Category Archives: Royal Weddings

Wedding of King Frederik X of Denmark and Mary Donaldson

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

King Frederik X of Denmark, then Crown Prince of Denmark, and Mary Donaldson were married on May 14, 2004, at Copenhagen Cathedral (The Church of Our Lady) in Copenhagen, Denmark.

photo: CNN

photo: CNN

Crown Prince Frederik

Prince Frederik André Henrik Christian of Denmark was born in Copenhagen on May 26, 1968, the elder son of (then) Princess Margrethe of Denmark and Count Henri de Laborde de Monpezat. He has a younger brother, Prince Joachim. In 1972, his mother became Queen Margrethe II upon the death of her own father, King Frederik IX. At not yet 4 years of age, Frederik became The Crown Prince of Denmark.

He received his primary education in Denmark and France before earning a degree in Political Science from the University of Aarhus. He spent a few years as First Secretary to the Danish Embassy in Paris and has served in all branches of the Danish Armed Forces.

For more information about Frederik see:

Mary Donaldson

photo: Wikipedia

Mary Elizabeth Donaldson was born in Hobart, Tasmania Australia on February 5, 1972, the youngest child of Professor John Donaldson and Henrietta Horne. She has two older sisters, Jane and Patricia, and an older brother John. Her mother passed away in 1997, and her father married to British novelist Susan Horwood (aka Susan Moody). Both of her parents are Scottish, but they lived in Australia from the time of their marriage.

Mary began her education in Houston, Texas, where the family was living at the time. They returned to Tasmania and she continued her schooling there. Following the completion of her secondary education, she enrolled in The University of Tasmania, receiving a degree in Commerce and Law. She also received graduate certifications in Advertising and Marketing and worked in those fields in Australia and Scotland. As her relationship with Frederik became more serious, she left Australia and worked in Paris as an English tutor before moving to Denmark and working for Microsoft.

For more information about Mary see:

The Meeting

The Slip Inn, Sydney Photo: tripadvisor.com.au

The Slip Inn, Sydney.  Photo: tripadvisor.com.au

Frederik and Mary met on September 16, 2000, during the Olympic Games in Sydney. A friend of Mary’s was meeting Bruno Gómez-Acebo (a nephew of King Juan Carlos) for dinner at the Slip Inn in Sydney and invited Mary and another friend to join them. Bruno also brought a few friends, including Prince Nikolaos of Greece and his cousin Crown Prince Frederik. Quickly the two became very interested in each other. Over the next year, Frederik made many private trips to Australia to see Mary, and in 2001, she left Australia and moved first to Paris and then to Denmark.

The Engagement

photo: Hello

photo: Hello

The engagement of Crown Prince Frederik and Miss Mary Donaldson was formally announced on October 8, 2003, following a meeting of the Council of State, at which Queen Margrethe II had given her formal consent to the marriage. Following some official photos, a balcony appearance, and a luncheon, the newly engaged couple sat for a brief press conference and photographs with the world’s media in the Garden Hall at Fredensborg Palace. At this time, the world was able to see the wedding ring Frederik had given to Mary. In keeping with the tradition of incorporating the colors of the Danish flag, Mary’s ring features a large emerald-cut diamond flanked by two emerald-cut rubies. That evening, a gala dinner was held at Fredensborg Palace in honor of the couple, attended by both families, members of the Danish Government, and the Royal Household.

Pre-Wedding Festivities

The couple attending the Gala at Christiansborg Palace

The couple attending the pre-wedding Gala at Christiansborg Palace

Many events and festivities leading up to the wedding. The first was a reception held on April 20 at the Australian Embassy in honor of the bride and groom.

May 05 – Military Parade at Langelinie
May 07 – Rock’n’Royal in Parken (concert held in Parken Stadium)
May 08 – Dinner hosted by the Australian Governor-General
May 09 – Match Race – sailing regatta in the Port of Copenhagen
May 11 – Gala Dinner at Christiansborg Palace, hosted by The Queen
May 12 – Official Reception at Copenhagen Town Hall
May 12 – Private Party at a nightclub in Copenhagen for the younger guests
May 12 – concurrently, The Queen hosted a private dinner for the older guests at Amalienborg Palace
May 13 – Official Reception in the Folketinget (Parliament)
May 13 – Gala Performance at the Royal Theatre

Wedding Guests

photo: AFP/Getty Images

photo: AFP/Getty Images

Guests at the wedding included the bride’s and groom’s families, friends and members of the Danish government, and other royalty from around the world.

Danish Royal Family
Queen Margrethe II and Prince Consort Henrik
Prince Joachim and Princess Alexandra
Prince Nikolai
Prince Felix
Princess Benedikte and Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Count Jefferson von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth
Count Richard von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth
Princess Elisabeth

The Bride’s Family
John Donaldson and Susan Moody, the bride’s father and stepmother
Jane and Craig Stephens, the bride’s sister and brother-in-law
Patricia and Scott Bailey, the bride’s sister and brother-in-law
John and Leanne Donaldson, the bride’s brother and sister-in-law
Peter Donaldson, the bride’s uncle
John Pugh, the bride’s uncle
Margaret Cunningham, the bride’s great-aunt

Royal Guests
Belgium
King Albert II and Queen Paola
The Duke and Duchess of Brabant
Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz
Prince Laurent and Princess Claire

Bulgaria
Prince Kardam and Princess Miriam

Greece
King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie
Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal
Princess Alexia and Carlos Morales
Prince Nikolaos and Miss Tatiana Blatnik
Princess Theodora
Prince Philippos

Japan
Crown Prince Naruhito

Liechtenstein
Prince Wenceslaus

Luxembourg
Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Theresa
Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume
Prince Guillaume

Monaco
Hereditary Prince Albert
Princess Caroline and Prince Ernst August of Hanover

Netherlands
Queen Beatrix
The Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima
Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien

Norway
King Harald V and Queen Sonja
Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit
Princess Märtha Louise and Mr. Ari Behn

Serbia
Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine

Spain
Queen Sofia
The Prince of Asturias and Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano
Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo, and Jaime de Marichalar, Duke of Lugo
Infanta Cristina, Duchess of Palma de Mallorca, and Iñaki Urdangarin, Duke of Palma de Mallorca

Sweden
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia
Crown Princess Victoria
Prince Carl Philip
Princess Madeleine

United Kingdom
The Earl and Countess of Wessex

Other Royalty
Empress Farah of Iran
The Prince and Princess of Naples
The Duke and Duchess of Calabria
The Duke and Duchess of Castro
Archduchess Francesca of Austria
The Duke and Duchess of Braganza
Prince Karim Aga Khan IV
Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia
Prince Philipp of Hesse
Princess Xenia of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
Prince Wilhelm and Princess Ilona of Schaumburg-Lippe
Princess Désirée of Schaumburg-Lippe
Princess Eleonore of Schaumburg-Lippe
Prince Dimitri and Princess Dorrit Romanov

The Wedding Attendants

photo: Danish Royal Court

photo: Danish Royal Court

Bridesmaids
Jane Stephens, the bride’s sister
Patricia Bailey, the bride’s sister
Amber Petty, a friend of the bride

Best Man
Prince Joachim, the groom’s brother

Flower Girls and Page Boys
Erin Stephens, the bride’s niece
Kate Stephens, the bride’s niece
Madisson Woods, the bride’s niece
Prince Nikolai of Denmark, the groom’s nephew
Count Richard von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth, son of the groom’s cousin

The Wedding Attire

photo: Zimbio

photo: Zimbio

For her wedding dress, Mary selected Danish designer Uffe Frank.  The dress is made of ivory duchess satin lined with silk organza.  In the skirt of the dress, the satin was set in panels that opened from the hip to reveal nearly 8 meters of antique Irish lace underneath.  The sleeves were described by the designer as ‘calla sleeves’, as they opened in the shape of a calla lily.  The back of the skirt was shaped with 31 meters of tulle, edged with Chantilly lace.  For the ceremony, the bride’s dress also featured a detachable 6-meter train of satin.  

Mary’s veil was first used in 1905 at the wedding of Princess Margaret of Connaught to the future King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden.  It came to Denmark when Margaret’s daughter married the future King Frederik IX of Denmark in 1935 and was worn by all three of Ingrid’s daughters, including the current Queen.

Holding the veil in place is a tiara given to the bride by Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik, now typically referred to as Crown Princess Mary’s Wedding Tiara. Mary’s earrings were specifically made for the wedding. Set in platinum, they feature brilliant-cut diamonds and large South Sea pearls.  In a very personal tribute to her late mother, the bride had her mother’s wedding ring sewn into the bodice of her dress, close to her heart.

The bridal bouquet consisted of several types of white flowers, including white and antique roses, stephanotis, rhododendrons, azaleas, and myrtle from Fredensborg Palace, and spirea from Graasten Palace, with a trail of snow gum, an Australian eucalyptus.  Following the wedding festivities, Mary’s bouquet was taken to Scotland and laid at her mother’s grave.

Crown Prince Frederik wore the dress uniform of the Danish Navy, with the sash and star of the Order of the Elephant, and necklet and star of the Order of the Dannebrog.

The Ceremony

photo: Zimbio

photo: Zimbio

The wedding ceremony took place on May 14, 2004, at 4 pm at the Copenhagen Cathedral (Church of Our Lady). Following the arrival of the royal guests, the Donaldson family, Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik, the bride made her entrance to Handel’s ‘Zadok the Priest’. Following the service, the couple proceeded by carriage through the streets of Copenhagen to Amalienborg Palace. There, they appeared on the balcony with their parents, to the cheers of the crowds gathered below. A sea of Danish and Australian flags greeted them. Following the balcony appearance, they proceeded to Fredensborg Palace by car for the wedding banquet.

The Wedding Banquet

DK-Fred-Mary-wedding-banquet

The wedding banquet was held in a massive tent on the grounds of Fredensborg Palace. Following speeches by the Prince Consort, The Queen, Professor Donaldson, and the Crown Prince, the guests dined on a menu of predominantly French cuisine:

Timbale of Shellfish from the Nordic Seas
Sea Urchin Sauce

Roast Venison from the Royal Forests
Rissole Potatoes from Samsø
Peas à la Parisienne
Sauté Mushroom and Morel Sauce

Vol-Au-Vent Perfect Union
White Danish Asparagus and Bornholm Chicken with a Sprinkling of Apple Cider

White Chocolate Délice
Crown Prince and Crown Princess

La Cigaralle du Prince Consort 2000
Cahors Château de Caïx 1996
En Magnum

Champagne Mercier
Cuvée Frederik & Mary

The wedding cake was 2 meters in height and weighed nearly 90kg. It featured 10 tiers, some with almond and others with chocolate. All were covered in white marzipan with pink roses and the couple’s monogram in chocolate. In a bit of a humorous break from tradition, the cake was topped with cartoon figures of the couple.

Late in the evening, the couple and their guests moved to the Dome Hall in the palace for the traditional Bridal waltz. Tradition dictates that the dance must take place just before midnight, and although the entire banquet was running a bit behind schedule, they made it just in time. The couple took the floor, surrounded by their guests forming a large heart-shaped group around them. As the dance progressed, the guests moved in closer and closer to the couple.

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Wedding of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

Official Portrait; Photo Credit – https://www.royal-house.nl/ Photo: Jeroen van der Meyde

On February 2, 2002, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, then The Prince of Orange and heir to the Dutch throne, married Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti in a civil ceremony at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam, followed by a religious ceremony at Amsterdam’s Nieuwe Kerk.

King Willem-Alexander’s Early Life

Willem-Alexander, second from the right, with his family; Photo: Hello

Born a Prince of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand was born on April 27, 1967, at the University Medical Center in Utrecht, The Netherlands, the first of three sons of Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands and Claus von Amsberg. Willem-Alexander had two younger brothers: Prince Friso (1968 – 2013) and Prince Constantijn (born 1969). At the time of his birth, Willem-Alexander’s grandmother Queen Juliana sat upon the Dutch throne and his mother was the heir to the throne.

Willem-Alexander lived with his family at Drakensteyn in Baarn, The Netherlands until 1981 when the family moved to Huis ten Bosch in The Hague, The Netherlands. Along with his brothers, he attended Nieuwe Baarnse School and Het Baarnsch Lyceum in Baarn. After moving to Huis Ten Bosch in 1981, Willem-Alexander attended the Eerste Vrijzinnig Christelijk Lyceum in The Hague. He completed his secondary education at Atlantic College in Llantwit Major, Wales, where he received an International Baccalaureate in 1985. From 1985 – 1987, Willem-Alexander received military training at the Royal Netherlands Naval College in Den Helder, The Netherlands. In 1987, Willem-Alexander enrolled as a history student at Leiden University in Leiden, The Netherlands, and received his Master of Arts degree in 1993. From 1995 – 1998, Willem-Alexander was a patron of the Dutch Olympic Games Committee. In 1998, he became a member of the International Olympic Committee, a position he held until he became king in 2013.

Like her mother Queen Wilhelmina had done, Queen Juliana also abdicated in favor of her daughter and Beatrix became Queen of the Netherlands on April 30, 1980. Willem-Alexander then became The Prince of Orange, the traditional title of the heir apparent of the Dutch monarch.

For more information about Willem-Alexander:

Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti’s Early Life

Máxima Zorreguieta in 1977; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on May 17, 1971, the daughter of Jorge Zorreguieta and María del Carmen Cerruti Carricart. She has two brothers, one sister, and three half-sisters from her father’s first marriage. Through her father’s family, she is a direct descendant of King Alfonso III of Portugal.

 Maxima’s parents, Jorge Zorreguieta and María del Carmen Cerruti Carricart in 2016

Following her secondary education at the Northlands School in Buenos Aires, Máxima earned her degree in Economics from the Universidad Católica Argentina. During this time, she worked for two different financial firms in Buenos Aires as well as tutoring students and adults in English and math. After receiving her degree, Máxima worked for HSBC James Capel, Inc. in New York, serving as Vice President of Latin American Institutional Sales. In early 1998, she began working for Dresdner Kleinwort Benson as Vice President of the Emerging Markets Division. She then moved to Deutsche Bank in 1999, working first in New York and then in the European Union Representative Office in Brussels, Belgium.

For more information about Máxima:

The Engagement

Engagement Photo; Photo Credit – By RVD, photographer Graciela Rossetto – http://www.koninklijkhuis.nl/foto-en-video/portretfotos/koning-willem-alexander, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45025565I

In April 1999, Willem-Alexander met his future wife Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti in Seville, Spain during the Seville Spring Fair. He did not introduce himself as a Prince and at a later time when he told Máxima who he was, she thought he was joking. They met again a few weeks later in New York and their romance blossomed.

Huis ten Bosch Palace, where Willem-Alexander proposed to Máxima; Credit – Wikipedia

Willem-Alexander proposed to Máxima on January 19, 2001, at Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague. The couple had been rollerblading and Willem-Alexander lured Máxima to a pond where he had hidden roses and champagne. By the side of the pond, Willem-Alexander proposed in English, so he could be sure Máxima would understand him, and she immediately said yes. Willem-Alexander presented his bride with a platinum-set engagement ring. The central gem is a unique oval orange diamond surrounded by two emerald-cut diamonds set in bands that were encrusted with brilliant-cut diamonds.

Máxima’s engagement ring; Photo Credit – https://www.gemselect.com

On March 30, 2001, at 18:00 (6 PM) in a live television broadcast, Queen Beatrix announced the engagement of Willem-Alexander and Máxima in the presence of the couple and Prince Claus, Willem-Alexander’s father.

However, the relationship was controversial to many in the Netherlands, due to the service of Máxima’s father Jorge Zorreguieta as a cabinet member (March 1979 – March 1981) in the Argentine regime of President Jorge Rafael Videla during the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. Zorreguieta served as Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries. The National Agricultural Technology Institute, a research institute associated with Zorreguieta’s ministry, was put under the control of the Argentine Navy. Employees from this institute “disappeared” during Zorreguieta’s time as Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries. A formal inquiry regarding Zorreguieta’s role found that he was not directly involved with the mass deaths that took place. However, it was determined that it was very unlikely that someone in his position would not have known what was going on.

Members of the Dutch Royal Family are required to have Dutch citizenship, but Argentine law does not allow for a citizen to lose or waive citizenship. Máxima was granted Dutch citizenship by royal decree on May 17, 2001, and would have dual citizenship, Argentine and Dutch. Although the traditional religion of the Dutch Royal Family is the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, Máxima would remain Roman Catholic after the marriage.

On May 21, 2001, a bill was submitted to the States General of the Netherlands, the legislature of the country, proposing the granting of permission for the marriage. The bill was discussed on June 12, 2001, in the Parliament of the Netherlands Antilles and on June 14, 2001, in the Parliament of Aruba. Both Parliaments approved the bill. The States General of the Netherlands then approved the bill on July 3, 2001, and official approval of the marriage was proclaimed on July 4, 2001. Approval of the marriage by the States General and the Parliaments of constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands was necessary for Willem-Alexander to remain in the line of succession to the Dutch throne.

On January 25, 2002, Queen Beatrix issued a royal decree establishing the titles of Máxima Zorreguieta and the titles of the children who were born from the marriage. Máxima was to be granted the titles Princess of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, and the style Royal Highness. Children born from the marriage would bear the titles Prince/Princess of the Netherlands, Prince/Princess of Orange-Nassau, and the style Royal Highness.

Pre-Wedding Festivities

The event at Amsterdam ArenA on February 1, 2002; Photo Credit – http://www.amsterdamarena.nl

Two days before the wedding on January 31, 2002, a dinner and a ball were held for 500 guests at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam to celebrate not only the upcoming wedding but also the 64th birthday of Queen Beatrix. The next day, February 1, 2002, 1600 guests attended a concert and a luncheon at the Concertgebouw, a concert hall in Amsterdam. The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra played Sergei Prokofiev’s orchestral suite, Romeo and Juliet. As a surprise for the Argentinean bride, a tango was played. Later that evening, Willem-Alexander, Máxima, and 50,000 people attended an event organized by the National Orange Committee and the city of Amsterdam in the Amsterdam Arena, the largest stadium in the country and the home of the football (soccer) club AFC Ajax. The varied program included music, theater, variety acts, and dance.

Wedding Guests

 The groom’s parents: Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus

 

Family of the Groom

  • Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus of the Netherlands, the groom’s mother and father
  • Prince Johan Friso of the Netherlands, the groom’s brother
  • Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, the groom’s brother and his wife
  • Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, the groom’s maternal grandfather
  • Princess Irene of the Netherlands, the groom’s maternal aunt
  • Prince Carlos of Bourbon and Parma, the groom’s first cousin
  • Prince Jaime of Bourbon and Parma, the groom’s first cousin
  • Princess Carolina of Bourbon and Parma, the groom’s first cousin
  • Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and Pieter van Vollenhoven, the groom’s maternal aunt and her husband
  • Prince Maurits and Princess Marilène van Orange-Nassau, Van Vollenhoven, the groom’s first cousin and his wife
  • Prince Bernhard and Princess Annette van Orange-Nassau, Van Vollenhoven, the groom’s first cousin and his wife
  • Prince Pieter-Christiaan van Orange-Nassau, Van Vollenhoven, the groom’s first cousin
  • Prince Floris van Orange-Nassau, Van Vollenhoven, the groom’s first cousin
  • Princess Christina of the Netherlands, the groom’s maternal aunt
  • Bernardo Guillermo, the groom’s first cousin
  • Nicolás Guillermo, the groom’s first cousin
  • Juliana Guillermo, the groom’s first cousin
  • Sigrid Jencquel née von Amsberg, the groom’s paternal aunt
  • Joachim and Stephanie Jencquel, the groom’s first cousin and his wife
  • Baron Karl and Baroness Theda von Friesen née von Amsberg, the groom’s paternal aunt and her husband
  • Baron Alexander von Friesen, the groom’s first cousin
  • Baroness Renate von Friesen, the groom’s first cousin
  • Baroness Isabell von Friesen, the groom’s first cousin
  • Baron Hans and Baroness Christina von der Recke née von Amsberg, the groom’s paternal aunt and her husband
  • Baroness Katinka von der Recke, the groom’s first cousin
  • Baroness Sophie von der Recke, the groom’s first cousin
  • Baroness Theresa von der Recke, the groom’s first cousin
  • Baron Christoph and Baroness Jutta von dem Bussche-Haddenhausen, relatives of Prince Claus
  • Baron Boris and Baroness Suzanne von dem Bussche-Haddenhausen, relatives of Prince Claus
  • Baron Julius Constantin von dem Bussche-Haddenhausen, relatives of Prince Claus
  • Baron Johann-Casper von dem Bussche-Haddenhausen, relatives of Prince Claus
  • Baron Axel and Baroness Barbara von dem Bussche-Haddenhausen, relatives of Prince Claus

 Martin Zorreguieta, Máxima’s brother and his wife

 

Family of the Bride

Máxima’s parents were not present at the wedding. Her father was told he could not attend because of his role as a cabinet minister during the National Reorganization Process in Argentina, and her mother chose not to attend without her husband.

  • Marcela Cerruti Carricart, the bride’s maternal aunt and godmother
  • María Zorreguieta López Gil, the bride’s half-sister
  • Ángeles Zorreguieta López Gil and Adrián Vojnov, the bride’s half-sister and her husband
  • Dolores Zorreguieta López Gil and Harmond Grad Lewis, the bride’s half-sister and her husband
  • Martín Zorreguieta Cerruti and Mariana Zorreguieta, the bride’s brother and his wife
  • Inés Zorreguieta Cerruti, the bride’s sister
  • Juan Zorreguieta Cerruti, the bride’s brother

 Queen Noor of Jordan and The Prince of Wales were among the many royal guests attending the wedding

Royal and Noble Guests

  • Prince Karim Aga Khan IV and Begum Inaara Aga Khan
  • Jonkheer Paulo Alting von Geusau
  • Jonkheer Frans de Beaufort
  • King Albert II and Queen Paola of the Belgians
  • Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde of Belgium, Duke and Duchess of Brabant
  • Princess Elisabeth of Belgium
  • Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduchess and Archduke of Austria-Este
  • Prince Laurent of Belgium and Claire Coombs
  • Prince Ferdinand and Princess Elisabeth von Bismarck
  • Count Carl-Eduard and Countess Celia von Bismarck
  • Countess Gunilla von Bismarck
  • Prince Kardám and Princess Míriam of Bulgaria, Prince and Princess of Tirnovo
  • Tijo Baron Collot d’Escury
  • Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
  • Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark
  • King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece
  • Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece
  • Prince Nikolaos of Greece
  • Prince Ernst August and Princess Caroline of Hanover, Princess of Monaco
  • Prince Philipp von Hessen
  • Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan
  • Queen Noor of Jordan
  • Prince Hassan bin Talal and Princess Sarvath el Hassan of Jordan
  • Prince Rashid el Hassan of Jordan
  • Princess Badiya el Hassan of Jordan
  • Princess Sumaya el Hassan of Jordan and Mr. Nasser Sami Judeh
  • Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein
  • Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg
  • Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg
  • Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg
  • Prince Guillaume and Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg
  • Hereditary Prince Albert of Monaco
  • Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco
  • King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway
  • Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway
  • Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and Ari Behn
  • Princess Alexandra zu Oettingen-Oettingen und Oettingen-Wallerstein
  • The Duke of Parma
  • Prince Richard zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Princess Benedikte of Denmark
  • Hereditary Prince Gustav zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
  • Princess Alexandra zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Count Jefferson-Friedrich von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth
  • Princess Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
  • Prince Georg and Princess Benedikta zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein
  • Princess Pauline zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein
  • Prince Alexander and Princess Gabriela zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn
  • Thurlow Bradbrooke Smith and Renée Smith née Jonkvrouwe Roëll
  • Queen Sofia of Spain
  • The Prince of Asturias
  • Infanta Cristina of Spain Duchess of Palma de Mallorca and Iñaki Urdangarín y Liebaert
  • Duke of Palma de Mallorca
  • King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden
  • Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
  • Prince Carl Philip of Sweden
  • Princess Madeleine of Sweden
  • Prince Wittekind and Princess Cecilia zu Waldeck und Pyrmont
  • Count Franz-Clemens and Countess Stephanie zu Waldburg-Zeil-Hohenems
  • Countess Leonie zu Waldburg-Zeil-Hohenems
  • The Prince of Wales
  • The Earl and Countess of Wessex

 Kofi A. Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Mrs. Nane Annan

 

Other Guests

  • Kofi A. Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Mrs. Nane Annan
  • Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, former President of South Africa, and Graça Machel
  • Valentino, designer of the wedding dress
  • Mabel Wisse Smit, the future wife of Prince Johan Friso
  • James D. Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank Group, and Mrs. Wolfensohn
  • Prime Minister of the Netherlands
  • Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
  • State Secretaries
  • Speakers of both Houses of the States-General
  • Prime Ministers and Speakers of the Parliaments of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba
  • High Councils of State
  • Upper and Lower Houses of the States-General
  • Queen’s Commissioners
  • Senior military figures
  • Members of the judiciary
  • Mayor and Aldermen of Amsterdam and members of Amsterdam City Council
  • Mayors of The Hague, Rotterdam, and Utrecht
  • Representatives of the Diplomatic Corps
  • Representatives of community organizations and the business community
  • Representatives of various religious communities
  • Delegations from the Dutch provinces

The Witnesses

 Prince Constantijn, one of the witnesses, and his wife Princess Laurentien

Witnesses for the Prince of Orange at the civil ceremony

  • Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands: youngest brother of the Prince of Orange
  • Marc ter Haar: a friend of Willem-Alexander, attended university with the Prince
  • Frank Houben: a close acquaintance of the Prince and friend of the Prince’s parents

Witnesses for Máxima Zorreguieta at the civil ceremony

  • Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands: mother of Willem-Alexander, was asked because she provided great support for Máxima from the start of her serious relationship with Willem-Alexander and during the period of her adjustment to her future life in the Netherlands
  • Marcela Cerruti Carricart: Máxima’s godmother and her maternal aunt
  • Martín Zorreguieta: Máxima’s brother

Witnesses for the Prince of Orange at the church ceremony

  • Tijo Baron Collot d’Escury: a friend of the Prince since nursery school
  • Jonkheer Frans de Beaufort: childhood friend of the Prince and the son of good friends of the Prince’s parents

Witnesses for Máxima Zorreguieta at the church ceremony

  • Samantha Deane: a friend of Máxima, attended school together
  • Florencia Di Cocco: a friend of Máxima, attended school together

Wedding attendants for the church ceremony

Willem-Alexander, Maxima, their families and the attendants; Photo Credit – Photo: KOEN SUYK/AFP/Getty Images

Bridesmaids

  • Valeria Delger: childhood friend of Máxima, attended school together
  • Juliana Guillermo: daughter of Princess Christina of the Netherlands and first cousin of the Prince
  • Theresa Baroness von der Recke: daughter of Prince Claus’ youngest sister Christina and first cousin of the Prince
  • Inés Zorreguieta: Máxima’s younger sister

Pageboys

  • Jonkheer Paulo Alting von Geusau: son of Jonkheer Michiel and Mrs. Monika Alting von Geusau-Von Perjès Dömölky, friends of the Prince and Máxima
  • Johann-Casper Freiherr von dem Bussche-Haddenhausen: son of Freiherr Boris and Freifrau Susanne von dem Bussche-Haddenhausen. Mr. Von dem Bussche is a second cousin of Prince Claus
  • Alexandre Friling: son of Antoine and Nicole Friling-von Oswald, friends of the Prince and Máxima
  • Floris ter Haar: son of Marc and Carien ter Haar-de Bruijn, friends of the Prince and Máxima

Flower Girls

  • Countess Leonie zu Waldburg-Zeil-Hohenems: daughter of Count Franz-Clemens and Countess Stéphanie zu Waldburg-Zeil-Hohenems, friends of the Prince and Máxima
  • HSH Princess Pauline zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein: daughter of Prince Georg and Princess Benedikta zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein, friends of the Prince and Máxima

The Wedding Attire

Máxima’s wedding dress was designed and manufactured by the Valentino fashion house in Rome. The dress was made of ivory mikado silk, a blend of silks that resulted in a heavier fabric frequently used for cool weather weddings, and had long sleeves and a cowl-like neck. It was close fitting to the waist with a slightly flared skirt with embroidered lace panels and a five-meter (16.4 foot) long train. The long veil of silk tulle was dotted with hand-decorated motifs of flowers and tendrils of lace. Máxima had an elongated bouquet of white roses, gardenia, lily of the valley, and two kinds of greens.

Máxima’s tiara was composed of pieces from the jewel collection of the Royal House of the Netherlands. The five sparkling diamond stars come from Queen Emma, the second wife of King Willem III. Maxima’s mother-in-law mostly wears them as brooches. The base of the tiara was from one of the Dutch royal family’s existing tiaras: the Pearl Button Tiara, which belonged to Queen Sophie, the first wife of King Willem III. The pearl buttons were replaced by the five sparkling diamond stars. The diamond earrings belonged to Queen Wilhelmina, the first wife of King Willem I.

Willem-Alexander wore the Grand Uniform (Uniform 1) of the Dutch Royal Navy in the rank of Captain at Sea and the following honors:

  • Order of the Lion of the Netherlands, Knight Grand Cross
  • Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau, Knight, Officer’s Cross
  • Queen Beatrix Inauguration Medal 1980

The bridesmaids wore a skirt of red satin duchesse and a blouse of red velvet with satin duchesse and matching red satin shoes. Bridesmaids and flower girls wore burgundy-colored floral wreaths in their hair.

The pageboys wore short jackets and pants with red velvet, white cotton poplin shirts, white tights, and black patent leather shoes. Over the jacket, a sash of red silk taffeta was worn. The flower girls wore dresses of red velvet with a sash of red silk taffeta, white tights, and black patent leather shoes. See the group photo above in the Wedding Attendants section.

The Civil Ceremony

Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam where the civil ceremony took place; Photo Credit – By No machine-readable author provided. Iijjccoo assumed (based on copyright claims). – No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1640332

The civil marriage took place at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam on Saturday, February 2, 2002, at 10:15 AM. The Beurs van Berlage was originally designed as a commodities exchange but now is used for concerts, exhibitions, and conferences. About 650 people attended the civil ceremony which was officiated by Mr. Job Cohen, the Mayor of Amsterdam.

The Religious Ceremony

Nieuwe Kerk on the Dam Square in Amsterdam. The Royal Palace is on the left; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

On Saturday, February 2, 2002, at 11:30 AM, the religious ceremony took place in the Nieuwe Kerk on the Dam Square in Amsterdam.  A 15th-century church, it is no longer used for regular church services but is used instead as an exhibition space and a recital venue. The church is the site for Dutch royal investiture ceremonies for new monarchs and some royal weddings. Approximately 1700 guests attended the religious service. The officiating at the religious ceremony was Carel Ter Linden, Minister Emeritus of the Kloosterkerk in The Hague.

The music was provided by Bernard Winsemius, organist of the Nieuwe Kerk; Miranda van Kralingen, soprano; Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneon player (a bandoneon is a type of concertina, an accordion-like instrument popular in Argentina); Netherlands Chamber Choir and the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra conducted by Ed Spaniard.

Music During the Religious Ceremony

  • The Entrance – Organ Voluntary
    • Georg Böhm – Prelude in C
    • Antonio Vivaldi  – Concerto in A, arranged for Organ by J.S. Bach
    • Joseph Ximenez  – Batalha de 6. Tono
  • Arrival of the Families
    • Galliarda in D by Heinrich Scheidemann
  • Entrance of the Bride and Groom
    • Entrata by Jurriaan Andriessen
  • Hymn (in Dutch)
    • Dankt, dankt nu allen God (Now thank we all our God)
  • Choir and Orchestra
    • Kyrie from Missa Solemnis K 337 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • Hymn (in Dutch)
    • Lof zij de Heer, Hij omringt met zijn liefde uw leven (Praise to the Lord! Who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth)
  • Bandoneon and Piano
    • Adios Noniño (Adieu Little Papa) by Astor Piazzolla for choir, orchestra, bandoneon, and piano (in Spanish)
  • Soprano and Piano
    • Ellens Gesang III (Ave Maria) by Franz Schubert (in German)
  • Choir a capella
    • Hemelsche Vader (The Lord’s Prayer) adapted by Constantijn Huygens, music by Jaap Geraedts (in Old Dutch)
  • Choir and Orchestra
    • À toi la gloire, ô ressuscite (To you glory, O risen one!) (in French), sung to the music from the chorus See the conquering hero comes from Judas Maccabeus by Georg Friedrich Händel
  • Choir and Orchestra
    • Dutch National Anthem, Wilhelmus
  • Choir and Orchestra
    • Hallelujah Chorus from The Messiah by Georg Friedrich Händel
  • Organ (as the congregation leaves the church)
    • Johann Sebastian Bach – Prelude and Fugue in C, BWV 547
    • Friedrich W. Marpurg – Fuga in A, Capriccio in C
    • Christian Friedrich Ruppe – Air favorit “où peut-on être mieux” varié
    • Johann Sebastian Bach – Fantasia in C, BWV 573

Readings were by Dr. Rafael Braun (in Spanish) and Prince Johan Friso of the Netherlands, the groom’s brother, and the sermon was given by the officiating clergy Carel Ter Linden.

Before the bride and groom exchanged vows, the witnesses were asked to make some promises. Máxima’s witnesses were addressed in Spanish.  The officiating clergyman asked, “Do you accept the task of witnessing the trust that this man and this woman have already expressed to each other, and are about to reaffirm in the sight of God, and will you continue to follow and support them in their life together, in friendship and loyalty?” (Witnesses answered, “Yes.”) “May you be given strength to keep this promise.”

When Willem-Alexander responded with a “Ja” (yes) after being asked his vows, there was an enormous cheering from the crowd outside the church on the Dam Square who were watching the ceremony on large screens. They responded with an even louder cheer when Máxima said her “Ja”.

At the end of the ceremony, Willem-Alexander and Máxima left the church accompanied by the minister, the bridesmaids, flower girls, and page boys while the choir sang The Hallelujah Chorus from The Messiah by Georg Friedrich Händel.

The Wedding Reception

After the religious ceremony, Willem-Alexander and Máxima rode through the central part of Amsterdam in the Golden Carriage which the City of Amsterdam had given to Queen Wilhelmina, Willem-Alexander’s great-grandmother, in 1898. After returning to the Royal Palace, the couple appeared on the balcony of the palace and kissed several times to the thundering cheers of the people assembled on the Dam Square.

A luncheon wedding reception took place at the Royal Palace on the Dam Square. Unfortunately, Prince Claus, Willem-Alexander’s father, could not attend the reception due to illness. Prince Claus suffered from various health issues. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991. Claus underwent successful surgery for prostate cancer in 1998, but the radiation for the cancer caused urinary tract problems. In 2001, a kidney was removed and he had problems with the other kidney. Respiratory infections kept him in the hospital during the spring of 2002, shortly after the wedding of Willem-Alexander. On August 9, 2002, he had a coronary angioplasty. Prince Claus, aged 76, died on October 6, 2002, from Parkinson’s disease and pneumonia.  In the photo below, taken at the civil ceremony, it is evident that Prince Claus is leaning on Queen Beatrix for support.

Queen Beatrix gave a speech on behalf of Prince Claus. The Queen praised Máxima’s parents for the way they raised her and for the values they had given her. She also praised Máxima for being a secure and strong person and thanked her for bringing joy into her life and her husband’s life. Next, Martín Zorreguieta, Máxima’s eldest brother, gave a speech. He made the wedding guests laugh by telling anecdotes about their childhood.  Finally, Willem-Alexander thanked the wedding guests and talked about the important role his father played in his life.

Cutting the cake; Photo Credit – http://us.hellomagazine.com/royalty/gallery/2016020229583/maxima-willem-alexander-netherlands-wedding-anniversary/9/

The Menu

  • Cocktail de langoustines
  • Tartelette au turbot
  • Sauce au vin blanc
  • Medaillons de chevreuil rôtis
  • Sauce au thym
  • Chou rouge
  • Golden delicious aux airelles rouges
  • Pommes de terre duchesse
  • Tarte de la mariée

Wines

  • Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru
  • Morgeots 1996
  • Chateau Figeac 1975
  • Argentina Chandon Brut

The Honeymoon

St. Moritz with a frozen Lake of St. Moritz on a winter evening; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Willem-Alexander and Máxima left the reception around 5:30 PM for their honeymoon. The couple left Amsterdam soon afterward and after a brief stopover in London to see Maxima’s parents, landed in St. Moritz, Switzerland late Sunday to enjoy some skiing. They then traveled to Maxima’s homeland, Argentina, for family visits and sightseeing. Finally, they made their way to Huka Lodge, a luxury resort in Taupo, New Zealand.

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

  • Beauty, Health et al. “Crown Jewels: The Fabulous Rings Which Sealed The Love Of Europe’s Royal Couples”. hellomagazine.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.
  • “Huwelijk Zijne Majesteit Koning Willem-Alexander En Hare Majesteit Koningin Máxima”. Koninklijkhuis.nl. N.p., 2017. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.
  • “Netty Royal”. Nettyroyal.nl. N.p., 2017. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.
  • “King Willem-Alexander Of The Netherlands”. Unofficial Royalty. N.p., 2017. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.
  • “Willem-Alexander Of The Netherlands”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.
  • “Queen Máxima Of The Netherlands”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.
  • “Queen Máxima Of The Netherlands”. Unofficial Royalty. N.p., 2017. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.
  • “Royal Wedding”. Royal-house.nl. N.p., 2017. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.
  • “WILLEM-ALEXANDER AND MAXIMA ON HONEYMOON IN SNOWY ST MORITZ”. Us.hellomagazine.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 16 Apr. 2017.

Wedding of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

 

King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg were married on May 31, 1906, at the Royal Monastery of San Jerónimo in Madrid, Spain.

King Alfonso XIII of Spain’s Background

King Alfonso XIII of Spain with his mother and sisters, 1897; Credit – Wikipedia

On November 25, 1885, three days before his 28th birthday, King Alfonso XII of Spain died from tuberculosis at the Royal Palace of El Pardo in Madrid, leaving two daughters and his queen pregnant with her third child. It was decided that Alfonso’s widow, born Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria, would rule as regent until the child was born. If the child were a male, he would become king and if the child were a female, Alfonso and Maria Christina’s elder daughter María Mercedes would become queen.

On May 17, 1886, Maria Christina gave birth to a son. King Alfonso XIII of Spain was the Spanish sovereign from his birth until the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic on April 14, 1931. He was given the names Alfonso León Fernando María Jaime Isidro Pascual Antonio de Borbón y Habsburgo-Lorena. His mother would remain Regent until Alfonso turned 16 and took control of the monarchy. He had two older sisters:

  • Infanta Mercedes, Princess of Asturias (1880 – 1904)
  • Infanta Maria Teresa (1882 -1912)

During Maria Christina’s regency, Spain lost its colonial rule over Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States as a result of the Spanish-American War (1898). In 1902, at the age of sixteen, Alfonso XIII was declared of legal age and assumed the constitutional role of head of state. The week of his sixteenth birthday was marked by festivities, bullfights, balls, and celebrations throughout Spain.

Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg’s Background

Princess Victoria Eugenie with her mother and brothers, 1900; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Victoria Eugenie Julia Ena of Battenberg (known as Ena, which will be used in the rest of the article) was born on October 24, 1887, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, the only daughter of Prince Henry of Battenberg and Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria. She had three brothers:

  • Prince Alexander of Battenberg, later Alexander Mountbatten, Marquess of Carisbrooke (1886-1960)
  • Prince Leopold of Battenberg, later Lord Leopold Mountbatten (1889-1922), hemophilia sufferer
  • Prince Maurice of Battenberg (1891-1914), killed in action during World War I

Raised in her grandmother’s household, the family moved constantly between Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Balmoral Castle, and Osborne House. In January 1896, Ena’s father died of malaria while en route to fight in the Ashanti War. Following his death, Queen Victoria gave the family apartments at Kensington Palace where they lived while in London. After Queen Victoria’s death in 1901, Kensington Palace became their primary residence, along with Osborne Cottage on the grounds of Osborne House.

The Engagement

 

In 1905, nineteen-year-old King Alfonso XIII of Spain toured Europe seeking a bride, and he made a stop in the United Kingdom where the press speculated that Queen Victoria’s granddaughter Princess Patricia of Connaught, known as Patsy, would most likely catch Alfonso’s eye. At a dinner at Buckingham Palace, Queen Victoria’s eligible granddaughters were seated around the dinner table, all aware that they had the possibility of being the next Queen of Spain. Alfonso had been seated next to Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Helena who answered his questions about the princesses. When his eyes fell on seventeen-year-old blonde Ena, Alfonso was immediately smitten and asked, “And who is that young lady with the nearly white hair?”

Alfonso saw the tall, blond, dignified Ena again the next night at a reception. However, he forgot her name and referred to her as “the fair-haired one” and his feelings were reciprocated by Ena. A ball was held at Buckingham Palace on the third evening and it was the first time Alfonso and Ena could speak privately with each other. Because Alfonso’s English was limited and Ena spoke no Spanish, they spoke French. While dancing together, Alfonso asked Ena if she collected postcards, a common hobby for well-born women. When Ena said she did, Alfonso promised he would send her some postcards if she promised to reply.

After the London visit, the couple exchanged letters and Alfonso regularly sent her postcards, and it was through this correspondence that their courtship developed. However, there were several problematic issues. The first issue was religion. Alfonso was Catholic while Ena was Protestant. It was unthinkable that a Queen of Spain not be Roman Catholic. The second issue was the potential of Ena bringing hemophilia into the Spanish royal family. As Ena’s brother Leopold suffered from the disease, there was a chance that Ena herself was a carrier. Today we know that there was a 50% chance that Ena would be a hemophilia carrier. However, with little known about the disease at the time, Alfonso did not seem too concerned. The third obstacle was Alfonso’s mother, Maria Christina. She did not feel the Battenbergs were royal enough due to the morganatic marriage which started that family and wanted her son to marry a member of the Habsburg dynasty of Austria.

Nevertheless, Ena and Alfonso met again in Biarritz, France in January 1906 where they became unofficially engaged. Six days later, Ena went to Spain for the first time and met Alfonso’s mother at Miramar Palace in San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain. Maria Christina finally agreed to her son’s choice of a bride and sent a letter to Princess Beatrice, Ena’s mother, telling her about the love Alfonso felt for her daughter and seeking unofficial contact with King Edward VII, Beatrice’s brother and Ena’s uncle. Several days later at Windsor Castle, King Edward congratulated his niece on her future engagement.

Ena agreed to convert to Roman Catholicism and she started religious instruction with Monsignor Robert Brindle, Bishop of Nottingham. She was officially received into the Roman Catholic Church on March 7, 1906, at Miramar Palace, and the engagement was officially announced on the same day. On April 3, 1906, King Edward VII elevated his niece’s style from “Her Highness” to “Her Royal Highness” thereby softening Maria Christina’s objection that the Battenbergs were not royal enough.

The terms of the marriage were settled by two agreements, a public treaty and a private contractual arrangement. The treaty was executed between Spain and the United Kingdom in London on May 7, 1906. One of the provisions of the treaty stated that Ena “forfeits forever all hereditary rights of succession to the Crown and Government of Great Britain.” This was solely because by marrying and becoming a Roman Catholic, Ena lost any right to inherit the British crown as a consequence of the Act of Settlement 1701. Any of Ena’s descendants who did not become Roman Catholic or marry a Roman Catholic would remain in the line of succession to the British Throne.

Wedding Preparations

Royal Palace of Madrid; Photo Credit – By Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42954029

On May 24, 1906, Ena arrived in France onboard a British warship and took a special train to the Spanish border where she was met by Alfonso, the Spanish Prime Minister and the Spanish Foreign Minister who accompanied her to the Royal Palace of El Pardo in the Fuencarral-El Pardo district of Madrid. Enormous crowds assembled outside the gates of Pardo Palace and greeted the king and their future queen with loud cheering and cries of “Long live the King!” and “Long live the Queen!” Once they entered the palace, the gates were opened and the crowds were admitted to the palace grounds. Alfonso appeared on the palace balcony holding Ena’s hand, thrilling the crowd. Later in the evening, Alfonso returned to the Royal Palace of Madrid and Ena stayed at Pardo Palace with her mother until the wedding.

The Royal Palace of Madrid was a scene of constant reception of arriving delegations, many of them bringing splendid presents. Presents already fill three large salons at the palace. On May 29, 1906, many foreign royals and envoys arrived in Madrid. That night, festivities were held at Pardo Palace for guests, including a theater performance.

The streets of Madrid were colorful and full of activity. Trains continued to arrive with thousands of Spaniards and foreigners and the streets were packed with throngs of people in bright summer attire. The streets along the cortege route were colorfully decorated with floral arches, British and Spanish flags, and floral garlands on balconies. 1,200 tons of flowers had been ordered from the Canary Islands and parks and other public places were transformed into gardens by planting thousands of palms and rose bushes. Many buildings were decorated with huge crowns that sparkled at night with electric lights. Even the trolleys were decorated with streamers.

Alfonso’s presented jewelry to Ena said to be worth over one million dollars (in 1906 dollars!) including a gold crown with brilliant-cut diamonds to be worn on state occasions; a diadem; two collars (necklaces), one of pearls and the other of rubies and sapphires; a pair of gold bracelets; a pair of magnificent pendants; and a large diamond brooch. Ena gave Alfonso an exquisite jeweled sword designed in Toledo, Spain.

Wedding Guests

The Prince and Princess of Wales (the future King George V and Queen Mary of the United Kingdom) arriving at the church; Photo Credit – Archivo HUM historia urbana de Madrid

Below is a list of some of the wedding guests. It is assumed that spouses of guests were also invited, but the only spouses listed are the ones found in sources.

Family of the Groom

  • Queen Maria Christina, mother of the groom
  • Infante Carlos de Borbón y Borbón, brother-in-law of the groom
  • Infante Alfonso de Borbón-Dos Sicilias y Borbón, nephew of the groom, heir presumptive to the Spanish throne
  • Infanta Isabel Alfonsa de Borbón, niece of the groom
  • Infanta Isabel de Borbón y Borbon, Countess of Girgenti, aunt of the groom
  • Infanta Maria de la Paz de Borbón y Borbón, Princess of Bavaria, aunt of the groom
  • Infante Fernando de Baviera y Borbón, cousin of the groom
  • Princess Pilar of Bavaria, cousin of the groom
  • Infanta Eulalia de Borbón y Borbón, Princess of Orleans, aunt of the groom
  • Infante Alfonso de Orleáns, cousin of the groom
  • Prince Genaro de Borbón-Dos Sicilias, distant cousin of the groom
  • Prince Raniero de Borbón-Dos Sicilias, distant cousin of the groom
  • Prince Philip, de Borbón-Dos Sicilias, distant cousin of the groom

Family of the Bride

  • Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, mother of the bride
  • Prince Alexander of Battenberg, brother of the bride
  • Prince Leopold of Battenberg, brother of the bride
  • Prince Maurice de Battenberg, brother of the bride
  • The Prince of Wales, cousin of the bride, and The Princess of Wales (future King George V and Queen Mary)
  • The Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Dowager Duchess of Edinburgh, aunt of the bride
  • Princess Beatrice of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, cousin of the bride
  • Princess Alice of Albany, cousin of the bride, and her husband Prince Alexander of Teck
  • Princess Maria Carolina of Battenberg, Princess of Erbach-Schönberg, aunt of the bride

Foreign Princes

  • Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne) and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg
  • Prince Albert of Belgium (future King Albert I of the Belgians)
  • Crown Prince Constantine of Greece (future King Constantine I of Greece) and Crown Princess Sophie (born Princess Sophie of Prussia), cousin of the bride
  • Prince Andrew of Greece
  • Hereditary Prince Louis of Monaco (future Louis II, Prince of Monaco)
  • Prince Heinrich of Prussia, cousin of the bride
  • Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia
  • Prince Albrecht of Prussia, Regent of Brunswick
  • Prince Luís Filipe, Duke of Braganza (heir apparent to the throne of Portugal)
  • Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich and his wife Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia
  • Prince Tommaso of Savoy, 2nd Duke of Genoa
  • Prince Eugen of Sweden, Duke of Närke

Other Guests

  • Segismundo Moret, President of the Council of Ministers
  • Álvaro de Figueroa y Torres, Count of Romanones, Minister of Interior
  • Juan Manuel Sánchez Gutiérrez de Castro, Duke of Almodovar, Minister of State
  • Manuel García Prieto, Minister of Justice
  • Amós Salvador Rodrigáñez, Minister of Finance
  • Agustín de Luque y Coca, Minister of War
  • Víctor María Concas, Minister of the Navy
  • Vicente Santamaría de Paredes, Minister of Education and Fine Arts
  • Antonio de Aguilar y Correa, Marquis de la Vega de Armijo, President of the Congress of Deputies
  • José López Domínguez, President of the Senate
  • Ciriaco Sancha and Hervás, Archbishop of Toledo
  • José María Martín de Herrera, Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela
  • Salvador Casañas and Pagés, Bishop of Barcelona
  • José María Salvador y Barrera, Bishop of Madrid-Alcalá
  • Eduardo Martínez del Campo and Acosta, President of the Supreme Court
  • Carlos Martinez de Irujo y Alcáza, Duke of Sotomayor, Majordomo of the King
  • Manuel Falcó y Osorio, Marquis de la Mina, Equerry of the King
  • Sir Maurice de Bunsen, British Ambassador to Madrid
  • Luis Polo de Bernabé, Spanish Ambassador to London
  • William Miller Collier, American Ambassador to Madrid
  • Frederick Wallingford Whitridge, American Special Envoy

Wedding Attire

Ena’s Wedding Dress; Credit – http://www.theroyalforums.com

Ena’s wedding dress was made by the Madrid dressmaker L. Heroe, who submitted several designs to Alfonso and Ena for their approval. The fabric was white duchesse satin which was embroidered by hand. In addition, point d’aiguille Brussels lace was used on the dress, veil, and train.

The bodice and skirt were embroidered with intertwined wreaths of silver roses and orange blossoms, bordered with fleur-de-lys, a symbol of the House of Bourbon. To support the enormous train, there was a court mantle, also of white satin and with the same decorations as the dress. In accordance with the strict observance of the Roman Catholic Church in Spain, the dress did not expose the bride’s decolletage or shoulders. The entire dress was given to the shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Paloma (Our Lady of the Dove) in a poor part of Madrid.

Ena wore a tiara resting on a wreath of orange blossoms. The impressive tiara, a wedding gift from Alfonso and known as “The Fleur-de-Lys Tiara”, is still in the possession of the Spanish royal family and is nicknamed “La Buena” (“The Good One”).  Set in platinum, the tiara features three large fleur-de-lys motifs, each filled with large round diamonds, and connected by swirls and scrolls of larger-sized diamonds.   The tiara is part of the jewelry that is passed down to Queens of Spain. Queen Sofia, the wife of King Juan Carlos I of Spain, often wore the tiara and Queen Letizia, the wife of King Felipe VI, continued the tradition of wearing the tiara.

 Queen Letizia wearing the Fleur-de-Lys Tiara in February 2017

 

King Alfonso XIII wore the Spanish Army’s Field Marshal uniform with the blue and white sash of the Order of Carlos II. On his uniform, wore the Order of the Golden Fleece and British Order of the Garter.

Wedding Ceremony

Alfonso and Ena leaving the church

Earlier in the morning, Ena and her mother traveled from Pardo Palace to the Ministry of Marine in the center of Madrid where they would prepare for the wedding. At 8:30 AM, the wedding procession started at the Royal Palace. Church bells were ringing, artillery salutes were firing and crowds of cheering people lined the procession route.

The crowds were thrilled when the royal coaches, each drawn by eight white horses with golden and silver harnesses wearing colored plumage on their heads, appeared: the Amaranth Coach for the ladies-in-waiting, the Cypher Coach for the lords-in-waiting, the Coach of the Ducal Crown for the Infantas and Infantes, and then and the Shell Coach for Queen Mother Maria Christina. Next came the Grandees of Spain, the highest-ranking members of the Spanish nobility, in twenty-five coaches drawn by only two horses according to the Spanish protocol. The coaches of the visiting foreign royalty followed.

Next came a coach bearing a royal crown carrying King Alfonso XIII, his witness Infante Carlos de Borbón y Borbón, the widower of Alfonso’s elder sister María de las Mercedes, and four-year-old Infante Alfonso de Borbón-Dos Sicilias y Borbón, son of Carlos and María de las Mercedes, nephew of the groom, and heir presumptive to the Spanish throne.

Immediately following the king’s coach came the bride’s procession with more gala coaches carrying the lords and ladies-in-waiting and princes and princesses of the House of Battenberg. Finally in a beautiful mahogany coach, came Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (Ena) with her mother Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom.

The Royal Monastery of San Jerónimo was regally decorated. Over the entrance was a huge canopy of red and yellow velvet embroidered with Spanish heraldic symbols and supported by gold-tipped lances. Royal guards and halberdiers stood awaiting. As the procession entered the church, the Spanish national anthem was played.

Inside the church, a majestic canopy with the arms of Spain in gold embroidery hung over a raised dais on the left side of the altar. On the dais, was a throne and two beautiful gilded armchairs with silk cushions. On the opposite side of the altar were gilded chairs for Queen Maria Christina, Princess Beatrice, the Spanish Infantas and Infants, and the members of the Battenberg family. Besides them were the foreign princes and princesses.

Credit – http://www.fororeal.net/bodasreyes.htm

As the royal procession entered the church, the congregation stood and a 200-voice choir sang a processional march. Alfonso looked calm and happy, but as usual, slightly pale. Ena entered with her mother, eldest brother, and Queen Maria Christina. Alfonso advanced to meet Ena and they stood together as the ceremony, officiated by Cardinal Ciriaco Sancha, Archbishop of Toledo, began. The hour-long ceremony ended with the Papal Nuncio, the Pope’s representative in Spain, pronouncing the papal blessing of the newlyweds and the chanting of the Te Deum, a hymn of praise.

The Bombing

Photograph taken moments after the assassination attempt on Alfonso and Ena on their wedding day; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

At the end of the ceremony, the newlyweds left the church while the joyful crowds cheered, church bells rang, and cannons boomed. Alfonso and Ena entered the royal coach for the journey through the streets back to the Royal Palace. Crowds along the route shouted, “Long live Queen Victoria!” However, the happy day soon turned into a tragic day when a bomb, concealed in a floral bouquet, was thrown at the royal coach from a third-floor window of an inn on Calle Major, a main street in Madrid.

Building from where the bomb was thrown; Credit – By Basilio – Treball propi, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17730999

The bomb hit the ground and exploded to the right of the royal coach between the last pair of horses and the front wheels of the coach. It would have hit the coach and most likely killed Alfonso and Ena if the bomb had not been deflected by an electric wire. Alfonso and Ena were not hurt, but the bomb killed 23 people and injured more than 100. Blood of the victims had spattered Ena’s wedding dress. Screams of the terrified crowd combined the groans of the injured and dying.

The dead included the Marchioness of Colosa and her fourteen-year-old daughter, Don Antonio Calvo and his six-year-old niece, Captain Barros who commanded the king’s escort, two other officers and six soldiers, a groom who was leading the horses, and two of the horses who were drawing the royal coach.

The sound and shock of the explosion were massive. The Duke of Cornachuelos immediately rushed forward, opened the door of the royal coach, and helped out Alfonso and Ena, who entered another coach and were quickly taken to the Royal Palace. The next day, Alfonso and Ena appeared in public in an open automobile without a military guard to reassure the people of Madrid.

Mateu Morral Roca, a Catalan anarchist, was responsible for the bombing. After the bombing, Morral tried to get lost in the crowd and was then helped and hidden by journalist José Nakens. Morral managed to escape from Madrid with the help of Nakens, but on June 2, 1906, he was recognized by several people in a village near Torrejón de Ardoz where he stopped to eat. These people warned a local policeman and after some inquiries, the policeman decided to follow Morral.

What happened next is unclear. The official investigation says that Morral surrendered peacefully, but while he was being led by the policeman to the Torrejón de Ardoz jail, Morral shot dead the policeman and then died by suicide. However, a forensic examination of the four photographs taken of Morral’s corpse indicates that the bullet wound in his chest is incompatible with both a close-shot range and the Browning pistol Morral allegedly carried.

Children

 Queen Victoria Eugenie in 1918, with her six children: (from left to right) Infanta Maria Cristina, Alfonso, Prince of Asturias, Infante Gonzalo, Infante Juan, Infante Jaime, and Infanta Beatriz

Alfonso and Ena had six children:

Afterword

Unfortunately, Alfonso and Ena’s marriage was not a happy one. After the birth of their first son Alfonso in 1907, it was discovered that he was suffering from hemophilia. Despite having known the risks beforehand, King Alfonso blamed Ena, and it began a rift in their marriage that would never fully heal. Their fourth and last son Gonzalo also had the disease. Both hemophiliac sons died young from internal bleeding after separate car accidents. See Unofficial Royalty: Hemophilia in Queen Victoria’s Descendants.

From 1914 on, Alfonso had several mistresses and fathered five illegitimate children. A sixth illegitimate child had born before his marriage. Following the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931, the family went into exile. Settling first in France, and then Italy, the couple eventually went their separate ways. Alfonso remained in Rome, while Ena eventually settled in Switzerland.

On January 15, 1941, feeling that his life was coming to an end, Alfonso formally abdicated his claim to the defunct Spanish throne in favor of his third son, Juan, Count of Barcelona, the father of King Juan Carlos I of Spain. His two older sons, Alfonso who had hemophilia and Jaime who was deaf, had both renounced their claims to the throne in the early 1930s. Just weeks later, on February 28, 1941, King Alfonso XIII died at the Grand Hotel in Rome.

In February 1968, Ena returned to Spain for the first time since going into exile in 1931. Staying at the Palace of Liria with her goddaughter, the Duchess of Alba, Ena was there to serve as godmother to her new great-grandson, the future King Felipe VI. Her trip to Spain would be one of her last public appearances. She returned to her home in Switzerland, and soon her health began to fail. Ena died on April 15, 1969, at her home, surrounded by her family.

Both Alfonso and Ena were buried outside of Spain due to the rule of dictator Francisco Franco. In 1969, Franco formally named Alfonso and Ena’s grandson Juan Carlos as his successor, giving him the newly created title ‘The Prince of Spain’. Franco died on November 22, 1975, and Juan Carlos was proclaimed King of Spain. Eventually, both Alfonso and Ena’s remains were returned to Spain where they were interred in the Pantheon of the Kings in the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial.

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 

  • “ALFONSO PREDICTS ASSASSIN’s SUCCESS; Is Resigned, But Regrets He Brought Victoria To Spain. BOMB THROWER’s SUICIDE Morales Killed A Guard Before He Killed Himself — Was Intercepted By An Observant Watchman.”. Query.nytimes.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 8 May 2017.
  • “Boda De Alfonso XIII Con Victoria Eugenia De Battenberg”. Es.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 8 May 2017.
  • Dennison, Matthew. The Last Princess. 1st ed. Print.
  • “Diamond Tiara Fleur De Lys Ansorena | Wedding Gift Jewels| Royal Marriage Presents | Queen Victoria Eugenie Of Spain”. Royal-magazin.de. N.p., 2017. Web. 12 May 2017.
  • Duff, David. The Shy Princess. 1st ed. London: Muller, 1974. Print.
  • “FLOWER-STREWN STREETS FOR ALFONSO’s WEDDING; 1,200 Tons Of Blossoms Ordered From The Canaries. HOTELS CHARGING $25 DAILY Bride To Drive To The Church In A Coach Of Tortoise Shell Drawn By Eight White Horses.”. Query.nytimes.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 8 May 2017.
  • Gelardi, Julia P. Born To Rule. 1st ed. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2006. Print.
  • “King Alfonso XIII Of Spain”. Unofficial Royalty. N.p., 2017. Web. 8 May 2017.
  • “MADRID ENTHUSIASTIC OVER ALFONSO’s BRIDE; Princess Ena Is Acclaimed By Enormous Crowds. ROAD STREWN WITH FLOWERS The King, With His Ministers, Meets His Fiancee At The Frontier And Accompanies Her To The Capital.”. Query.nytimes.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 8 May 2017.
  • “MADRID FETES GO ON AMID FEAR AND GLOOM; King And Queen Drive Unattended In An Automobile. WEYLER SERIOUSLY INJURED Twenty Killed On Thursday And Five Of The Wounded Are Dying — An Englishman Arrested.”. Query.nytimes.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 8 May 2017.
  • “Mateo Morral”. Es.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 13 May 2017.
  • “PRINCES REACH MADRID FOR ALFONSO’s WEDDING; British, German, Russian, And Other Royalties There. OUR SPECIAL ENVOY ARRIVES City Beautifully Decorated — Performance At The Pardo Theatre — Ascension Of Twelve Balloons.”. Query.nytimes.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 8 May 2017.
  • “PRINCESS ENA SAVES A CRIMINAL’s LIFE; Pardon Arrives As The March To The Scaffold Is To Begin. WEDDING DRESS IS SPANISH Only The Lace Imported — Cabinet Ministers Are Enthusiastic Over The King’s Bride.”. Query.nytimes.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 8 May 2017.
  • “SPANIARDS CAPTIVATED BY ALFONSO’s FIANCEE; All Classes Share The Admiration For Princess Ena. KING’s SPLENDID PRESENTS Sovereign Gives Jewels Worth Over $1,000,000 To His Bride — Palace For The American Envoy.”. Query.nytimes.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 8 May 2017.
  • “SPLENDID WEDDING CORTEGE.; Brilliant Scenes In The Streets — The Marriage Ceremony.”. Query.nytimes.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 8 May 2017.
  • “Victoria Eugenie Of Battenberg”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 8 May 2017.
  • “Victoria Eugenie Of Battenberg, Queen Of Spain”. Unofficial Royalty. N.p., 2017. Web. 8 May 2017.

Royal Wedding Flashbacks

source: Daily Mail

They say that everyone loves a wedding. Well here at Unofficial Royalty, there’s nothing we like more than a Royal Wedding!

For many years, royal weddings were small private events, with only a handful of family and guests in attendance. Fortunately for us, that has all changed and royal weddings are now often State Events with carriage processions, balcony appearances and live-streaming media coverage broadcast around the world. (How many of us were awake in the wee hours of the morning to watch Lady Diana Spencer, traveling to St. Paul’s Cathedral in the Glass Coach for her wedding to The Prince of Wales?)

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And let’s not forget the hundreds of invited guests! Today, most royal weddings are a virtual “who’s who” of royalty from around the world.

With June being a popular month for weddings, we’ve decided to spend the month looking back at some of the many royal weddings. Each day this month, we’ll be featuring a different royal wedding from Europe and beyond.  We’re even starting a day early because there are just so many royal weddings we want to highlight!

Be sure to check back tomorrow – and every day this month – and join in on the discussions over on our Forums. Stop by and tell us what you’re favorite wedding is!

Wedding of Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones and Daniel Chatto

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2013

The bride and groom met on a movie set.  He was an actor and she was a wardrobe assistant.  He was the son of an actor and a theatrical agent.  She was the daughter of a princess and the granddaughter of a king. He played a prince (one of her cousins) in a film.

Lady Sarah Frances Elizabeth Armstrong-Jones was born on May 1, 1964, at Kensington Palace in London, England.  Her parents were Princess Margaret, the younger daughter of King George VI, and Antony Armstrong-Jones.  Her father was created Earl of Snowdon and Viscount Linley on October 6, 1961, so Sarah is entitled to the courtesy title Lady Sarah.  Sarah has an older brother, David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon.

Sarah and her brother attended Bedales School where Sarah developed an interest in art.  Her interest in art led her to attend Camberwell College of Arts followed by coursework in Printed Textiles at Middlesex Polytechnic, before completing her studies at Royal Academy Schools where she won the Winsor & Newton Prize for emerging artists in painting and drawing in 1988 and the Creswick Landscape Prize in 1990.

Daniel Chatto St. George Sproule was born on April 22, 1957, at the Princess Beatrice Hospital in Richmond, London, England.  His father was actor Thomas Chatto Sproule (stage name Thomas Chatto) who had a career in television, commercials, and on the stage.  His mother was the theatrical agent Ros Chatto, born Rosalind Thompson. Daniel studied English at Oxford University and graduated in 1979.  In 1987, Daniel’s name was legally changed to Daniel St. George Chatto.  With both of his parents in show business, it was not unusual for Daniel to try his hand at acting.  One of his roles was as Prince Andrew in an American TV movie Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story.  His acting career lasted from 1981-1988.  See his filmography at Internet Movie Database: Daniel Chatto.

In 1983, Daniel had a small role in the film Heat and Dust which was filmed in India.  Sarah was working on the film as an uncredited wardrobe assistant and it was on the film set that the couple first met.
Internet Movie Database: Heat and Dust
Wikipedia: Heat and Dust (film)

Sarah and Daniel’s romance blossomed in 1986, three years after their first meeting, and the two were often spotted going to the theater or art galleries.  By 1989, Daniel had given up acting for art and had a successful art show at the Cadogan Gallery in 1992. Sarah and Daniel took painting trips together and shared a love of books and travel.

The couple’s wedding on July 14, 1994, was a small,  low-key affair at St. Stephen’s Walbrook, a small 17th-century church in London built by Sir Christopher Wren.  The church was chosen by Sarah and Daniel because they wanted a romantic and intimate place to get married. There was seating for only 200 people, and children were not invited due to the dimensions of the church.  The bride chose not to use a royal carriage, red carpet, or have bells ringing.   Daniel was so worried about being punctual that he arrived at the church 90 minutes before the beginning of the ceremony. Sarah arrived with her father Lord Snowdon, and her three bridesmaids: her half-sister Lady Frances Armstrong-Jones, her cousin Zara Philips, and her friend Tara Noble Singh.  The bride’s arrival was almost overshadowed by the arrival of the bride’s more recognizable relatives, the Prince and Princess of Wales, who were appearing at the same place, although not together,  for the first time since Prince Charles’s admission of adultery the previous month.

The bride’s and bridesmaids’ dresses were designed by Jasper Conran.  Many consider Sarah’s dress to be one of the most beautiful royal wedding dresses.  The dress was made with yards of draped white georgette fabric with a ruched bodice and a three-meter train.  The bridesmaids’ dresses were nearly identical.   Sarah’s veil was held in place with the Snowdon Floral Tiara, a gift to Princess Margaret from her husband for their wedding. To enhance the floral effect, some greenery was added to the diamond flowers.

Embed from Getty Images 

Lady Sarah wearing the Snowdon Floral Tiara, Photo Credit – orderofsplendor.blogspot.com

As the bride entered the church, the hymn “Ye Holy Angels Bright” was sung.  The ceremony was adapted from the “Book of Common Prayer” of 1928. Other hymns sung during the ceremony were “Jesus Shall Reign Where’er The Sun” and “Alleluia! Sing to Jesus.”  After their marriage vows, the couple exchanged simple gold rings. The ceremony took only 30 minutes and the newlyweds caught everyone by surprise when they left the church unannounced.  Even the driver was not at his place, making the couple laugh while they waited for the car.  After the ceremony, there was a reception at Clarence House which the Princess of Wales did not attend.  The couple spent their honeymoon in India, which was where they first met.

Photo Credit – orderofsplendor.blogspot.com

The couple had two children: Samuel David Benedict Chatto born July 28, 1996, in London, England and Arthur Robert Nathaniel Chatto born February 5, 1999, in London, England.  Arthur Chatto and his cousin Charles Armstrong-Jones, both grandsons of Princess Margaret, served Queen Elizabeth II as Pages of Honor.

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.

Wedding of Alice of the United Kingdom and Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine

by Emily McMahon and Susan Flantzer, Revised May 2020
© Unofficial Royalty 2013

Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, aged 19, married 24-year-old Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine, the future Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine on July 1, 1862, at Osborne House in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, England. The couple had seven children and the British Royal Family, the line of King Charles III, descends from this marriage as his father, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was a great-grandson of Alice and Ludwig.

Alice’s Early Life

Princess Alice painted in 1861 by Franz Xaver Winterhalter; Credit – Wikipedia

Alice was the third child and second daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Alice’s upbringing was typical for the times, spending most of her time with her siblings under the watch of nannies and tutors. From an early age, Alice developed a deep sense of compassion for others that would continue to develop in her adult years.

In March 1861, Alice’s maternal grandmother, the Duchess of Kent, died. Alice had been with her grandmother during her final days and had established herself as the “family caregiver”. After the Duchess of Kent died, it was Alice who Prince Albert sent to take care of Queen Victoria, whose intense grief over the Duchess’ death was unbearable. Queen Victoria later attributed Alice’s efforts with helping her to get through the dark days that followed. Sadly, it would not be long until Alice’s caregiving skills would be needed again.

At the end of 1861, Alice’s father, Prince Albert, fell ill with typhoid. Alice stayed at his side, nursing him through the last days of his life. Albert died on December 14, 1861, and Queen Victoria went into seclusion. It was Princess Alice who then stepped in as unofficial secretary to her mother, assisted by her younger sister Louise, handling all of the state papers and correspondence, all while trying to support and comfort her mother.

Ludwig’s Early Life

Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine in 1860; Credit – Wikipedia

Ludwig was the eldest of the four children of Prince Karl of Hesse and by Rhine (a son of Grand Duke Ludwig II and younger brother of Grand Duke Ludwig III) and his wife Princess Elisabeth of Prussia (a granddaughter of King Friedrich Wilhelm II). After it became evident that Grand Duke Ludwig III of Hesse and by Rhine would have no children with his wife Mathilde of Bavaria, his nephew Ludwig was groomed as his successor.

Ludwig began his military training in 1854, along with his younger brother Heinrich, and the two later studied at the University of Göttingen and the University of Giessen. From an early age, Ludwig was destined for a military career. After his marriage to Alice, he would go on to lead the Hessian forces in both the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871.

At the time of the wedding, Queen Victoria issued Letters Patent giving Ludwig the style Royal Highness. This would only be valid in the United Kingdom. Elsewhere, he was still a Grand Ducal Highness. Four days after the wedding, Ludwig was created a Knight of the Order of the Garter.

The Engagement

Alice and Ludwig in December 1860, after their engagement; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1858, Alice’s eldest sibling Victoria, Princess Royal (Vicky) married Prince Friedrich of Prussia, the future Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia, and Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had hoped to make an equally impressive marriage for Alice. A visit from Willem, Prince of Orange (son and heir of King Willem III of the Netherlands who predeceased his father), had failed to make a positive impression on Alice or her parents. Vicky had met Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine in the early months of her marriage and suggested that he may be suitable for Alice. Ludwig and his brother Heinrich were invited to Windsor in 1860 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to look him over.  Alice and Ludwig quickly developed a connection and on a second visit in December 1860, the couple became engaged. Following Queen Victoria’s formal consent, the engagement was announced on April 30, 1861. The Queen negotiated with Prime Minister Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston to get Parliament to approve a dowry of £30,000.

The Wedding Site

Osborne House; Credit – By Humac45 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35090565

Unfortunately for Alice and Ludwig, the deaths in 1861 of Alice’s maternal grandmother and father affected their wedding plans. The 1858 wedding of Victoria, Princess Royal at the Chapel Royal of St. James’s Palace in London had been a grand showcase but Alice’s wedding was a muted and sad private ceremony meant for family only. A spring wedding was out of the question but Queen Victoria declared that the wedding must be held sooner rather than later as Prince Albert had wished. A private wedding with far fewer guests than the weddings of Alice’s siblings was scheduled for July 1, 1862, at Osborne House in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, England.

Victoria and Albert, whose primary residences were Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, felt they needed residences of their very own. They purchased Osborne House in 1845 but they soon realized that the house was too small for their growing family. They decided to replace the house with a new, larger residence. The new Osborne House was built between 1845 and 1851. Albert’s architectural talents are evident in the seaside Italian-style palace. Osborne House and Balmoral Castle in Scotland, which Albert also helped to design, became their favorite homes.

The Dining Room at Osborne House with the large painting of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and their five eldest children by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, was converted into a temporary chapel for the wedding ceremony. Also, above the door was a Winterhalter painting of Queen Victoria’s mother. Below is a painting of the wedding The Marriage of Princess Alice, 1st July 1862 by George Housman Thomas.

The Marriage of Princess Alice, 1st July 1862 by George Housman Thomas; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

Information about the above painting from Royal Collection Trust: The Marriage of Princess Alice, 1st July 1862: The marriage of Princess Alice, the third child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and Prince Louis of Hesse took place ‘in the strictest privacy’ barely six months after the death of Prince Albert. The ceremony was held in the Dining Room at Osborne ‘which was very prettily decorated, the altar being placed under our large family picture’ (RCIN 405413), as the Queen recorded in her Journal. A portrait of Victoria, Duchess of Kent, by Franz Xaver Winterhalter (RCIN 405129) also hangs on the back wall in this painting. 

Wedding Guests

Royal Guests – The Bride’s Family

  • Queen Victoria, mother of the bride
  • The Prince of Wales, brother of the bride
  • Prince Alfred, brother of the bride
  • Prince Arthur, brother of the bride
  •  Prince Leopold, brother of the bride
  • Princess Helena, sister of the bride
  • Princess Louise, sister of the bride
  • Princess Beatrice, sister of the bride
  • The Duchess of Cambridge (Augusta of Hesse-Kassel), great-aunt of the bride
  • The Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Augusta of Cambridge), first cousin once removed of the bride
  • Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge, first cousin once removed of the bride
  • Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, first cousin once removed of the bride
  • Crown Prince Friedrich of Prussia, brother-in-law of the bride (Crown Princess Victoria, Alice’s sister was eight months pregnant with her third child and was unable to travel)
  • Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, paternal uncle of the bride
  • Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, first cousin once removed of the bride
  • Princess August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Clémentine of Orléans), wife of Prince August
  • Princess Feodora of Leiningen, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Queen Victoria’s half-sister, maternal half-aunt of the bride
  • The Count Gleichen (Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, the son of Queen Victoria’s half-sister Feodora who made a morganatic marriage), half-first-cousin of the bride

Royal Guests – The Groom’s Family

  • Prince Karl of Hesse and by Rhine, groom’s father
  • Princess Karl of Hesse and by Rhine (Elisabeth of Prussia), groom’s mother
  • Prince Heinrich of Hesse and by Rhine, brother of the groom
  • Prince Wilhelm of Hesse and by Rhine, brother of the groom
  • Princess Anna of Hesse and by Rhine, sister of the groom

Other Royal Guests

  • Prince Louis of Orleans, Duke of Nemours
  • Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar
  • Maharajah Duleep Singh

Other Guests

Among the other guests, were several representatives of the British Government and friends of the royal family.

  • Count von Goertz, Minister of the Grand Ducal Court of Hesse and by Rhine accredited to Great Britain
  • Charles Longley, Archbishop of York
  • Richard Bethell, 1st Baron Westbury, Lord Chancellor
  • Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville, Lord President of the Council
  • John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
  • Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, First Lord of the Treasury
  • Sir George Grey, Baronet, Secretary of State for the Home Department
  • Jean-Sylvain Van De Weyer, Belgian Minister accredited to Great Britain, representing Leopold I, King of the Belgians, uncle to both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and the bride’s great-uncle
  • James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Abercorn
  • Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby
  • George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon
  • George Byng, 7th Viscount Torrington
  • Lord George Lennox, Gentleman of the Bedchamber to Prince Albert
  • Lord Alfred Paget, Chief Equerry to Queen Victoria
  • Lieutenant-General The Honourable Charles Grey and The Honourable Mrs. Charles
    Grey, Private Secretary to Queen Victoria and his wife
  • Major-General William Wylde
  • Colonel The Honorable Alexander Gordon
  • Colonel Francis Seymour
  • The Reverend W. Jolly
  • Dr. Becker, Prince Albert’s librarian

Her Majesty’s Household

  • Mistress of the Robes – Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington
  • Lady-in-Waiting – Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl
  • The Lady Superintendent – Lady Caroline Barrington
  • Maids of Honor in Waiting – The Honorable Beatrice Byng, The Honorable Emily Cathcart
  • The Lord Steward – Edward Eliot, 3rd Earl of St. Germans
  • The Lord Chamberlain – John Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney
  • The Master of the Horse – George Brudenell-Bruce, 2nd Marquis of Ailesbury
  • The Vice-Chamberlain – Valentine Augustus Browne, 4th Viscount Castlerosse
  • The Keeper of the Privy Purse – Colonel The Honourable Sir Charles Beaumont Phipps
  • The Honourable Lady Phipps and The Honourable Miss Harriet Phipps (Maid of Honour in Ordinary to Queen Victoria, later served as a Woman of the Bedchamber from 1889 until Victoria’s death) – wife and daughter of Sir Charles Beaumont Phipps
  • The Dean of Windsor and Resident Chaplain to The Queen – The Honourable and Very Reverend Gerald Wellesley and his wife The Honourable Mrs. Wellesley
  • The Master of the Household – Colonel Thomas Biddulph and his wife The Honourable Mrs. Biddulph
  • The Equerries in Waiting – Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Charles Fitzroy, Lieutenant-Colonel The Honourable Dudley de Ros
  • Physicians in Ordinary – Sir James Clark, Baronet
  • Librarian to The Queen – Mr. Bernard Woodward
  • German Librarian to The Queen – Mr. Carl Ruland
  • The Rector of Whippingham Church, Isle of Wight – Reverend G. Prothero
  • Equerry to The Prince of Wales – Captain Gray
  • Major Cowell – Major John Cowell
  • Governor to Prince Arthur and Prince Leopold – Major Howard Elphinstone
  • Lady-in-Waiting to The Duchess of Cambridge – Lady Geraldine Somerset
  • Gentleman-in-Waiting to The Duchess of Cambridge – Lieutenant.Colonel Home Purves
  • Equerry-in-Waiting to The Duke of Cambridge – Colonel Tyrwhitt
  • Lady in Waiting to The Queen in Attendance on Princess Alice – Jane Spencer, Baroness Churchill
  • Ladies in Waiting to Princess Alice – Baroness Von Schenck zu Schweinsberg, Baroness Von Grancy
  • Equerry to the Queen in Attendance on Princess Alice – Major-General Francis Seymour

Foreign Royalty Attendants

  • Gentleman-in-Waiting to Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine – Captain Westerweller
  • Equerry to the Queen in Attendance on Prince and Princess Karl of Hesse and by Rhine – Lieutenant-Colonel du Plat
  • Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Karl of Hesse and by Rhine – Baroness von Schaeffer-Bernstein
  • Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Anna of Hesse and by Rhine – Baroness von Roeder
  • Gentlemen in Waiting to Prince Karl of Hesse and by Rhine – Baron Von Ricou and Major Von Grolman

Bridesmaids and Supporters

Ludwig was supported by his 24-year-old brother Prince Heinrich of Hesse and by Rhine. Prince Albert’s elder brother Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, gave the bride away.

The bridesmaids were:

  • Princess Helena of the United Kingdom, Alice’s 16-year-old sister
  • Princess Louise of the United Kingdom, Alice’s 14-year-old sister
  • Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, Alice’s 5-year-old sister
  • Princess Anna of Hesse and by Rhine, Ludwig’s 19-year-old sister

The Wedding Attire

Princess Alice in her wedding dress; Credit – Royal Collection Trust https://www.rct.uk/collection/2905616/princess-alice-in-her-wedding-dress

Although Alice and her mother took some joy in arranging her trousseau, all the outfits were black due to the required mourning. On the morning of the wedding, Alice’s sisters wore their black mourning dresses. They changed into their white bridesmaid’s dresses right before the wedding ceremony and changed back into their mourning dresses after the newlyweds left for their honeymoon.

Alice wore a dress with a deep flounce of Honiton lace and a border of orange blossoms at the bottom of the dress. The veil of Honiton lace was held in place by a wreath of orange blossoms and myrtle. The dress was a simple style and did not have a court train. The bridesmaids wore similar white dresses with violet trim as depicted in the wedding painting above.

The guests were required to wear mourning dress: the men in black evening coats, white waistcoats, grey trousers, and black neckcloths; the ladies in grey or violet mourning dresses, and grey or white gloves.

The Wedding Ceremony

Embed from Getty Images

The wedding service was conducted by Charles Longley, Archbishop of York in the “unavoidable absence” of the bedridden John Bird Sumner, Archbishop of Canterbury who died two months later and was succeeded by Longley. A local decorator had erected an altar in the Dining Room of Osborne House, covered in purple, velvet, and gold and surrounded by a gilt railing. No other decorating arrangements had been made.

At 1:00 PM, Queen Victoria accompanied by her four sons, The Prince of Wales, Prince Alfred, Prince Arthur, and Prince Leopold, and attended by Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington, Mistress of the Robes, and Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl, Lady-in-Waiting were conducted from Queen Victoria’s apartments by the Lord Chamberlain, John Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney, to an armchair on the left side of the altar.

Next, the royal guests and the other guests were conducted to their places by the Lord
Chamberlain and the Vice-Chamberlain, Valentine Browne, 4th Earl of Kenmare. The parents of the bridegroom, Prince and Princess Karl of Hesse and by Rhine, and their youngest child Prince Wilhelm were placed on the left side of the altar. The Lord Chamberlain then conducted Ludwig, supported by his brother Prince Heinrich, to his place on the right side of the altar. Finally, the Lord Chamberlain proceeded to Queen Victoria’s apartments and conducted Alice to her place on the left side of the altar. Alice was supported by her uncle Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and was accompanied by her four bridesmaids, her sisters Princesses Helena, Louise, and Beatrice, and Ludwig’s sister Princess Anna. Once Alice was in her place, the wedding service began.

Queen Victoria sat in the armchair surrounded by her four sons, trying to maintain her composure. She spent the ceremony staring at the portrait of Prince Albert with his family hanging above the bride and groom. Queen Victoria would later describe the service to her daughter Vicky 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 York. The death of Mathilde of Bavaria, the wife of Ludwig’s uncle Grand Duke Ludwig III of Hesse and by Rhine, a few weeks before the wedding, did nothing to raise the spirits of the wedding guests.

At the conclusion of the wedding ceremony, Alice and Ludwig  were conducted by the Lord
Chamberlain to the nearby Horn Room. The guests were conducted to the Council Room where they had luncheon. Queen Victoria remained seated in her armchair until everyone had left, and then, with Princess Beatrice, also was conducted to the Horn Room, where they had luncheon with the newlywed couple.

The Honeymoon, Leaving England, Arriving in the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine

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St. Clare Castle where Alice and Ludwig spent their honeymoon. In 1960, it was demolished after a fire.

At about 5:00 PM, Alice and Ludwig left Osborne House to travel to Ryde, a seaside town on the northeast coast of the Isle of Wight where they stayed at St. Clare Castle which belonged to Colonel Francis Vernon-Harcourt.  Accompanying the newlyweds were Jane Spencer, Baroness Churchill (a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria from 1854 until 1900, the longest-serving member of Queen Victoria’s household), Major-General Francis Seymour (Prince Albert’s Groom in Waiting from 1840 until 1861), and Captain von Wenterweller (a courtier from the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine).

The day after the wedding, Queen Victoria wrote to her daughter Vicky, “A dagger is plunged in my bleeding, desolate heart when I hear from Alice this morning that she is proud and happy to be Louis’ wife.” Queen Victoria visited Alice and Ludwig twice during their stay at St. Clare Castle.

On July 9, 1862, Alice and Ludwig left England on the royal yacht Victoria and Albert for continental Europe on the way to their final destination, Darmstadt in the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in the German state of Hesse. They visited Brussels, Belgium where they briefly stayed with Leopold I, King of the Belgians, born a Prince of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, the uncle of both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

Alice and Ludwig arrived at the border of the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine on July 12, 1862. A train then took them to Mainz, then part of the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine,  where the first official reception took place. Alice and Ludwig crossed the Rhine River in a gaily decorated steamship. At the stop before Darmstadt, the capital of the Grand Duchy, Grand Duke Ludwig III and other members of the Hesse family boarded the steamship and accompanied the newlyweds to Darmstadt. At 4:30 PM on July 12, 1862, Alice and Ludwig made their state entry into Darmstadt. The streets were decorated with arches, flags, and flowers, the church bells were ringing and the assembled crowds enthusiastically cheered Alice and Ludwig.

Children

Alice, Ludwig, and their children, May 1875. Photo: The Royal Collection Trust

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Works Cited

  • 1884. Alice Grand Duchess Of Hesse, Princess Of Great Britain And Ireland – Biographical Sketch And Letters. London: John Murray.
  • Mehl, Scott, 2015. Ludwig IV, Grand Duke Of Hesse And By Rhine. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/ludwig-iv-grand-duke-of-hesse-and-by-rhine/> [Accessed 17 May 2020].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2015. Princess Alice Of The United Kingdom, Grand Duchess Of Hesse And By Rhine. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/princess-alice-of-the-united-kingdom-grand-duchess-of-hesse-and-by-rhine/> [Accessed 17 May 2020].
  • Packard, Jerrold., 2013. Victoria’s Daughters. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
  • Rct.uk. 2020. George Housman Thomas (1824-68) – The Marriage Of Princess Alice, 1St July 1862. [online] Available at: <https://www.rct.uk/collection/404479/the-marriage-of-princess-alice-1st-july-1862> [Accessed 17 May 2020].
  • The Gazette. 1862. Page 3429 | Issue 22641, 7 July 1862 | London Gazette /CEREMONIAL Observed At The Marriage Of HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCESS ALICE-MAUD-MARY,. [online] Available at: <https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/22641/page/3429> [Accessed 18 May 2020].
  • The Royal Family. 2020. Royal Wedding Dresses Throughout History. [online] Available at: <https://www.royal.uk/wedding-dresses> [Accessed 17 May 2020].
  • Trove. 1862. THE MARRIAGE OF THE PRINCESS ALICE. – The Courier (Brisbane, Qld. : 1861 – 1864) – 25 Sep 1862. [online] Available at: <https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4608199> [Accessed 17 May 2020].
  • Van der Kiste, John, 2011. Queen Victoria’s Children. Stroud: The History Press.

Wedding of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont

by Emily McMahon and Susan Flantzer, revised May 2020
© Unofficial Royalty 2013

Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, aged 29, and 21-year-old Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont were married on April 27, 1882, at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England. Sadly, Leopold and Helena’s marriage lasted only two years. The couple’s daughter Alice was born in 1883. Helena was pregnant with their second child when Leopold died on March 28, 1884,  following a fall, apparently of a cerebral hemorrhage, the injuries having been exacerbated by his hemophilia. Their son Charles Edward was born several months after Leopold died in 1884.  Charles Edward is the grandfather of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

Leopold’s Early Life

Prince Leopold at the University of Oxford in 1875; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold was the eighth of the nine children and the fourth and youngest son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. It became apparent that Leopold suffered from the genetic disease hemophilia and was the first of the nine hemophiliacs among Queen Victoria’s descendants. 

Naturally, Leopold’s childhood activities were curtailed due to his hemophilia. He was perhaps Queen Victoria’s most intellectual child and had the artistic tastes of his father Prince Albert. Leopold somehow managed to convince his mother to allow him to spend four years (1872-1876) at Christ Church College, University of Oxford and he received an honorary doctorate in civil law in 1876. After Oxford, Leopold was involved in the patronage of various charitable organizations and also served as a secretary and advisor to his mother.

Helena’s Early Life

Princess Helena, circa 1880; Credit – Wikipedia

Helena was the fifth of six daughters and the fifth of the seven children of Georg Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and Helena of Nassau. Through both of her parents, Helena was a descendant of Anne, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain. Helena’s sister Princess Marie married Prince Wilhelm of Württemberg, later King Wilhelm II of Württemberg, but died in childbirth. Another sister, Princess Emma, married King Willem III of the Netherlands and had one child Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands.

Helena’s family lived mostly at Arolsen Castle, a Baroque-style home built during 1713-1728, in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, now in Hesse, Germany. The Scottish philosopher, historian, and writer Thomas Carlyle was a great friend of Helena’s mother and a frequent visitor to Arolsen Castle. Carlyle described life at Arolsen Castle as a “pumpernickel court.” Helena had a Lutheran education from a very liberal-minded pastor.

The Engagement

Prince Leopold and Princess Helena in 1882; Credit – Wikipedia

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, Crown Princess of Prussia stepped in and made arrangements for Leopold and Helena to meet in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine in September 1881 where Leopold was staying with Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, the widower of Leopold’s sister Alice. The two 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 Arolsen Castle, Helena’s home, Leopold and Helena 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 Site

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The wedding was planned for April 27, 1882, at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England. St. George’s Chapel was begun in 1475 by King Edward IV and completed by King Henry VIII in 1528.  It is a separate building, located in the Lower Ward of Windsor Castle. The chapel seats about 800 people and has been the location of many royal ceremonies, weddings, funerals, and burials. Members of the Order of the Garter meet at Windsor Castle every June for the annual Garter Service which is held at St. George’s Chapel.

There had been no royal weddings at St. George’s Chapel until 1863 when Queen Victoria’s eldest son, the future King Edward VII, married Princess Alexandra of Denmark. Three other children of Victoria were also married at St. George’s Chapel: Princess Louise in 1871, Prince Arthur in 1879, and Prince Leopold in 1882.

Wedding Guests

CLICK TO ENLARGE The Marriage of the Duke of Albany, 27th April 1882 by Sir James Dromgole Linton; Credit – Royal Collection Trust https://www.rct.uk/collection/404481/the-marriage-of-the-duke-of-albany-27th-april-1882

About the above painting from Royal Collection Trust: The Marriage of the Duke of Albany, 27th April 1882: Leopold, Duke of Albany (1853-1884), was the eighth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He married Princess Helen of Waldeck and Pyrmont in St George’s Chapel, Windsor, in 1882. In the painting the bride and groom stand in front of the altar after their marriage. Queen Victoria stands on the right. She stated in her Journal that she wore for the first time ‘my own wedding lace over black satin, & my own wedding veil, which I had not worn since my wedding day in 1840, surmounted by my small diamond crown’. Sir Frederick Leighton was asked if he could suggest a rising young artist to paint a small picture of the wedding for Queen Victoria. She wanted ‘a simple representation of the group at the altar’. Leighton put forward Linton. Progress on the painting was slow, mainly because the artist had difficulty obtaining access to the dresses and uniforms worn by the participants. It was nearing completion in early 1884 when the Duke of Albany died of a brain haemorrhage and the painting that had begun as a celebration became a memorial. In December of that year the Queen described it as ‘not nearly finished, but promising to be good’, although she found the artist had been ‘very slow & tiresome’. The painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1885. Signed and dated: JD Linton. 1885.

Special trains for the guests left Paddington Station in London for Windsor at 10:35 AM and returned from Windsor at 3:10 PM and 4:30 PM, and after the State Banquet at 11:00 PM.  When the guests arrived at the Windsor train station, they proceeded in carriages to the South Entrance of St. George’s Chapel and were shown to the seats reserved for them by Her Majesty’s Gentlemen Ushers.

Royal Guests – The Groom’s Family

  • Queen Victoria, mother of the groom
  • The Prince of Wales, brother of the groom
  • The Princess of Wales (Alexandra of Denmark), sister-in-law of the groom
  • Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, brother of the groom
  • The Duchess of Edinburgh (Marie Alexandrovna of Russia), sister-in-law of the groom
  • Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, brother of the groom
  • The Duchess of Connaught (Louise Margaret of Prussia) sister-in-law of the groom
  • Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (Princess Helena), sister of the groom
  • Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, brother-in-law of the groom
  • Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lome, sister of the groom
  • Princess Beatrice, sister of the groom
  • Princess Louise of Wales, niece of the groom
  • Princess Victoria of Wales, niece of the groom
  • Princess Maud of Wales, niece of the groom
  • Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, first cousin once removed of the groom
  • The Duchess of Teck (Mary Adelaide of Cambridge), first cousin once removed of the groom
  • The Duke of Teck, husband of Mary Adelaide of Cambridge
  • Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, brother-in-law of the groom
  • Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, niece of the groom
  • Ernst Leopold, 4th Prince of Leiningen, half-first cousin of the groom
  • Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Augusta of Cambridge), first cousin once removed of the groom
  • Friedrich Wilhelm, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, husband of Augusta of Cambridge

Royal Guests – The Bride’s Family

  • Georg Victor, Reigning Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, father of the bride
  • Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont (Helena of Nassau), mother of the bride
  • Princess Elisabeth of Waldeck and Pyrmont, sister of the bride
  • Friedrich,  Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, brother of the bride
  • King Willem III of the Netherlands, brother-in-law of the bride
  • Queen Emma of the Netherlands (Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont), sister of the bride

Other Royal Guests

  • Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar
  • Maharajah Duleep Singh
  • Maharanee Bamba, wife of Maharajah Duleep Singh
  • Prince Philip of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
  • Princess Philip of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Louise of Belgium), wife of Prince Philip
  • Alexis, Hereditary Prince of Bentheim

Other Guests

  • Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond and Frances Gordon-Lennox, Duchess of Richmond
  • William Beauclerk, 10th Duke of St. Albans and Grace Beauclerk, Duchess of St. Albans
  • Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford
  • George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll and Amelia Campbell, Duchess of Argyll
  • William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland
  • Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington and Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington
  • Countess of Dornburg, morganatic wife of Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar
  • Countess Laura Gleichen, widow of the groom’s half first-cousin Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and her children Countess Feodora Gleichen and Count Edward Gleichen
  • Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquis of Salisbury and Georgina Gascoyne-Cecil, Marchioness of Salisbury
  • Francis Seymour, 5th Marquis of Hertford and Emily Seymour, Marchioness of Hertford
  • John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquis of Bute and Gwendolen Crichton-Stuart, Marchioness of Bute
  • Caroline Loftus, Dowager Marchioness of Ely
  • Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquis of Londonderry and TheresaVane-Tempest-Stewart, Marchioness of Londonderry
  • Henry Francis Conyngham, 4th Marquis Conyngham and Jane Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham and Lady Jane Seymour Conyngham, sister of the 4th Marquis Conyngham
  • Frances Butler, Dowager Marchioness of Ormond
  • James Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford and Emily Lindsay, Countess of Crawford
  • Alma Campbell, Countess of Breadalbane
  • Katrine Cowper, Countess Cowper
  • Robert St Clair-Erskine, 4th Earl of Rosslyn and Blanche St Clair-Erskine, Countess of Rosslyn
  • Thomas Anson, 3rd Earl of Lichfield and Mildred Anson, Countess of Lichfield
  • Charlotte Spencer, Countess Spencer
  • Gertrude Browne, Countess of Kenmare
  • George Greville, 4th Earl of Warwick and Anns Greville, Countess of Warwick and their daughter Lady Eva Greville
  • Charles Yorke, 5th Earl of Hardwicke and Sophia Yorke, Countess of Hardwicke
  • Nina Leveson-Gower, Countess Granville
  • Florence Wodehouse, Countess of Kimberley
  • Emily Townshend, Countess Sydney
  • Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Earl of Lathom and Alice Bootle-Wilbraham, Countess of Lathom
  • Lord Charles Fitzroy
  • Lord Archibald Campbell
  • Lord Ronald Leveson Gower
  • Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport
  • Hugo Charteris, Lord Elcho and Mary Constance Charteris, Lady Elcho
  • Lady Marion Alford
  • William Elphinstone, 15th Lord Elphinstone
  • Lady Agneta Montagu, wife of Rear-Admiral The Honorable Victor Montagu
  •  Emily Cavendish, Lady Waterpark
  • Colonel George Harris, 4th Baron Harris
  • Paul Methuen, 3rd Baron Methuen
  • Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington and Mary Cochrane-Baillie, Lady Lamington
  • Montagu Corry, 1st Baron Rowton
  • Baron Franz von Roggenbach, Grand Duchy of Baden politician
  • The Honorable Sidney Herbert (later 14th Earl of Pembroke) and Lady Beatrix Herbert
  • Admiral of the Fleet The Honorable Sir Henry Keppel
  • The Honorable Mrs. Charles Grey and Miss Grey
  • Sir Stafford Northcote (later 1st Earl of Iddesleigh) and Lady Northcote.
  • Sir R. A. Cross (later 1st Viscount Cross)
  • General Sir William Knollys
  • The Honorable Mrs. Gerald Wellesley, wife of The Honourable and Very Reverend Gerald Wellesley, Dean of Windsor
  • Colonel The Honorable A. Liddell
  • The Honorable Lady Petty
  • The Honorable Lady Biddulph
  • The Honorable Lady Ponsonby and Miss Ponsonby, wife and daughter of Major-General Sir Henry Frederick Ponsonby, Private Secretary to Queen Victoria
  • Sir Rainald Knightley, 3rd Baronet and Lady Knightley
  • Sir Coutts Lindsay of Balcarres and Lady Lindsay of Balcarres
  • Sir William Jenner, Baronet, M.D., Physician-in-Ordinary to Queen Victoria
  • Sir James Paget, Baronet, Surgeon Extraordinary to Queen Victoria
  • Sir Archibald Campbell of Blythswood, 1st Baronet and The Honorable Lady Campbell of Blythswood
  • General Sir Patrick Grant
  • Sir Theodore Martin, K.C.B.
  • General Sir Edward Shelby Smyth
  • Lady Harcourt
  • Colonel George Ashley Maude, Crown Equerry of the Royal Mews
  • Mr. Frederick Gibbs, former tutor to The Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred
  • Colonel W. G. Stirling.
  • Mr. Francis Knollys, Private Secretary to The Prince of Wales
  • Captain Binkes, Royal Netherlands Navy.
  • Captain Thomson, Royal Navy
  • Captain Welch, Royal Navy
  • Staff Captain Alfred Balliston
  • Captain A. G. Perceval
  • Henry Liddell, Dean of Christchurch, Oxford, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University and Mrs. Liddell
  • Richard Chenevix Trench, Dean of Westminster
  • Reverend Henry Mildred Birch, Chaplain to The Prince of Wales
  • Reverend Canon G. H. Connor, Chaplain in Ordinary to The Queen
  • Reverend A. Campbell, Vicar of Crathie Church near Balmoral in Scotland
  • Reverend Canon Robinson Duckworth, former tutor to Prince Leopold
  • Reverend Canon Richard Gee, Chaplain in Ordinary to The Queen
  • Reverend William Rowe Jolley, former tutor to Prince Alfred
  • Reverend Canon George Prothero, Rector of Whippingham and Chaplain in Ordinary to The Queen
  • Reverend John Tulloch, The Queen’s Chaplain for Scotland
  • Dr. Henry Wentworth Acland, Physician in Ordinary to The Queen
  • Mrs. Collins
  • Mrs. Childers
  • Mr. Walter Campbell of Blythswood
  • Madame de Arcos, friend of Empress Eugenie of France
  • Dr. Wilson Fox, Physician Extraordinary to The Queen
  • Mrs. Gladstone, wife of Prime Minister William Gladstone
  • Mr. R. R. Holmes, Librarian at Windsor Castle
  • Mr. Holzmann
  • Mr. and Mrs. Coleridge Kennard
  • Dr. Wickham Legg, Medical Attendant to Prince Leopold
  • Mr. Augustus Savile Lumley, The Queen’s Queen Assistant Master of Ceremonies
  • Miss Mackworth
  • Mr. Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford
  • Mr. F. Myers
  • Mr. Whyte-Melville
  • Mademoiselle Norelle, former French tutor to Queen Victoria’s children
  • Dr. George Poore, former physician to The Prince of Wales
  • Mrs. A. Royle
  • Mr. Hermann Sahl, Librarian and German Secretary to Queen Victoria
  • Mrs. Waller, British actress
  • Mr. Arnold White, British journalist
  • Sir Joseph Devereux, Mayor of Windsor

Guests in The Queen’s Gallery

  • Mr. Doyne C. Bell, author
  • Mr. Edward Henry Corbould, artist, instructor of historical painting to the royal family
  • Dr. Francis Laking, Surgeon-Apothecary in Ordinary  to The Queen
  • Dr. William Ellison, Surgeon-Apothecary to The Queen’s Household
  • Mr. S. Evans
  • Mr. Charles Hallé, pianist and conductor
  • Miss Jessie Ferrari, singer and music teacher
  • Dr. William Hoffmeister, Surgeon-Apothecary to The Queen at Osborne House
  • Dr. John Marshall, Private Physician in Attendance to The Queen
  • Dr. Alexander Profeit, Estate Manager at Balmoral Castle
  • Dr. James Reid, Physician in Ordinary to The Queen

The Queen’s Household – Guests and Participants in the Processions

  • Mistress of the Robes – Elizabeth Russell, Duchess of Bedford
  • Lady of the Bedchamber in Waiting – Susanna Innes-Ker, Dowager Duchess of Roxburghe
  • Maids of Honour in Waiting  – The Honorable Evelyn Paget, The Honorable  Frances Drummond
  • Bedchamber Woman in Waiting – The Honorable Lady Hamilton Gordon
  • Lord Steward – John Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney
  • Lord Chamberlain – Valentine Browne, 4th Earl of Kenmare
  • Master of the Horse – Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster
  • Private Secretary and The Keeper of the Privy Purse – General Sir Henry Ponsonby
  • Treasurer of the Household – Gavin Campbell, 7th Earl of Breadalbane
  •  Comptroller of the Household – William Edwardes, 4th Baron Kensington
  • Vice-Chamberlain – Lord Charles Bruce
  • Gold Stick in Waiting – Field-Marshal Hugh Rose, 1st Baron Strathnairn
  • Captain of the Gentlemen at Arms – Charles Wynn-Carrington, 3rd Baron Carrington
  • Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard – William John Monson, 7th Baron Monson
  • Master of the Buckhounds – Richard Boyle, 9th Earl of Cork
  • Master of the Household – Major-General Sir John Cowell
  • Lord in Waiting – John Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie
  • Groom in Waiting – Colonel The Honorable. C. H. Lindsay
  • Master of the Ceremonies – General Sir Francis Seymour, Baronet
  • Clerk Marshal – General Lord Alfred Paget.
  • Equerries in Waiting – Colonel The Honorable H. W. J. Byng, Captain A. J. Bigge.
  • Groom of the Robes – Mr. Henry Erskine of Cardross.
  • Silver Stick in Waiting – Lieutenant-Colonel Burnaby
  •  Field Officer in Brigade Waiting – Colonel G. H. Moncrieff
  • Comptroller in the Lord Chamberlain’s Department -The Honorable Ponsonby Fane
  • Pages of Honour – Mr. G. Byng, Mr. A. Ponsonby
  • Gentlemen Ushers in Waiting –  Mr. Algernon West, Mr. E. H. Anson, Captain N. G.Philips, Mr. A. Montgomery, Mr. Wilbraham Taylor
  • Garter King of Arms – Sir Albert W. Woods
  • Lancaster Herald – Mr. George Cokayne
  • Chester Herald – Mr. H. Murray Lane
  • Comptroller of the Household of Prince Leopold – Mr. R.H. Collins
  • Equerries in Waiting to Prince Leopold – The Honorable Alexander Yorke, Captain Stanier Waller, Mr. A. Royle
  • Lady in Attendance on Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont – The Honorable Mrs. Moreton
  • Lord in Waiting to The Queen in Attendance on Princess Helena – George Byng, 7th Viscount Torrington

Guests – Ambassadors

  • His Excellency The Turkish Ambassador and Madameisolle Musurus
  • Count Georg Herbert Münster, His Excellency The German Ambassador and Countess Marie Munster
  • Count Luigi Federico Menabrea, His Excellency The Italian Ambassador and Countess Menabrea
  • Count Alajos Károlyi, His Excellency The Austro-Hungarian Ambassador and Countess Karolyi
  • Prince Aleksey Borisovich Lobanov-Rostovsky, His Excellency The Russian Ambassador
  • Paul-Armand Challemel-Lacour, His Excellency The French Ambassador
  • The Netherlands Minister and Countess de Bylandt
  • The Belgian Minister
  • Luís Pinto de Soveral, The Portuguese Minister
  • Count de Sponneck, Secretary to the Danish Legation
  • Count Piper, The Swedish Minister representing King Oscar II and Queen Sofia of Sweden
  • Count von Seckendorff, representing The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of the German Empire and Prussia, the groom’s brother-in-law and sister

Guests – Government Officials

  • Lord Chancellor – Roundell Palmer, 1st Baron Selborne
  • Lord President of the Council – John Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer
  • Lord Privy Seal – Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue, 1st Baron Carlingford
  • Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer – William Gladstone
  • Secretary of State for the Home Department – Sir William Harcourt
  • Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs – Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville
  • Secretary of State for the Colonies – John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley
  • Secretary of State for War – Hugh C. E. Childers
  • Secretary of State for India – Spencer Cavendish, Marquis of Hartington
  • First Lord of the Admiralty – Thomas Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook
  • President of the Board of Trade – Joseph Chamberlain
  • Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster –  John Bright
  • President of the Local Government Board –  John Dodson
  • Chief Secretary for Ireland – William Forster
  • Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland – Francis Cowper, 7th Earl Cowper
  • First Commissioner of Works – George Shaw-Lefevre
  • Postmaster-General – Henry Fawcett
  • Paymaster-General – George Glyn, 2nd Baron Wolverton
  • Judge Advocate-General – George Osborne Morgan
  • Vice-President of the Board of Education – A. J. Mundella
  • Adjutant-General – Field Marshal Garnet Joseph Wolseley, 1st Baron Wolseley
  • Quartermaster-General – Lieutenant-General Arthur Herbert
  • Military Secretary – Lieutenant-General Sir Edmund Whitmore,
  • Earl Marshal – Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk
  • Deputy Lord Great Chamberlain – Gilbert Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 2nd Baron Aveland
  • Speaker of the House of Commons – Henry Brand

Supporters and Bridesmaids

Leopold was supported by his eldest brother The Prince of Wales and his brother-in-law Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, the widower of his sister Alice.

Helena was supported by her father Georg Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and her brother-in-law Willem III, King of the Netherlands, the husband of Helena’s sister Emma.

Helena’s eight bridesmaids were unmarried daughters of Dukes, Marquises, and Earls:

  • Lady Florence Anson (1860–1946), daughter of Thomas George Anson, 2nd Earl of Lichfield
  • Lady Florence Bootle Wilbraham (died 1944), daughter of Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Earl of Lathom
  • Lady Blanche Butler (1854–1914), daughter of John Butler, 2nd Marquess of Ormonde
  • Lady Mary Campbell (1859 – 1947), daughter of George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll
  • Lady Anne Lindsay (1858 – 1936), daughter of Alexander Lindsay, 25th Earl of Crawford
  • Lady Ermyntrude Russell (1856–1927), daughter of Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford
  • Lady Alexandrina Vane-Tempest (1863 – 1945), daughter of George Vane-Tempest, 5th Marquess of Londonderry
  • Lady Feodore Yorke (1864 -1934), daughter of Charles Yorke, 5th Earl of Hardwicke

The Wedding Attire

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Leopold wore a Colonel’s uniform and used a cane to assist him in walking. He walked with a slight limp as he had injured his knee a few weeks earlier and his hemophilia had exacerbated the injury.

Helena’s dress, a gift from her sister Queen Emma of the Netherlands, was made by Madame Corbay of Rue Ménar in Paris. The gown was made of white satin, decorated with traditional orange blossom and myrtle and trimmed with fleur-de-lis. The bodice ended in a sharp V–shape and was swathed in tulle and ruched lace with a small bouquet of flowers. The shoulders were bare and on the short drop-sleeves were pinned the Royal Family Order of the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert and the Companion of the Order of the Crown of India. The long tulle veil was held in place by a diamond headdress and a wreath of orange flowers and myrtle. The diamond necklace worn by Helena was a gift from Leopold.

The Wedding Ceremony

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Vintage engraving of the Royal Wedding of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Queen Victoria kissing the bride on the cheek. The London Illustrated News, 1882

Officiating Clergy

  • Archibald Campbell Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury
  • John Jackson, Dean of the Chapels Royal, Bishop of London
  • Harold Browne, Prelate of the Order of the Garter, Bishop of Winchester
  •  John Mackarness, Chancellor of the Order of the Garter, Bishop of Oxford
  • Henry Philpott, Clerk of the Closet, Bishop of Worcester
  • The Honourable and Very Reverend Gerald Wellesley, Dean of Windsor, Lord High Almoner, Registrar of the Order of the Garter and Domestic Chaplain

Music

  • Sir George Elvey, composer and the organist of St. George’s Chapel, presided at the organ and directed the orchestra and choir.

The Members of Her Majesty’s Household in Waiting who did not take part in the carriage processions from Windsor Castle, assembled at St. George’s Chapel at 11:30 AM arriving at the South Entrance. The clergy officiating at the wedding service gathered at the Deanery and took their places within the rails of the altar at 11:45 AM while a march was played on the organ.

At 11:45 AM, The Princess of Wales, the Royal Family, and the Royal Guests along with their attendants left the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle in carriages for the West Entrance of St. George’s Chapel. On arrival at the West Entrance, The Princess of Wales, the Royal Family, and the Royal Guests were received by The Lord Steward, John Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney and The Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, Lord Charles Bruce. The processions of The Princess of Wales, the Royal Family, and the Royal Guests made their way down the aisle to march by Sir George Elvey. As each procession moved from the entrance into St. George’s Chapel a Flourish of Trumpets was played by Her Majesty’s State Trumpeters stationed at the West Entrance.

At 12 noon, Queen Victoria accompanied by her youngest daughter Princess Beatrice and her granddaughter Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, along with their attendants, left The Queen’s Entrance of Windsor Castle in carriages for the West Entrance of St. George’s Chapel. On arrival, they were met by The Lord Steward, John Townshend,1st Earl Sydney with The Treasurer of the Household, Gavin Campbell, 7th Earl of Breadalbane, The Comptroller of the Household – William Edwardes, 4th Baron Kensington, and The Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, Lord Charles Bruce. Her Majesty’s procession was conducted down the aisle by The Lord Chamberlain, Valentine Browne, 4th Earl of Kenmare as “Occasional Overture” by George Frederick Handel was played.

At 12:15 PM, the bridegroom Prince Leopold accompanied by his supporters, his eldest brother The Prince of Wales and Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, his brother-in-law, the widower of Leopold’s sister Prince Alice, and their attendants, proceeded in carriages from The Queen’s Entrance of Windsor Castle to the West Entrance of St. George’s Chapel. On arrival, they were received by The Lord Chamberlain Valentine Browne, 4th Earl of Kenmare and The Lord Steward, John Townshend,1st Earl Sydney and their procession was conducted down the aisle as Felix Mendelssohn’s “March”, from Athalie was played. Prince Leopold was conducted to his seat on the right of the altar with his supporters standing next to him.

Immediately after the departure of the bridegroom, the bride Princess Helena accompanied by her supporters, her father Georg Victor, The Reigning Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, and her brother-in-law King Willem III of the Netherlands, and their attendants proceeded in carriages from The Queen’s Entrance of Windsor Castle to the West Entrance of St. George’s Chapel.  On arrival, they were received by The Lord Chamberlain Valentine Browne, 4th Earl of Kenmare, and joined by the eight bridesmaids. The procession moved down the aisle to a “Special March” by French composer Charles Gounod, a friend of Prince Leopold who had asked Gounod to compose a piece of music for his bride’s procession down the aisle. The supporters of the bride stood near her and the bridesmaids stood behind her.

The wedding service was performed by Archibald Campbell Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury and the bride was given away by her father.  At the conclusion of the wedding service,  the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Ludwig Van Beethoven’s oratorio Christ on the Mount of Olives was sung by the choir and a salute was fired in the Long Walk by a battery of artillery. Felix Mendelssohn’s now-famous “Wedding March” from his suite of Incidental Music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream was played as the royalty and their attendants left St. George’s Chapel by the West Door.

The Wedding Luncheon and Celebrations

On their return to Windsor Castle, the bride and groom signed the marriage register in the Green Drawing Room. Queen Victoria then signed the marriage register along with royalty and distinguished persons who had been invited to also do so. Queen Victoria and the bride and groom, accompanied by King Willem III and Queen Emma of the Netherlands, The Prince and Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont and other royalty then proceeded to the State Reception Room to greet the guests who had assembled there.

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Waterloo Gallery at Windsor Castle where the non-royal guests were served a buffet luncheon

Luncheon was privately served for Queen Victoria, the royal family, and the royal guests in the Dining Room. The other guests were served a buffet luncheon in the Waterloo Gallery. The bride and groom left for their honeymoon at 4:00 PM.

The wedding cake of the Duke and Duchess of Albany; Credit – Royal Collection Trust https://www.rct.uk/collection/2905679/the-wedding-cake-of-the-duke-and-duchess-of-albany

The wedding cake was made by Her Majesty’s household confectioner. The cake, created in several layers, each separated by a dense icing for support and stacked upon the other to achieve its six-foot height, was entirely edible. The stacking technique was innovative for its day. Modern wedding cakes still use this method but because of the size of today’s cakes, internal support is added to each layer in the form of dowels.

In the evening, there was a State Banquet in St. George’s Hall presided by The Lord Steward, John Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney.  The guests invited included the royal guests, ambassadors, members of the clergy, members of the government, members of The Queen’s Household, and other guests by special invitation.  After the State Banquet, Queen Victoria and the guests proceeded to the Grand Reception Room where Her Majesty’s Private Band played in the Waterloo Chamber adjoining the Grand Reception Room. Later in the evening, there was a torchlit procession through the grounds of Windsor Castle. The torches made a letter “A” for Albany as Leopold was the Duke of Albany.

Torchlight procession for the marriage of Prince Leopold, 27 April 1882 by Sir Richard Rivington Holmes; Credit – Royal Collection Trust https://www.rct.uk/collection/themes/trails/royal-weddings/torchlight-procession-for-the-marriage-of-prince-leopold-7

The Honeymoon

Claremont House; Credit – By Heathermitch – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28583411

At 4:00 PM, the newlyweds, Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Albany,
attended by The Honorable Mrs. Moreton and The Honorable Alexander Yorke, left Windsor Castle for their honeymoon at Claremont House in Esher in Surrey, England escorted by a traveling escort of the 2nd Life Guards.

In 1816, Claremont House was bought by the British Nation by an Act of Parliament as a wedding present for the future King George IV’s daughter Princess Charlotte of Wales and her husband Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s uncle and the future Leopold I, King of the Belgians. After Princess Charlotte’s death in childbirth, her widower lived there until he became King of the Belgians, when he loaned the house to Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria, in turn, lent Claremont House to the exiled King and Queen of the French, Louis-Philippe and Marie-Amelie, who were the in-laws of King Leopold I via his second wife. Queen Victoria bought Claremont House from her first cousin Leopold II, King of the Belgians as a wedding gift for her son and daughter-in-law Leopold and Helena.

Leopold and Helena arrived in Esher around 6:00 PM, passing through a series of floral arches to a pavilion decorated with flowers. There they were greeted by the Rector of the local church and a group of local people. Leopold told them: “We both feel the greatest satisfaction in the thought that our first days of married life will be spent in the parish of Esher for it is here that we shall hope for the future to centre our local cares and interests.”

Unfortunately, Leopold and Helena’s honeymoon was marked by tragedy. Helena’s sister had married Prince Wilhelm of Württemberg, later King Wilhelm II of Württemberg. Marie was unable to attend the wedding because she was nine months pregnant. On April 24, 1882, Marie gave birth to a stillborn daughter, her third child, and suffered serious complications from childbirth. She died six days later, on April 30, 1882, and Helena went into the required period of mourning which limited her social interactions.

Children

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Helena with her two children

Leopold and Helena had two children:

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Works Cited

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  • Flantzer, S., 2014. Princess Helena Of Waldeck-Pyrmont, Duchess Of Albany. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/february-17-1861-birth-of-princess-helena-of-waldeck-pyrmont-wife-of-prince-leopold-duke-of-albany/> [Accessed 23 May 2020].
  • Google Books. 1882. The Illustrated London News – Wedding Of Prince Leopold.
  • Rct.uk. 2020. Sir James Dromgole Linton (1840-1916) – The Marriage Of The Duke Of Albany, 27Th April 1882. [online] Available at: <https://www.rct.uk/collection/404481/the-marriage-of-the-duke-of-albany-27th-april-1882> [Accessed 23 May 2020].
  • The Gazette. 1882. Prince Leopold Wedding Page 1971 | Issue 25102, 2 May 1882 | London Gazett…. [online] Available at: <https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/25102/page/1971> [Accessed 23 May 2020].
  • Van der Kiste, John, 2011. Queen Victoria’s Children. Stroud: The History Press.
  • Zeepvat, Charlotte, 1999. Prince Leopold. Stroud: Sutton.