’ kingdoms to learn the language and the customs. King Henry I’s daughter Matilda was betrothed to marry Heinrich V, Holy Roman Emperor, who was sixteen years older than her. At the age of eight, she was sent off to Germany and placed into the custody of Bruno, Archbishop of Trier, who educated her in the German language and culture and in the government of the Holy Roman Empire. When the 22-year-old Matilda returned to England as a widow, the courtiers were amazed at how German she had become.

When the eldest daughter of the King of England married, a tax was collected from the barons to provide her with a dowry. The King provided his younger daughters with dowries with his own funds. It was common that royal dowries not only included cash but also land and goods. Proxy betrothals and proxy weddings were often necessary if the royal parents refused to send their daughter away because she was still a child. A proxy marriage was arranged between 28-year-old James IV, King of Scots and twelve-year-old Margaret Tudor, eldest daughter of King Henry VII with Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell standing in for King James IV. Margaret was exactly the same age as her grandmother Margaret Beaufort had been when she married Edmund Tudor. Margaret Beaufort was determined that her granddaughter not consummate her marriage at such an early age and insisted that Margaret must remain in England until she was older.

The wedding of King Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou; Credit – Wikipedia

The royal bride’s arrival in her new country resulted in massive festivities as soon as she entered the country and continued as she traveled along the roads to the capital. When Margaret of Anjou, the bride of King Henry VI, entered London, she was met with tableaux vivants created and performed by citizens including an allegory of Peace and Plenty, and representations of Noah’s Ark, the Resurrection, and the Last Judgement.

Unfortunately, there is not much information on medieval royal wedding dresses. Most chroniclers were monks who did not describe what the bride wore but a few descriptions do exist. When Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, daughter of King Edward I, married John I, Count of Holland, she wore a gown of embroidered silk with silver gilt buttons and a crown set with rubies, emeralds, and pearls. Documentation from the wedding of Philippa of England, daughter of King Henry IV, and Eric of Pomerania, King of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway indicates that Philippa wore a tunic with a cloak in white silk bordered with gray squirrel and ermine, making her the first documented princess to wear a white wedding dress. When King Edward IV’s sister Margaret of York married Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, she wore a surcoat and mantle of crimson velvet embroidered with gold and a magnificent crown adorned with pearls and enameled white roses for the House of York set between red, green and white enameled letters of her name in Latin.

Crown of Margaret of York in Aachen Cathedral; Photo Credit – By Photo by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34659301

Chroniclers gave no specific account of wedding ceremonies but it can be assumed that the ceremony was the typical Roman Catholic ceremony at that time perhaps with the addition of music. The bride of the King of England was usually crowned Queen right after the wedding ceremony. After the wedding ceremony, the wedding banquet was held. The feasts lasted for several days and included dancing, singing, and jousts. The amount of food consumed was amazing. For the wedding of King Henry III’s daughter Margaret to Alexander III, King of Scots in York, England, the citizens of York contributed all the bread, 200 deer, 300 does, 200 young bucks and 100 boars. The Archbishop of York donated 60 oxen and the King of England’s fishermen gave 230 fish.

Crowning of King Edward III’s bride Philippa of Hainault; Credit – Wikipedia

Weddings of Norman and Plantagenet Kings and Their Children

Some weddings of Kings of England and their children were held in England and some were held in other countries.

  • Westminster Abbey was completed around 1060 and was consecrated in 1065.  It was the wedding venue for several royal weddings in this time period including that of King Richard II to Anne of Bohemia in 1382.  The next royal wedding in Westminster Abbey would be the wedding of Queen Victoria’s granddaughter Princess Patricia of Connaught in 1919.
  • Windsor Castle, with its building started by King William I in the decade after the Norman conquest of 1066,  was the setting for a few weddings in this time period. King Henry III had built the Chapel of Edward the Confessor there in the early 13th century.  However, St. George’s Chapel, the site of many recent royal weddings, was not built there until the late 14th century. Henry III’s Chapel of Edward the Confessor was incorporated into the new chapel.  The first wedding at St. George’s Chapel was that of Queen Victoria’s son, the future King Edward VII, in 1863.
  • Other wedding venues that have official websites or Wikipedia articles will be linked below.  Sometimes the city where the wedding took place is known but the actual wedding venue is unknown.

Note: Only married monarchs and their married children are listed. Links are to Unofficial Royalty articles and only links for monarchs, their children, and their spouses are listed. Note that not all children and spouses have Unofficial Royalty articles.

William I (the Conqueror), King of England, Duke of Normandy married (1053) Matilda of Flanders at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Eu, Normandy now in France

Henry I, King of England (son of William I) (1) married (1100) Edith of Scotland (renamed Matilda upon her marriage) at Westminster Abbey; (2) married (1121) Adeliza of Louvain at Windsor Castle

Stephen, King of England (grandson of William I) married (1125) Matilda of Boulogne, wedding venue unknown but probably in France

Henry II, King of England (grandson of Henry I) married (1152) Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine in Poitiers in the County of Poitou

Richard I, King of England (son of Henry II) married (1191) Berengaria of Navarre at the Chapel of St George in Limassol, Cyprus

John, King  of England (son of Henry II) (1) married (1189) Isabella, Countess of Gloucester at Marlborough Castle in Wiltshire, England (marriage annulled); (2) married (1200) Isabella of Angoulême in Bordeaux in the Duchy of Aquitaine

Henry III, King of England (son of King John) married (1236) Eleanor of Provence at Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, England

Edward I, King of England (son of Henry III) (1) married (1254) Eleanor of Castile at the Abbey of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas in Burgos, Castile (now Spain) (2) married (1299) Margaret of France at Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, England

  • Eleanor of England married (1293) Henry III, Count of Bar in Bristol Cathedral in England
  • Joan of Acre (1) married (1290) Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Hertford at Westminster Abbey (2) married (1297) Ralph de Monthermer, wedding venue unknown
  • Margaret married (1290) John II, Duke of Brabant at Windsor Castle
  • Elizabeth of Rhuddlan (1) married (1297) John I, Count of Holland in Ipswich, England (2) married (1302) Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford at Westminster Abbey
  • Thomas of Brotherton, Earl of Norfolk married (1326) Alice de Hales in Loddon, Norfolkshire, England
  • Edmund of Woodstock, Earl of Kent married (1325) Margaret Wake, 3rd Baroness Wake of Liddell, wedding venue unknown

Edward II, King of England (son of Edward I) married (1308) Isabella of France in Boulogne, France

  • Eleanor of Woodstock married (1332) Reinoud II, Count of Guelders in Nijmegen in the County of Guelders now in the Netherlands
  • Joan of The Tower married (1328) King David II of Scotland in 1328 at Berwick-upon-Tweed, England

Edward III, King of England (son of Edward II) married (1328) Philippa of Hainault at York Minster in York, England

Richard II, King of England (grandson of Edward III) (1) married (1382) Anne of Bohemia at Westminster Abbey (last royal wedding at Westminster Abbey until the wedding of Queen Victoria’s granddaughter Princess Patricia of Connaught in 1919)  (2) married (1396) Isabella of Valois at the Church of St. Nicholas in Calais, France

Henry IV, King of England (grandson of Edward III) (1) married (1380) Mary de Bohun at Arundel Castle in West Sussex, England (2) married (1403) Joan of Navarre at Winchester Cathedral (Note: Mary de Bohun died before Henry became king.  She was the mother of all his children.)

  • Thomas of Lancaster, Duke of Clarence married (1411) Margaret Holland, wedding venue unknown
  • John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford (1) married (1423) Anne of Burgundy in Troyes, France (2) married (1433) Jacquetta of Luxembourg in Thérouanne, France
  • Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester (1) married (1423) Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut and Holland in Hadleigh, Essex, England (2) married (1428) Eleanor Cobham
  • Blanche of England married (1402) Louis III, Elector Palatine at Cologne Cathedral now in Germany
  • Philippa of England married (1406) Eric of Pomerania, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden at Lund Cathedral in Lund, Sweden

Henry V, King of England (son of Henry IV) married (1420) Catherine of Valois in Troyes, France

Henry VI, King of England (son of Henry VI) married (1445) Margaret of Anjou at Titchfield Abbey in Titchfield, Hampshire, England

Edward IV, King of England (great-great-grandson of Edward III) married (1464) Elizabeth Woodville at Elizabeth’s family home in Grafton Regis, Northamptonshire, England

  • Elizabeth of York married (1486) Henry VII, King of England in St. Stephen’s Chapel in the Palace of Westminster
  • Cecily of York (1) married Ralph Scrope of Upsall, wedding venue unknown (2) married (1487) John Welles, 1st Viscount Welles, wedding venue unknown  (3) married (circa 1502-1504) Sir Thomas Kyme, wedding venue unknown
  • Anne of York married (1495) Thomas Howard at Greenwich, England (after Anne’s death was 3rd Duke of Norfolk)
  • Catherine of York married (1495) William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon, wedding venue unknown

Richard III, King of England (great-great-grandson of Edward III, brother of Edward IV) married (1472) Lady Anne Neville in St. Stephen’s Chapel in the Palace of Westminster

Works Cited

  • Ashdown, D. (1981). Royal Weddings. London: Robert Hale Limited.
  • Genealogics.org. (2018). [online] Available at: http://www.genealogics.org [Accessed 2 Apr. 2018].
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2018). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com [Accessed 2 Apr. 2018]. (for wedding venue and genealogy information)
  • Westminster-abbey.org. (2018). Westminster Abbey » Home. [online] Available at: http://www.westminster-abbey.org/home [Accessed 2 Apr. 2018]. (for wedding venue information)
  • Wikipedia. (2018). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/ [Accessed 2 Apr. 2018].  (for wedding venue and genealogy information)

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.