Assassination of King Faisal of Saudi Arabia (1975)

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Arabic Naming Conventions

Al – family/clan of…
bin or ibn – son of…
bint – daughter of…

On March 25, 1975, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, aged 68, was shot and killed by his 30-year-old nephew Prince Faisal bin Musaid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the Royal Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

King Faisal of Saudi Arabia; Credit – Wikipedia

King Faisal of Saudi Arabia

Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was born on April 14, 1906, in Riyadh, then in the Emirate of Nejd and Hasa, now the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. His father was Abdulaziz ibn Abdul Rahman Al Saud, also known as Ibn Saud, the founder and the first king of Saudi Arabia. Faisal’s mother was Tarfa bint Abdullah bin Abdullatif Al ash-Sheikh, one of his father’s 22-24 wives.

Faisal was introduced to politics at an early age. In 1919, at the age of thirteen, Faisal was sent to meetings in the United Kingdom and France as the head of the Saudi delegation. After Abdulaziz’s eldest son Turki, Faisal’s half-brother, died in 1919 during the influenza pandemic, Faisal became the second eldest of Abdulaziz’s sons after his half-brother Saud. Besides speaking Arabic, Faisal was fluent in English and French. Faisal had four wives and a total of seventeen children.

Faisal served as Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Prime Minister, and Crown Prince. After a power struggle with Faisal’s half-brother King Saud, the cabinet and senior members of the Saudi royal family forced Saud to abdicate, and Faisal became the third King of Saudi Arabia in 1964.

For more information about King Faisal see Unofficial Royalty: King Faisal of Saudi Arabia

The Assassination

On March 25, 1975, at the Royal Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Faisal was holding a reception. His nephew Prince Faisal bin Musaid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud joined the Kuwaiti delegation that had lined up to meet King Faisal. The king recognized his nephew Prince Faisal and bent his head forward so that his nephew could kiss the king’s head as a sign of respect. Prince Faisal took out a revolver from his robe and shot King Faisal twice in the head. The third shot missed and he threw the gun away. King Faisal fell to the floor. A bodyguard hit Prince Faisal with a sheathed sword but Saudi oil minister Ahmed Zaki Yamani yelled repeatedly not to kill the prince. Then bodyguards with swords and submachine guns subdued Prince Faisal and arrested him.

King Faisal was rushed to Riyadh Hospital where he was treated by an American doctor. Head wounds from the .38 caliber bullets fired at point-blank range were the cause of death. King Faisal’s death was announced shortly after 12 noon. A sobbing announcer read the official statement over Saudi radio: “ With great sorrow and sadness, on behalf of His Highness, the Crown Prince, the royal family and the nation announces the death of His Majesty King Faisal who died in Riyadh Hospital of wounds sustained in an attack on his life by mentally deranged Prince Faisal ibn Musaid Abdulaziz.”

Funeral of King Faisal; Credit – King Faisal Foundation https://kff.com/en/King-Faisal

On March 26, 1975, King Faisal was buried in Al Oud cemetery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in a simple unmarked grave alongside hundreds of other unidentified graves. Leaders of the Arab world including Presiden Anwar el-Sadat of Egypt, King Hussein of Jordan, President Hafez al Assad of Syria, and Yasir Arafat, head of the Palestine Liberation Organization attended the funeral. King Faisal’s successor, his half-brother King Khalid, wept over his body at the funeral.

Who was the assassin, Prince Faisal bin Musaid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud?

Prince Faisal bin Musaid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on April 4, 1944, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Musaid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was the son of Prince Musaid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. His father was one of the forty-five sons (of whom 36 survived to adulthood) of Abdulaziz ibn Abdul Rahman Al Saud, also known as Ibn Saud, the founder and the first king of Saudi Arabia. Prince Musaid was the half-brother of King Faisal and therefore, Prince Faisal was the king’s nephew.

Prince Faisal attended university in the United States. For two semesters, he attended San Francisco State College studying English. He then attended the University of Colorado at Boulder where he received a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1971. While in the United States, he lived with his American girlfriend Christine Surma for five years. He kept in touch with her when he returned to Saudi Arabia.

Why did Prince Faisal bin Musaid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud kill King Faisal?

At the time of the assassination, there were some conspiracy theories but an investigation later determined that Prince Faisal acted alone. The most probable reason for the assassination has to do with Prince Faisal wanting revenge for the death of his brother Prince Khalid. Five years earlier, Prince Faisal’s brother, Prince Khalid was killed by Saudi security agents as he led a demonstration of religious zealots against a television station in Riyadh. Strict Islamic law forbids the portrayal in any form of the human image. Prince Khalid was portrayed as a fanatic who called television “the instrument of the devil” and opposed all reforms introduced by King Faisal. The details of his death are disputed. Some reports allege that he died resisting arrest outside his own home. There was never an investigation into Prince Khalid’s death.

What happened to the assassin Prince Faisal bin Musaid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud?

Immediately after the assassination, in an official statement, it was said that Prince Faisal bin Musaid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was mentally deranged. However, at a later date, a panel of medical experts ruled that he had been sane at the time of the assassination and could stand trial. His American girlfriend, Christine Surma, who lived with him for five years while he was in the United States, denied accusations that Prince Faisal was mentally ill.

Prince Faisal was tried, convicted, and executed on June 18, 1975. The trial took place in a sharia court that met in a closed session. Within hours, the sharia court reached their verdict that Prince Faisal was guilty of having shot his uncle King Faisal to death. Public beheading is the traditional form of execution for a convicted murderer in Saudi Arabia and the sentence was carried out a few hours later.

Deera Square where public executions and amputations take place; Credit – Wikipedia

At 4:30 PM on June 18, 1975, the sentence was carried out in front of a crowd of 10,000 in Deera Square in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Deera Square, also known as Al-Safaa Square, Justice Square, and locally as Chop Chop Square, is located in front of the Palace of the Governor of Riyadh (also known as the Justice Palace) which faces the Grand Mosque of Riyadh (also known as the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque).

Prince Faisal bin Musaid, wearing a white robe, was led by a soldier to the execution site and was reported to have walked unsteadily. Prince Faisal was then blindfolded and the large crowd watched silently until he was beheaded with one swing of a sword with a golden hilt. The crowd then broke into chants of “God is great!” and “Justice is done!”

Afterward, Prince Faisal bin Musaid’s head was displayed for a short time on a wooden stake before being removed by ambulance together with the body for burial. The beheading was witnessed by the Governor of Riyadh, Prince Salman, a younger half-brother of King Faisal. Prince Salman, the only member of the royal family to witness the execution Salman became the seventh king of Saudi Arabia in 2015.

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

  • Ar.wikipedia.org. (2019). اغتيال فيصل آل سعود. [online] Available at: https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D8%BA%D8%AA%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%84_%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%B5%D9%84_%D8%A2%D9%84_%D8%B3%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AF [Accessed 28 Nov. 2019].  (Arabic Wikipedia – Assassination of Faisal Al Saud)
  • Ar.wikipedia.org. (2019). فيصل بن عبد العزيز آل سعود. [online] Available at: https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%B5%D9%84_%D8%A8%D9%86_%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B2_%D8%A2%D9%84_%D8%B3%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AF [Accessed 28 Nov. 2019]. (Arabic Wikipedia – Faisal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud)
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  • New York Times. (1975). Assassin’s Fate and Motives Unknown. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1975/03/27/archives/assassins-fate-and-motives-unknown.html?searchResultPosition=3 [Accessed 28 Nov. 2019].
  • New York Times. (1975). Faisal, Rich and Powerful, Led Saudis Into 20th Century and to Arab Forefront. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1975/03/26/archives/faisal-rich-and-powerful-led-saudis-into-20th-century-and-to-arab.html?searchResultPosition=1 [Accessed 28 Nov. 2019].
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  • New York Times (1975). Moslem World Feels Shock And Loss Over King’s Death. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1975/03/26/archives/moslem-world-feels-shock-and-loss-over-kings-death.html?searchResultPosition=7 [Accessed 28 Nov. 2019].
  • New York Times. (1975). MOTIVE UNKNOWN. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1975/03/26/archives/motive-unknown-assassin-described-as-mentally-deranged-in-official.html?searchResultPosition=5 [Accessed 28 Nov. 2019].

Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots (1587)

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Mary, Queen of Scots was beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire, England on February 8, 1587.  She was 44-years-old and had spent the last nineteen years of her life imprisoned in English castles  Mary was the last of five Stewart/Stuart monarchs of Scotland who died a violent death: James I, King of Scots was assassinated, James II was accidentally killed when a cannon nearby where he was standing exploded, and James III and James IV were killed in battle.

Mary, Queen of Scots

Mary, Queen of Scots, circa 1559; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on December 8, 1542, at Linlithgow Palace in Scotland, Mary became Queen of Scots when she was six-days-old upon the death of her father. She was the third and the only surviving child of James V, King of Scots and his second wife Marie of Guise, a French princess. James V was the son of James IV, King of Scots and Margaret Tudor, the eldest surviving daughter of King Henry VII of England, and the sister of King Henry VIII of England. Therefore, Mary’s father was the nephew of King Henry VIII and the first cousin of his children, all monarchs of England, King Edward VI, Queen Mary I, and Queen Elizabeth I. All of Henry VIII’s children turned out to be childless, and this gave their first cousin once removed, Mary, Queen of Scots, a strong claim to the English throne.

Mary and her first husband François II, King of France; Credit – Wikipedia

In July 1548, the Scottish Parliament approved Mary’s marriage to François, Dauphin of France, the son and heir of King Henri II of France and Catherine de’ Medici. On August 7, 1548, five-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots set sail for France where she would be raised with her future husband. She would not return to Scotland for thirteen years. Upon the death of his father in 1559, and Mary’s husband succeeded his father as King François II of France. However, François died after only a 17-month reign and 18-year-old Mary returned to Scotland in 1561.

During Mary’s thirteen-year absence, the Protestant Reformation had swept through Scotland, led by John Knox, considered the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Therefore, Catholic Mary returned to a very different Scotland from the one she had left as a child. Mary needed an heir, so a second marriage became necessary. Her choice was her first cousin Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. Both Mary and Darnley were grandchildren of Margaret Tudor. Darnley was the son of Lady Margaret Douglas, Margaret Tudor’s only child from her second marriage to Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. Mary and Darnley married at Holyrood Palace on July 29, 1565. They had one child, James VI, King of Scots, the future King James I of England, who succeeded Queen Elizabeth I of England.

Mary with her second husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary’s marriage with Darnley was unsuccessful and she began to be drawn to James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell. Bothwell entered into a conspiracy with Archibald Campbell, 5th Earl of Argyll and George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly to rid Mary of her husband. On February 10, 1567, Darnley was killed when the house he was staying at was blown up.

Mary and Bothwell were married on May 15, 1567. The marriage angered many Scottish nobles who raised an army against Mary and Bothwell. After negotiations at the Battle of Carberry Hill, Bothwell was given safe passage and the lords took Mary to Edinburgh. The following night, Mary was imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle, on an island in the middle of Loch Leven. Between July 20-23, 1567, Mary miscarried twins, and on July 24, 1567, she was forced to abdicate in favor of her one-year-old son James, whom she never saw again. Bothwell was driven into exile. He was imprisoned in Denmark, became insane, and died in 1578.

In 1568, Mary escaped from her imprisonment at Loch Leven Castle. After being defeated at the Battle of Langside by the forces of her Protestant illegitimate half-brother, James Stewart, Earl of Moray, Mary was forced to flee to England, where she was subsequently imprisoned by her first cousin once removed, Queen Elizabeth I of England, because Elizabeth saw Mary as a threat to her throne. Mary was first taken to Carlisle Castle and then moved to Bolton Castle because it was further from the Scottish border.

In 1569, Mary was moved to Tutbury Castle and placed in the custody of George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury and his wife Bess of Hardwick. From 1569 – 1585, Mary was confined to properties of Shrewsbury, including Sheffield Castle, Sheffield Manor Lodge, Wingfield Manor, and Chatsworth House, all of which were in the interior of England and away from the sea for security reasons.  In 1585, Mary was moved to Chartley Hall in Staffordshire, England and Sir Amias Paulet became her keeper. Mary was always held in comfortable captivity, with her own domestic staff, which never numbered fewer than sixteen. Her chambers were decorated with fine tapestries and carpets, her bedlinens were changed daily, her own chefs prepared meals served on silver plates, and sometimes she was allowed outside to walk and ride.

Why was Mary, Queen of Scots executed?

Mary in captivity, 1578; Credit – Wikipedia

Since Mary was Catholic, she was seen by many English Catholics as the legitimate English sovereign instead of the Protestant Elizabeth I. There were various plots to replace Elizabeth on the English throne with Mary, possibly without Mary’s knowledge. After the 1583 Throckmorton Plot, Elizabeth I issued a decree preventing all communication to and from Mary. However, William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, Elizabeth’s Secretary of State and Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth’s spymaster, who wanted to entrap Mary, realized that the decree would hinder their plans.

Walsingham established a new line of communication that he could control without Mary’s knowledge. With the help of Gilbert Gifford, a double agent, it was arranged for a local brewer to deliver and receive messages between Mary and her supporters by placing them in a watertight casing inside the stopper of a beer barrel which would be delivered and then picked up at Chartley Hall in Staffordshire, England where Mary was confined. Double agent Gilbert Gifford approached the unsuspecting Guillaume de l’Aubespine, the French ambassador to England, and described the new correspondence arrangement designed by Walsingham. Gifford then submitted a code table to de l’Aubespine supplied by Walsingham and requested the first message be sent to Mary.

Cipher and code tables of Mary in the United Kingdom National Archives; Credit – Wikipedia

All messages to Mary would be sent via diplomatic packets to the French ambassador de l’Aubespine who then passed them on to double agent Gifford. Gifford would then pass the messages on to Walsingham who would have them decoded. The letter was then resealed and returned to Gifford who would pass it on to the brewer. The brewer would then smuggle the letter to Mary. If Mary sent a letter to her supporters, it would go through the reverse process. Every message coming to and from Chartley Hall was intercepted and read by Walsingham.

The letter that incriminated Mary, from the United Kingdom National Archives; Credit – Wikipedia

Eventually, the Babington Plot was detected. The goals of the Babington Plot were to assassinate Elizabeth I and then for England to be invaded by Spanish-led Catholic forces. When Mary consented to the plot by replying to a letter, her days were numbered.

There were fourteen conspirators:

What happened to the conspirators?

Anthony Babington; Credit – Wikipedia

John Ballard was arrested on August 4, 1586, and under torture, he confessed and implicated Anthony Babington. All of the conspirators were arrested by August 15, 1586. They were tried at Westminster Hall in London on September 13-14, 1586, found guilty of treason and conspiracy, and sentenced to be executed.

On September 20, 1586, Ballard along with Babington, Tichborne, Salisbury, Donn, Barnewell, and Savage were executed by hanging, drawing, and quartering.  Their horrific and bloody executions shocked the witnesses. When Elizabeth I was told of their suffering and the shock of the witnesses, she gave a slight reprieve to the remaining seven conspirators who were to be executed the next day. She ordered that they were to be left hanging until they were dead before being cut down, disemboweled, and quartered.

What happened to Mary, Queen of Scots?

On August 11, 1586, Mary was riding from Chartley Hall with her musician Bastian Pagez, her doctor Dominique Bourgoing, and others. They were surprised by armed soldiers who took them to nearby Tixall Hall so that Mary’s rooms at Chartley Hall could be searched and her papers could be seized. Mary was kept at Tixall Hall until late September 1586, when she was moved to her final place of imprisonment, Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire where King Richard III of England had been born.

Contemporary drawing of the trial of Mary, Queen of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

In October 1586, at Fotheringhay Castle, Mary was tried for treason before a court of thirty-six commissioners appointed by Elizabeth I, including the two men who had plotted her downfall, William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley and Sir Francis Walsingham. She protested that as a foreign anointed queen she had never been an English subject and therefore could not be convicted of treason. Mary was not permitted legal counsel, to review the evidence against her, or to call witnesses. On October 25, 1586, Mary was convicted of treason and sentenced to death with only one commissioner, Edward la Zouche, 11th Baron Zouche, voting against the conviction and death penalty.

Queen Elizabeth I procrastinated signing Mary’s death warrant. She was reluctant to sign the death warrant of an anointed queen as she felt it would set a bad precedent and feared that Mary’s son James VI, King of Scots, now twenty years old, would form an alliance and invade England. Additionally, Elizabeth feared the reaction of her Catholic subjects and Catholic Europe. With the intense pressure from Parliament and her Council continuing, Elizabeth finally signed the death warrant on February 1, 1587, and it was immediately sent to Fotheringhay Castle. Later, Elizabeth would deny that she had approved the sending of the death warrant to Fotheringhay Castle and punished those responsible.

The Execution

Execution of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, from Robert Beale’s The Order and Manner of the Execution of Mary Queen of Scots, Feb. 8, 1587; Credit – Wikipedia

The death warrant arrived at Fotheringhay Castle on February 7, 1587. Having just found out she was to be executed the next day, Mary spent her final night praying in the castle’s small chapel. She wrote her last letter to King Henri III of France, the brother of her first husband. At two in the morning, Mary lay down on her bed but did not sleep. Throughout the rest of the night, the sound of hammering came from the Great Hall where the scaffold was being built.

Mary’s request to have her ladies and servants accompany her to her execution was initially denied. Mary countered with the disbelief that Elizabeth I would allow her to die without any ladies to attend her. She further explained that she was “cousin to your Queen, descended from the blood of Henry VII, a married Queen of France, and the anointed Queen of Scotland.” After some discussion, it was decided that Mary could choose six servants to accompany her. Her secretary James Melville, her doctor Dominique Bourgoing, her surgeon Jacques Gervais, and her porter Didier were allowed to accompany her. In addition, her ladies Jane Kennedy and Elizabeth Curle were also allowed to accompany her.

Mary on the way to the scaffold by Scipione Vannutelli, 1861; Credit – Wikipedia

Three hundred people had gathered in the Great Hall of Fotheringhay Castle to witness the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots on February 8, 1587. Mary wore a black satin dress embroidered with black velvet. On her head, she wore a white peaked headdress with a white veil flowing down her back. Mary held a crucifix and a prayer book in her hands. Two rosaries hung from her waist. Around her neck, she wore a pomander and an Agnus Dei, a disc of wax impressed with the figure of a lamb.

The scaffold, draped with black fabric, was in the center of the Great Hall. On the scaffold were the block, a cushion for Mary to kneel on, and three stools, for Mary and the official witnesses, George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury and Henry Grey, 6th Earl of Kent. Mary was led up the three steps to the scaffold and listened calmly as the commission for her execution was read aloud. When Richard Fletcher, the Protestant Dean of Peterborough Cathedral began Protestant payers, Mary said, “I am settled in the ancient Catholic Roman religion and mind to spend my blood in defense of it.” The Dean continued to pray and Mary also began to pray in Latin from her prayer book. When the Dean had finished praying, Mary switched to English and prayed aloud for the English Catholic Church, her son, and Elizabeth that she might serve God in the years to come.

When Mary was done praying, the executioner asked for forgiveness for taking her life. Mary answered, “I forgive you with all my heart for now I hope you shall make an end to all my troubles.” Then the executioner assisted by Mary’s ladies Jane Kennedy and Elizabeth Curle helped Mary to undress. When her black dress was removed, Mary was wearing a red petticoat, trimmed with lace with a low neckline and back. Mary’s ladies gave her a pair of red sleeves. She was now dressed all in red, the color of blood, and the liturgical color of martyrdom in the Roman Catholic Church.

Embed from Getty Images 
Mary’s rosary and prayer book

It was the usual practice for executioners to receive any items of adornment that the condemned person was wearing. When the executioner touched Mary’s gold rosary, Jane Kennedy protested. Mary intervened saying that the executioner would be compensated with money in lieu of the rosary and the Agnus Dei. The beautiful gold rosary was meant for Mary’s friend Anne Dacre, the wife of Philip Howard, 13th Earl of Arundel, canonized a saint in 1970. Jane Kennedy later delivered the rosary to Anne and it has been in the possession of the Earl of Arundel’s descendants, the Dukes of Norfolk, ever since. However, on May 21, 2021, burglar alarms alerted staff at Arundel Castle, the home of the Dukes of Norfolk. Items of great historical significance, including Mary’s rosary, were stolen by force from a display cabinet.

Mary remained calm and admonished her weeping women to stop their crying. Mary then turned to her four male servants sitting on benches, smiled at them, and told them to be comforted. The time had come for the execution. Jane Kennedy had a white cloth embroidered in gold. She kissed the cloth and gently wrapped it over Mary’s eyes and over her head so that her hair was covered and her neck was bare. Then Jane Kennedy and Elizabeth Curle left the scaffold.

This watercolor was made for a Dutch magistrate who compiled an album of historical prints and drawings in 1613. The costume and architecture look very Dutch, but the picture does reflect eyewitness accounts of the event. Mary’s clothes were burned to prevent supporters from keeping them as relics, and this scene is shown on the far left. Credit Wikipedia from the National Portrait Gallery of Scotland

Mary knelt down on the cushion in front of the block. She said, in Latin, the psalm “In you Lord is my trust, let me never be confounded.” Mary then felt for the block and put her head down on it. She stretched out her arms and legs and cried in Latin, “Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit” three or four times. The executioner’s assistant put his hand on her body to steady her. The first blow missed her neck and cut into the back of her head. Her servants thought they heard her say, “Sweet Jesus.” The second blow severed her neck except for a small sinew which was cut by using the ax as a saw.

The executioner held up Mary’s head and said, “God save the Queen!” However, Mary’s auburn hair separated from her head which then fell to the floor. Mary’s hair had been gray and cut very short and she had chosen to wear an auburn wig. The spectators sat stunned until the Dean of Peterborough called out, “So perish all the Queen’s enemies!” The Earl of Kent then cried out, “Such be the end of all the Queen’s and the Gospels’ enemies.” The Earl of Shrewsbury, Mary’s official keeper between 1569 and 1585, sat on the scaffold speechless, with tears streaming down his face. Then, Mary’s lapdog, a Skye terrier, appeared from under Mary’s red petticoat and sadly stationed itself between Mary’s head and her shoulder.

The Earl of Shrewsbury’s eldest son rode hard to London to break the news of Mary’s execution to Queen Elizabeth I. He reached London at nine the next morning. Elizabeth first received the news with indignation which quickly turned to distress and then sorrow and many tears.

Aftermath

Copy of Mary’s death mask at Falkland Palace in Scotland; By Kim Traynor – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21201424

Mary had requested that she be buried in France at either the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, the traditional burial site of the French royal family, or Reims Cathedral but Elizabeth denied her request. Mary’s ladies and servants were allowed one requiem mass to be said for Mary by Father de Preau, her almoner and confessor, on the morning after her execution.

Mary’s body was embalmed and her heart and entrails, removed as part of the embalming process, were buried secretly within Fotheringhay Castle to prevent them from becoming relics. Mary’s body was wrapped in a wax winding-sheet, put in a lead coffin, and left in Fotheringhay Castle until August 1, 1587, when she were buried at Peterborough Cathedral where Catherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII’s first wife had been buried.

In 1603, as Queen Elizabeth I, the last of the Tudors, lay dying, she gave her assent that Mary, Queen of Scots’ son James VI, King of Scots, should succeed her. By primogeniture, James was the next in line to the English throne. Elizabeth died on March 24, 1603. Now James I, King of England and James VI, King of Scots, Mary’s son entered London on May 7, 1603, and his coronation was held on July 25, 1603. In 1612, the remains of Mary, Queen of Scots were exhumed upon the orders of her son and were reburied in a marble tomb with a beautiful effigy in Westminster Abbey in a chapel directly across the aisle from the chapel containing the tomb of Queen Elizabeth I. Mary, Queen of Scots is the ancestor of the current British royal family and many other European royal families.

Tomb of Mary, Queen of Scots in Westminster Abbey; Credit – Wikipedia

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

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Babington Plot. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babington_Plot [Accessed 25 Nov. 2019].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Mary, Queen of Scots. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary,_Queen_of_Scots [Accessed 25 Nov. 2019].
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2016). Mary, Queen of Scots. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/mary-queen-of-scots/ [Accessed 25 Nov. 2019].
  • Fraser, Antonia. (1969). Mary Queen of Scots. New York: Dell Publishing Company.
  • Weir, Alison. (2003). Mary, Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley. New York: Ballantine Books.

Assassination of James I, King of Scots (1437)

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

On February 20, 1437, 42-year-old James I, King of Scots was assassinated by conspirators including his uncle Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl, the son of Robert II, King of Scots and his second wife Euphemia de Ross, who wanted to be on the throne instead of James.  James I was the first of five Stewart monarchs to die a violent death.  His son James II was accidentally killed when a cannon nearby where he was standing exploded. The violent deaths continued with the deaths in battle of James III and James IV and the beheading of Mary, Queen of Scots.

James I, King of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

James I, King of Scots

James I, King of Scots was born on July 25, 1394, at Dunfermline Abbey in Fife, Scotland. He was the second surviving son of Robert III, King of Scots and Anabella Drummond. James’ father Robert III was the eldest child of Robert II, King of Scots and his mistress Elizabeth Mure. The couple married in 1346, but the marriage was not in agreement with the Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church. After receiving a papal dispensation, the couple remarried. The children born before their marriage were legitimized. Despite the legitimization of Elizabeth’s children, there were family disputes over her children’s right to the crown.

At the time of his birth, James’ much older brother David Stewart, Duke of Rothesay was the heir to the throne of Scotland. However, serious problems began to emerge between David and his uncle Robert Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany, the third in line to the throne after David and James. Through the machinations of Robert Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany, David was accused unjustifiably of appropriating and confiscating funds and was arrested in 1402. He was imprisoned at Falkland Palace and died on March 26, 1402, at the age of 22, probably of starvation.

Eight-year-old James, now heir to the throne, was the only one in the way of transferring the royal line to the Albany Stewarts. Eventually, fearing for the safety of his only surviving son James, Robert III, King of Scots decided to send him to France. However, the ship 12-year-old James was sailing on was captured on March 22, 1406, by English pirates who delivered James to King Henry IV of England. Robert III, King of Scots, aged 68, died at Rothesay Castle on April 4, 1406, after hearing of his son’s captivity. 12-year-old James was now the uncrowned King of Scots and would remain in captivity in England for eighteen years. While in England, James was more of a guest than a hostage.

While in England, James met his future wife Lady Joan Beaufort. She was the third of the six children and the first of the two daughters of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset and Margaret Holland. Joan’s father was the eldest of the four children of John of Gaunt, son of King Edward III, and his mistress and later his wife, Katherine Swynford. Joan was a great grand-daughter of King Edward III, a first cousin once removed of King Richard II, a niece of King Henry IV, and a first cousin of King Henry V. Her paternal uncle Henry Beaufort was a Cardinal, Bishop of Winchester and Chancellor of England.

James I, King of Scots and Joan Beaufort; Credit – Wikipedia

The English considered that a marriage to a Beaufort gave the Scots an alliance with the English instead of the French. James and Joan were married on February 12, 1424, at St. Mary Overie Church, now known as Southwark Cathedral in Southwark, London, England. James was released from his long captivity on March 28, 1424, and the couple traveled to Scotland. James and Joan had eight children including James’ successor James II, King of Scots.

For more information about James I, King of Scots, see Unofficial Royalty: James I, King of Scots

What caused a conspiracy to assassinate James I, King of Scots?

Upon his return to Scotland in 1424, James found that there were still doubts about the validity of the first marriage of his grandfather Robert II and this raised questions about James’ own right to the throne of Scotland. James found himself facing challenges from descendants of his grandfather’s two marriages. Those descendants included:

James knew he had to crush the power of his cousin Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany to strengthen his power. He also could not forget Murdoch’s father caused the death of his elder brother David Stewart, Duke of Rothesay. In 1425, Duncan, Earl of Lennox, Murdoch’s father-in-law,  raised his men of Lennox in a revolt against  James I in support of Murdoch.  A Parliament held in Perth, Scotland in 1425 issued orders for Murdoch’s arrest and in May 1425 a trial was held at Stirling Castle where Murdoch, his sons Alexander and Walter Stewart, and his father-in-law Duncan, Earl of Lennox were all found guilty of treason and executed at Stirling Castle. Murdoch’s third son James Stewart fled to Ireland, where he would spend the remainder of his life in exile.

The Albany Stewarts were no longer a problem but his uncle, the only surviving son of Robert II and his second wife Euphemia de Ross, Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl, now had a stronger claim to the throne. In 1425, James I had only one infant child, a daughter. His only surviving son, the future James II, would not be born until 1430 and the remaining five children of James I would be all daughters.

Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl had been instrumental in negotiating James I’s release from captivity in England in 1424. Atholl also served as a member of the jury that tried and executed his nephew Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany. Atholl’s elder son David, Master of Atholl had been one of the hostages sent to England as a condition of James I’s release and had died there in 1434. Atholl’s younger son Alan died at the Battle of Inverlochy in 1431. Atholl’s grandson Robert, the son of David, was now Atholl’s heir and both were in line to the throne after James I’s son who had been born in 1430.

James I showed his uncle Atholl favor by appointing him the Great Justiciar of Scotland, basically equivalent to a modern Prime Minister, and giving him an additional earldom, the Earldom of Strathearn. In addition, James appointed Atholl’s grandson Robert as his personal chamberlain. However, the true nature of Atholl’s loyalty to his nephew James I is unclear. Atholl was upset with issues with the lands he held and how they would and would not be inherited by his grandson. Some historians think the imprisonment and subsequent death of his son David in England turned Atholl against James. Other historians think that Atholl’s efforts to return James to Scotland from his English captivity and support him against the Albany Stewarts was a well-thought-out plan for those two branches of the House of Stewart to destroy each other and clear Atholl’s own way to the throne because of the claims of the illegitimacy against his half-brother Robert III.

The Assassination

A 17th- century depiction of James I’s assassination; Credit – Wikipedia

Whatever the cause of Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl’s issues with his nephew James I, King of Scots, he decided to assassinate the king and take the throne for himself. Some disaffected supporters of the Albany Stewarts joined in the conspiracy. The number of conspirators is thought to be around thirty but the main conspirators were:

  • Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl – the only surviving son of Robert II and his second wife Euphemia de Ross
  • Robert Stewart, Master of Atholl – Atholl’s grandson and heir and personal chamberlain of James I
  • Sir Robert Graham – a former supporter of the Albany Stewarts
  • Thomas Graham – son of Sir Robert Graham
  • Christopher and Robert Chambers – former supporters of the Albany Stewarts, Robert was a member of the royal household

James I, King of Scots and his wife Joan Beaufort were staying at the Blackfriars Priory in Perth, Scotland. They had spent Christmas there and stayed on for a general council held in Perth in February 1437. On the evening of February 20, 1437, Robert Stewart, Master of Atholl, the personal chamberlain of James I, let about thirty conspirators into the Blackfriars Priory.

While James, his wife Joan, and her ladies were in their chambers, they heard a great noise and became fearful. It was discovered that the chamber door had been tampered with and would not lock. Unbeknownst to them, Robert Stewart, James’ chamberlain, had broken the locks. James asked the women to guard the door while he searched for a means of escape.

James was unable to open any windows so he grabbed iron tongs from the fireplace and managed to open a plank of the chamber’s floor. He crawled under the floorboards and put them back in their place. He was in the passage that led to a large drain but because the drain had been blocked, James could not escape.  James had played a lot of tennis while at the Blackfriars Priory and had hit many balls off the court and down the large drain. Just three days before his assassination, James had ordered the drain blocked up with stones so that he would not lose any more tennis balls.

Catherine Douglas barring the door, by J R Skelton, from H E Marshall’s Scotland’s Story of 1906.

Catherine Douglas, one of Queen Joan’s ladies, used her arm to bar the door closed against the assassins. Eventually, the assassins forced their way into the chamber, breaking Catherine’s arm. Catherine’s story has been retold over the centuries and she has been nicknamed Kate Barless.  James I was eventually discovered and hacked to death by Sir Robert Graham. Queen Joan had been a target of her husband’s killers, and although wounded, she escaped.  James I, King of Scots was only 42 years old when he was killed and left a 7-year-old son to succeed him as James II, King of Scots.  Some people were glad to see James I dead. They considered him a tyrant who without reason attacked the nobility by imposing forfeiture on their estates and who failed to deliver justice to his people.

A monument now marks the site of the Carthusian Charterhouse in Perth; Photo Credit – By kim traynor, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29398897

James I, King of Scots was buried in the Carthusian Charterhouse in Perth, which he had founded. On May 11, 1559, following a sermon by John Knox, a leader of the Scottish Reformation and the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, a mob of Protestant reformers attacked the Carthusian Charterhouse in Perth. Everything was destroyed including the tombs and remains of James I, his wife Joan, and Margaret Tudor, the wife of James IV, King of Scots and the daughter of King Henry VII of England.

What happened to the conspirators?

There was no strong support for the conspiracy and James I’s assassins were soon captured and brutally executed on March 26, 1437. They were dragged naked through the street and stabbed with red-hot irons. Then they were beheaded, torn limb from limb, and quartered. Their heads were placed on iron spikes and their limbs were hung on gates in towns and cities throughout Scotland as a warning to other would-be traitors.

The would-be King of Scots, Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl, had the most brutal torture and execution. He was tortured for two days and then killed on the third day. On the first day, he was put in a cart with a crane, pulled up, and then violently dropped. He was then put in a pillory and a crown of burning iron was placed upon his head with the inscription King of all Traitors. On the second day, Atholl was dragged naked through the streets. On the third day, he was disemboweled while still alive. His entrails and heart were torn out and burned. Finally, he was beheaded and quartered. Like the other assassins, his head and the quarters were displayed throughout Scotland.

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

  • Abernethy, S. (2013). The Assassination of King James I of Scotland. [online] The Freelance History Writer. Available at: https://thefreelancehistorywriter.com/2013/05/24/the-assassination-of-king-james-i-of-scotland/ [Accessed 24 Nov. 2019].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). James I of Scotland. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_I_of_Scotland [Accessed 24 Nov. 2019].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Stewart,_Earl_of_Atholl [Accessed 24 Nov. 2019].
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2017). James I, King of Scots. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/james-i-king-of-scots/ [Accessed 24 Nov. 2019].
  • Scotsman.com. (2015). How King James’ love of tennis sealed his murder. [online] Available at: https://www.scotsman.com/news-2-15012/how-king-james-love-of-tennis-sealed-his-murder-1-4367436 [Accessed 24 Nov. 2019].

Funeral of Ari Behn, former husband of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Crown Prince Haakon, second from the left, was one of the pallbearers at the funeral of Ari Behn; Credit – http://www.royalcourt.no/

Ari Behn’s funeral was held on January 3, 2020, at the Oslo Cathedral, with services conducted by Kari Veiteberg, Bishop of Oslo. Ari Behn died by suicide on December 25, 2019. He was 47-years-old. His manager Geir Håkonsund made an announcement on behalf of his family: “It is with great sadness in our hearts that we, the closest relatives of Ari Behn, must announce that he took his own life today. We ask for respect for our privacy in the time to come.”

In addition to his former wife Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and their three daughters Maud Angelica Behn, Leah Isadora Behn, and Emma Tallulah Behn, Ari Behn leaves his parents Olav Bjørshol and Marianne Solberg Behn and his two younger siblings Anja Sabrina Bjørshol and Espen Bjørshol.

Behn’s former brother-in-law Crown Prince Haakon was one of the pallbearers. The other pallbearers were his father Olav Bjørshol, his brother Espen Bjørshol, his brother-in-law Christian Udnæs, and his nephews Ask and Isak. During the funeral service, Behn’s parents, his siblings, and his eldest daughter 16-year-old Maud Angelica Behn shared memories of their son, brother, and father.

During her speech, Behn’s daughter addressed those with mental health issues: “I just want to say to everyone who has gone through mental illness, that there is always a way out. Although it doesn’t feel that way. There are people out there who can help. Everyone deserves love and joy. There is never weakness to ask for help but strength. “

Ari Behn was buried at the Cemetery of Our Saviour in Olso, Norway.

An article and photos in English can be seen at the official website of the Royal House of Norway at Royal House of Norway: Ari Behn’s funeral

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.

Assassination of Gustav III, King of Sweden (1792)

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2020

On March 16, 1792, 46-year-old King Gustav III of Sweden was shot at a masked ball at the Royal Opera House in Stockholm, Sweden. He died thirteen days later. Giuseppe Verdi’s 1859 opera Un Ballo in Maschera (A Masked Ball) is based on King Gustav III’s assassination and death.

King Gustav III by Lorens Pasch the Younger, 1791; Credit – Wikipedia

King Gustav III of Sweden

Born in 1746, King Gustav III was the eldest son of King Adolf Frederik of Sweden and Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, daughter of King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, daughter of King George I of Great Britain. He was the first cousin of Empress Catherine II (the Great) of Russia and the nephew of King Friedrich II of Prussia (the Great). In 1766, Gustav married Sophia Magdalena of Denmark, the eldest daughter of King Frederik V of Denmark and his first wife, Louisa of Great Britain, daughter of King George II of Great Britain. Gustav and Sophia Magdalena had two sons, but only the future King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden survived infancy.

In 1771, King Adolf Frederick of Sweden died, and Gustav succeeded his father as King Gustav III of Sweden. In 1772, Gustav arranged for a coup d’état known as the Revolution of 1772 or Coup of Gustav III. The coup d’état reinstated an absolute monarchy and ended parliamentary rule. Gustav imprisoned opposition leaders and established a new regime with extensive power for the king.

For more information, see Unofficial Royalty: King Gustav III of Sweden.

The Assassination

The Royal Opera House in Stockholm in 1880, demolished in 1892, and a new opera house was built. Credit – Wikipedia

The Russo-Swedish War and the implementation of the Union and Security Act in 1789, which gave the King of Sweden more power and abolished many of the privileges of the nobility, contributed to the increasing hatred of King Gustav III, which had existed among the nobility since the 1772 coup. In the winter of 1791-1792, a conspiracy was formed within the nobility to kill the king and reform the government. The conspirators were:

  • Jacob Johan Anckarström, a Swedish military officer, from a noble family
  • Johan Ture Bielke, member of the Riksdag (Swedish Parliament)
  • Jacob von Engeström, former cabinet secretary and governor of Uppsala County
  • Johan von Engeström, member of the Riksdag
  • Count Claes Fredrik Horn, major in the Swedish Army, former court chamberlain
  • Carl Pontus Lilliehorn, colonel of the Svea Life Guards
  • Baron Carl Fredrik Pechlin, a former major general in the Swedish army and a member of the Riksdag
  • Count Adolph Ribbing, member of the Riksdag

The assassination was scheduled to take place on March 16, 1792, during a masked ball at the Royal Opera House in Stockholm. On that day, members of the conspiracy gathered at the home of Baron Carl Fredrik Pechlin to plan what would happen with the government once the king was dead. Jacob Johan Anckarström, Count Claes Fredrik Horn, and Count Adolph Ribbing met that afternoon and agreed that all three would go to the masked ball dressed in black robes and white masks. Anckarström then went to his home, where he loaded two pistols with bullets, furniture tacks, and bits of lead clippings and sharpened a butcher’s knife. Anckarström and Horn went to the opera house together, and Ribbing met them there.

The mask Anckarström wore, his knife, pistols, and the bullets, furniture tacks, and lead clippings he loaded in the pistols; Credit – Av LSH – http://emuseumplus.lsh.se/, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27229892

King Gustav III and his friends ate a light supper at the opera house before the masked ball. Towards the end of the supper, a letter arrived for Gustav. At the last moment, one of the conspirators, Carl Pontus Lilliehorn, regretted his part in the conspiracy and sent an anonymous letter to Gustav warning him of the murder plans. Gustav’s friend Count Hans Henric von Essen begged him not to go to the masked ball. However, Gustav had received many threatening letters and ignored the warning.

King Gustav III’s masquerade dress; Credit – Wikipedia

King Gustav III, wearing a mask, a triangular hat, a Venetian cape, and the star of the Royal Order of the Seraphim, walked arm in arm with Count Hans Henric von Essen around the theatre once. They then entered the foyer where they met Captain Carl Fredrik Pollet. King Gustav, von Essen, and Pollet continued through the foyer, towards the masked ball. Due to the crowd, Pollet receded behind the king, who then turned backward to talk to Pollet. Gustav was easily recognized because of the Royal Order of the Seraphim and was soon surrounded by conspirators Jacob Johan Anckarström, Count Claes Fredrik Horn, and Count Adolph Ribbing. One of the conspirators said to him in French: “Bonjour, beau masque” (“Good day, fine masked man.”). Anckarström edged himself behind Gustav, took out a pistol from his left inner pocket, and pulled the trigger. Because the king turned back to talk to Pollet, the shot went in at an angle left of the third lumbar vertebrae towards the left hip region.

King Gustav twitched but did not fall. Anckarström then lost courage because he thought that the king would immediately fall. He dropped the pistol and knife on the floor, took a few steps, and shouted fire. Then he quickly moved towards the door, but von Essen had ordered the doors to be closed. Anckarström had intended to shoot himself with the second pistol, but instead, he hid the second pistol and mixed with the crowd. The police had everyone unmask and recorded their names.

What happened to King Gustav III?

The chair where King Gustav rested after being shot. Blood can still be seen on the chair; Credit – Av Mats Landin, Nordiska museet – www.digitaltmuseum.se, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24839722

Immediately after being shot, King Gustav III looked pale as his friend Count Hans Henric von Essen and several army officers escorted him away. As they passed a chair, Gustav said, “I’m hurt – stop here.” von Essen extinguished the king’s clothes, which had begun to burn because of the gunshot. After a while, Gustav, who did not lose consciousness, said, “I feel weak, bring me to my room.” He was then taken up to his supper room to rest. Eventually, Gustav was brought back to the Royal Palace in Stockholm.

King Gustav III had not been shot dead as the conspirators had hoped, and continued functioning as the head of state while he recovered. However, suddenly he weakened and, as often happened in the days before antibiotics, his wound became infected, and he developed sepsis. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. On March 29, 1792, King Gustav III of Sweden died at the age of 46. He was succeeded by his 13-year-old son, King Gustav IV Adolf.

The castrum doloris and King Gustav III’s casket in the Riddarholmen Church by Olof Fridsberg; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 14, 1792, King Gustav III was given a magnificent funeral at Riddarholmen Church, a former 13th-century abbey in Stockholm, Sweden, the burial site for Swedish monarchs until 1950. A castrum doloris, a structure with decorations that enclosed the catafalque (raised box or a similar platform to support the casket), was built. The castrum doloris was shaped like an Old Norse burial mound from the Neolithic Age to the Viking Age. On the top was a bust of King Gustav III by Swedish sculptor Johan Tobias Sergel. Over the king’s bust hung a shining North Star (Polaris). Beneath the king’s bust was a grieving Mother Svea, a female national personification for Sweden, usually portrayed as a shield-maiden (in Scandinavian folklore and mythology, a female warrior) with one or two lions. The arched opening of the castrum doloris led to the stairs to the royal crypt where Gustav was buried.

King Gustav’s coffin, draped in purple velvet with ermine edges, was placed beneath the castrum doloris. Adjacent to the coffin were the royal regalia on the right and the orders bestowed upon the king on the left. On the right of the coffin was the Riksbaneret, the Swedish national banner used at various royal ceremonies, such as christenings, weddings, and funerals. Two runestones describing what the king had accomplished during his reign were on either side of the castrum doloris. All of what is described can be seen in the painting above.

Joseph Martin Kraus, the royal chapel music master, considered the “Swedish Mozart,” composed and conducted a dramatic funeral cantata performed by a large orchestra, choir, and four vocal soloists. After the funeral, Gustav was buried in the crypt of Riddarholmen Church.

Tomb of King Gustav III; Credit – www.findagrave.com

What happened to the conspirators?

Jacob Johan Anckarström; Credit – Wikipedia

Jacob Johan Anckarström had left his two guns and his knife at the opera house, and the next morning, the guns were brought to several gunsmiths. A gunsmith who had repaired the guns for Anckarström recognized them and identified him as their owner. Anckarström was arrested the same morning and immediately confessed to the murder but initially denied that there was a conspiracy. Eventually, he implicated Count Claes Fredrik Horn and Count Adolph Ribbing.

A baker’s boy who had delivered Carl Pontus Lilliehorn’s letter to Gustav III at the opera house led the investigators to Lilliehorn. The deeply repentant Lilliehorn spilled the beans about the conspiracy and his fellow conspirators. It was decided that a limited number of the conspirators would be charged and that Anckarström would be the scapegoat. Anckarström’s principal accomplices, Horn and Ribbing, were sentenced to death and deprived of their nobility but were then pardoned and exiled from Sweden. Horn settled in Denmark, changed his name to Fredrik Claesson, and wrote for a newspaper. Ribbing changed his name to Adolphe de Leuven and lived in France. He was a writer, married, and had a son. Carl Pontus Lilliehorn was also sent into exile. He settled in Germany, changed his name to Berg von Bergheim, became a teacher, and married a wealthy woman.

The fate of the other conspirators:

  • Johan Ture Bielke – died by suicide with poison six days after the assassination
  • Jacob von Engeström – sentenced to life imprisonment and deprived of his nobility, but the sentence was reduced to three years in prison
  • Johan von Engeström – a year’s suspension from his service
  • Baron Carl Fredrik Pechlin – died after four years in prison

A contemporary drawing of Anckarström being flogged; Credit – Wikipedia

Anckarström was sentenced on April 16, 1972. He was deprived of his estates and nobility privileges, sentenced to be chained in irons for three days, and publicly flogged and then executed. On his execution day, April 27, 1792, Anckarström’s right hand was cut off, he was beheaded, and then his corpse was quartered.

Anckarström had been married, and his wife, born Gustaviana von Löwen, and four of their children were living at the time of his execution. After Anckarström’s execution, his family adopted the name Löwenström with royal permission. The new surname was a combination of Löwen, the birth surname of Anckarström’s wife, and – ström, the end of Anckarström’s name.

Un Ballo in Maschera – The Masked Ball, opera by Guiseppe Verdi

Frontispiece to the 1860 vocal score of Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera published by Ricordi, showing the final scene; Credit – Wikipedia

The plot of Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi‘s 1859 opera Un Ballo in Maschera is based on the assassination and death of King Gustav III of Sweden. Although other composers had used the subject of the assassination, Verdi ran into frustrating censorship issues. Originally, the opera was entitled Gustavo III, but Verdi’s librettist, Antonio Somma, was told that the censors in Naples refused to allow the depiction of an actual monarch on the stage, and certainly not the monarch’s murder. Changes were made to the setting (Stockholm to Stettin, then in the Kingdom of Prussia) and the main character (King Gustav III to the fictional Duke of Pomerania). However, an assassination attempt in 1858 of Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, led to further censorship issues. Censors demanded that the setting not be in Europe. With the basic plot remaining the assassination of King Gustav III, the setting was moved to Boston during the British colonial period, and the leading character became Riccardo, Earl of Warwick and Governor of Boston.

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

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Gustav III of Sweden. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_III_of_Sweden [Accessed 16 Nov. 2019].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Jacob Johan Anckarström. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Johan_Anckarstr%C3%B6m [Accessed 16 Nov. 2019].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Un ballo in maschera. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Un_ballo_in_maschera [Accessed 16 Nov. 2019].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. (2019). Gustav III. [online] Available at: https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_III [Accessed 16 Nov. 2019].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. (2019). Gustav III:s begravning. [online] Available at: https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_III:s_begravning [Accessed 16 Nov. 2019].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. (2019). Mordet på Gustav III. [online] Available at: https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mordet_p%C3%A5_Gustav_III [Accessed 16 Nov. 2019].

King Christian IX of Denmark: Children, Grandchildren, Great-Grandchildren and Notable Descendants

by Susan Flantzer

King Christian IX with his family in the Garden Hall of Fredensborg Palace in 1883 by Laurits Tuxen; Credit – Wikipedia

King Christian IX of Denmark and Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel had six children and 39 grandchildren. Their grandchildren sat upon the thrones of Denmark, Greece, Norway, Russia, the United Kingdom. They are the ancestors of six of the ten current European monarchs: King Philippe of Belgium, King Frederik X of Denmark, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, King Harald V of Norway, King Felipe VI of Spain, King Charles III of the United Kingdom, and two former monarchs, the late King Michael of Romania and the late King Constantine II of Greece. See Wikipedia: Monarchs descended from King Christian IX.

King Christian IX and his family in 1862 (Front: Dagmar, Valdemar, Queen Louise, Thyra, Alexandra; Back: Frederik, King Christian, Vilhelm); Credit – Wikipedia

However, King Christian IX of Denmark was not born destined to be a king. King Christian IX was born a German prince, the sixth child and fourth son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg- Glücksburg and Princess Louise Caroline of Hesse-Kassel, on April 8, 1818, at Gottorp Castle near the town of Schleswig in the Duchy of Schleswig, now in Germany.

Christian married his second cousin Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel, the daughter of Prince Wilhelm of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Charlotte of Denmark. Both Christian and Louise were great-grandchildren of King Frederik V of Denmark. Their descents from King Frederik V are below.

King Frederik V of Denmark married Princess Louisa of Great Britain (1st wife) → Princess Louise of Denmark married Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel → Princess Louise Caroline of Hesse-Kassel married Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg → King Christian IX of Denmark

King Frederik V of Denmark married Duchess Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (2nd wife) → Frederik, Hereditary Prince of Denmark married Duchess Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin → Princess Charlotte of Denmark married Prince Wilhelm of Hesse-Kassel → Louise of Hesse-Kassel

So how did Christian become King of Denmark? When King Christian VIII, the son of Frederik, Hereditary Prince of Denmark, died in 1848, he was succeeded by his son King Frederik VII, who had married three times but had no children, and this resulted in a succession crisis. Louise, Christian IX’s wife, had lived in Denmark from the time she was three years old. She was a niece of King Christian VIII of Denmark and a closer heir than her husband. Women could inherit the Danish throne only if there were no male heirs (Semi-Salic Law), and Louise and her mother Charlotte of Denmark both rescinded their succession rights to Christian, Louise’s husband, in 1851. The Act of Succession of 1853 officially made Christian the heir of King Frederik VII, and he became king in 1863 when King Frederik VII died.

Christian IX and his wife Louise were as much the “Grandparents of Europe” as were Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Christian and Louise had 39 grandchildren and their grandsons included Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, King Constantine I of Greece, King George V of the United Kingdom, King Christian X of Denmark and King Haakon VII of Norway. Over the years, numerous large family reunions were held at Fredensborg Palace in Denmark with children, in-laws, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

A story has been told about King Christian IX. Whether it is true or not, it illustrates his relationship with other European monarchies:

One day, Christian IX and his son Vilhelm (George I of Greece) and the husbands of two of his daughters (Alexander III of Russia and the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII of the United Kingdom) went for a walk. They encountered a country gentleman who wondered who they were, thinking they were guests of some local squire. “I am your king,” explained Christian. “This is my son, the King of Greece, and this is my son-in-law, the Emperor of Russia, and my other son-in-law, the Prince of Wales.” The man was not impressed and said, “All right, I’ll tell you who I am. I am Jesus Christ!”

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All of King Christian IX’s children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren are listed below. In addition, notable great-great-grandchildren and great-great-great-grandchildren are also included.  Monarchs and consorts from former monarchies and current monarchies, along with current heirs, who are King Christian’s descendants are in bold. The links below are either from Unofficial Royalty or Wikipedia. Not all people have Wikipedia links.

Frederik VIII and his wife with their four eldest children by Elfelt, bromide postcard print, (circa 1877), NPG x74398 © National Portrait Gallery, London

1) King Frederik VIII of Denmark (1843-1912) married (1869) Princess Louise of Sweden (1851-1926), had four sons and four daughters

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Alexandra and her husband with their children, circa 1880

2) Princess Alexandra of Denmark (1844 – 1925) married (1863) King Edward VII of the United Kingdom (1841 – 1910), had three sons and three daughters

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King George and Queen Olga with six of their children, circa 1890; Credit – Wikipedia

3) Prince Vilhelm of Denmark, later King George I of Greece (1845–1913) married (1867) Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia (1851-1926), had five sons and three daughters

Male-line descendants below of King Christian IX of Denmark also who held the title Prince or Princess of Greece also held the title of Prince or Princess of Denmark and are traditionally referred to as Prince or Princess of Greece and Denmark.

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Empress Maria Feodorovna and her husband with their five surviving children; Credit – Wikipedia

4) Princess Dagmar of Denmark, Maria Feodorovna, Empress of All Russia (1847-1928) married (1866) Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia (1845–1894), had four sons and two daughters

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Thyra and her husband with their six children; Credit – Wikipedia

5) Princess Thyra of Denmark (1853–1933), married (1878) Crown Prince Ernst August of Hanover, 3rd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale (1845-1923), had three sons and three daughters

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Valdemar and his wife with their five children; Credit – Wikipedia

6) Prince Valdemar of Denmark (1858-1939) married (1885) Princess Marie of Orléans (1865-1909), had four sons and one daughter

  • Prince Aage, Count of Rosenborg (1887-1940), born Prince Aage of Denmark, after marrying without the monarch’s consent, he lost his succession rights and his royal style and the title Prince of Denmark, married (1914) Matilda Calvi Dei Conti di Bergolo (1885-1949), had one son, divorced
    • Valdemar, Count of Rosenborg (1915-1995) married (1949) Baroness Floria d’Huart Saint-Mauris (1925-1995), no children
  • Prince Axel of Denmark (1888-1964), married (1919) Princess Margaretha of Sweden (1899-1977), had two sons
    • Prince George Valdemar of Denmark (1920-1986), married (1950) Anne Bowes-Lyon (maternal first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, no children
    •  Count Flemming Valdemar of Rosenborg (1922-2002), born Prince Flemming Valdemar of Denmark, after marrying without the monarch’s consent, he lost his succession rights and his royal style and title, married (1949) Alice Nielson (1924-2010), had three sons and one daughter
  • Prince Erik, Count of Rosenborg (1890-1950), born Prince Erik of Denmark, after making an unequal marriage, he lost his succession rights and the title Prince of Denmark, he did retain his style His Highness, married (1924) Lois Frances Booth (1897-1941), had one son and one daughter, divorced
    • Countess Alexandra  of Rosenborg (1927-1992) married (1951) Ivar Emil Vind-Röj (1921-1977), had one daughter and two sons
    • Count Christian of Rosenborg (1932-1997), married (1962) Karin Lüttichau, had one son and one daughter
  • Prince Viggo, Count of Rosenborg (1893-1970), born Prince Viggo of Denmark, after marrying without the consent of the monarch, he lost his succession rights and his royal style and the title Prince of Denmark, married (1924) Eleonor Green (1895-1966), no children
  • Princess Margrethe of Denmark (1895-1992) married (1921) Prince René of Bourbon-Parma (1894-1962), had three sons and one daughter
    • Prince Jacques of Bourbon-Parma (1922-1964) married (1947) Birgitte von Holstein-Ledreborg, Countess of Holstein-Ledreborg, had  three children
    • Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma (1923-2016) married (1948) former King Michael I of Romania (1921-2017), had five daughters
    • Prince Michel of Bourbon-Parma (1926-2018) married (1) (1951) Princess Yolande de Broglie-Revel, had three daughters and two sons, divorced; married (2) (2003) Princess Maria Pia of Savoy, no children
    • Prince André of Bourbon-Parma (1928-2011) married (1960) Marina Gacry, had  three children

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Wedding of Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

David and Wallis in 1934, the year their affair started; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 3, 1937, Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (known as David) married Wallis Simpson at the Château de Candé in Monts, France, a 16th-century castle owned by Charles Bedaux, a ­­French-born, naturalized American industrial millionaire.

David’s Early Life

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Four Generations: Left to right: The future King George V (David’s father), Queen Victoria (David’s great-grandmother), David (the future King Edward VIII), the future King Edward VII (David’s grandfather), circa 1900

The future King Edward VIII was born on June 23, 1894, at White Lodge, Richmond Park on the outskirts of London. At the time of his birth, his great-grandmother Queen Victoria sat upon the throne of the United Kingdom. His parents, the future King George V and Queen Mary were the Duke and Duchess of York, and his grandparents, the future King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra were Prince and Princess of Wales. The infant prince was the eldest son of his parents and was third in the line of succession behind his grandfather and father. He was christened with a long string of names: Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David but in the family, he was known as David.

David and his brother, the future King George VI (called Bertie in the family), were raised by Frederick Finch, the nursery footman, and Henry Hansell, their tutor. Finch remained important in David’s life as he later became his valet and then his butler. David continued under Hansell’s instruction until 1907 when he enrolled at the Osborne Naval College. He did not enjoy his time there and after two years, he moved on to continue his studies at Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.

After his father succeeded to the throne in 1910 as King George V, David was the heir to the throne and his education intensified. He was withdrawn from his naval course before his formal graduation and served as a midshipman for three months aboard the battleship Hindustan. Next, he was enrolled at Magdalen College, Oxford, despite being intellectually underprepared. He left Oxford after eight terms without any academic qualifications.

When World War I started in 1914, David was eager to participate. He had joined the Grenadier Guards in June 1914 and was willing to serve on the front lines. Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener refused because of the possibility that the heir to the throne could be captured by the enemy.

During the 1920s and the 1930s, David made several successful overseas tours. He was a popular prince and was admired for his fashion style and easy manner. Much to his father’s annoyance, David showed little interest in marrying and settling down. His father was disgusted by his affairs with married women and was reluctant to see him inherit the throne. King George V prophetically said, “After I am dead, the boy will ruin himself in 12 months.”

Wallis’ Early Life

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Wallis and her mother

Bessie Wallis Warfield was born on June 19, 1896, in Square Cottage at the Monterey Inn in Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Baltimore, Maryland.  She was the only child of  Teackle Wallis Warfield and Alice Montague. Five months after Wallis’ birth, her father died of tuberculosis at the age of 27. Wallis and her mother were dependent on the charity of relatives until her mother remarried. Wallis’ uncle, her father’s brother, paid for her to attend the most expensive girls’ school in Maryland and she made friends with several girls from wealthy families.

When Wallis was 20, she married Earl Winfield Spencer, a U.S. Navy pilot. Allegedly, Spencer was abusive and an alcoholic. After several separations, the Spencers divorced in December 1927. Before her marriage was officially ended, Wallis became involved with Ernest Simpson, a shipping executive, who had been born in the United States but became a British citizen during World War I. Wallis and Ernest married in 1928.

Controversy and Abdication

Credit – Wikipedia

Through a friend, Consuelo Thaw, Wallis met Consuelo’s sister Thelma, Lady Furness, who was David’s mistress. In early 1931, Lady Furness introduced Wallis to David. Over the next several years, David and the Simpsons attended various house parties and other social events, and Wallis was presented at court. In January 1934, Wallis became David’s mistress.

On January 20, 1936, King George V died and David became King Edward VIII. He showed impatience with court protocol and caused concern by his disregard for established constitutional conventions. He was also completely enthralled by Wallis and was naively convinced that once she was free from her marriage, he would be able to marry her and she would be queen. Wallis divorced her second husband in October 1936. At that time, it was unthinkable that the Supreme Governor of the Church of England could marry a person who had been divorced not just once, but twice. David’s insistence on proceeding with these plans, despite advice to the contrary, provoked a government crisis.

David informed Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin that he would abdicate if he could not marry Wallis. Baldwin then presented the king with three choices: (1) give up the idea of marriage (2) marry against his ministers’ wishes (3) abdicate. It was evident that David was not prepared to give up Wallis and he knew that if he married against the advice of his ministers, he would cause the government to resign, prompting a constitutional crisis. He chose to abdicate.

David signed the Instrument of Abdication on December 10, 1936, in the presence of his brothers: Prince Albert, Duke of York, the heir to the throne who would succeed to the throne as King George VI; Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester; and Prince George, Duke of Kent. The next day, the last act of his reign was the royal assent to His Majesty’s Declaration of Abdication Act 1936, necessary because only Parliament can change the succession to the throne. On the evening of December 11, 1936, once again His Royal Highness Prince Edward, the former king gave his famous radio speech in which he said, “I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love.”

Wedding Guests

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Left to right: Herman Rogers who gave Wallis away, Wallis, David, and Major Edward Dudley Metcalfe (Fruity), the best man

David had wanted his brothers Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Prince George, Duke of Kent along with his close friend and second cousin Lord Louis Mountbatten (the future 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma) to attend the ceremony but his brother King George VI forbade members of the royal family from attending. Instead, the marriage was witnessed by a small group of faithful friends. Major Edward Dudley Metcalfe, known as Fruity Metcalfe, David’s close friend and former equerry, served as best man. Wallis was given away by her friend Herman Rogers.

In addition to the guests listed below, fifteen servants, five newspaper reporters, and several local officials including the Mayor of Monts, France who performed the civil marriage ceremony, attended the wedding.

  • George Allen (David’s solicitor)
  • Charles and Fern Bedaux (hosts of the wedding)
  • Randolph Churchill (journalist, writer, and politician, son of Sir Winston Churchill)
  • Dudley Forwood (David’s equerry)
  • W. C. Graham and Mrs. Graham (Graham was the British Consul at Nantes, France)
  • Bessie Montague Merryman (Wallis’ maternal aunt, the only relative to attend the wedding)
  • Major Edward Dudley Metcalfe (Fruity) and his wife Lady Alexandra Metcalfe (Fruity was
  • David’s close friend and former equerry)
  • Sir Walter Monckton (Attorney General of the Duchy of Cornwall, advisor to David during the abdication crisis)
  • Herman and Katherine Rogers (Wallis’ friends)
  • Baron Eugène Rothschild and his wife Baroness Rothschild (the Baroness, American-born Catherine “Kitty” Wolf, was Wallis’ friend, after his abdication, David stayed at the Rothschilds’ home in Austria)
  • Lady Selby (wife of David’s friend Sir Walford Selby, British Ambassador to Austria)
  • Hugh Lloyd Thomas (David’s former secretary, then First Secretary at the British Embassy in Paris)

Wedding Attire

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David wore a morning suit, with a wing collar, striped trousers, a black and white checkered cravat, and a white carnation in his lapel.

The bride wore a soft crepe dress with a tight, buttoned bodice in her signature color of “Wallis Blue,” a halo-shaped hat of the same color, matching shoes, and gloves. The dress was created by Mainbocher, a fashion label founded by the American couturier Main Rousseau Bocher. In 1950, Wallis presented the dress to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. More than 25 years after the wedding, the dress was still considered one of the most copied dresses in modern times. Wallis wore a glittering diamond and sapphire brooch and matching bracelet and earrings. She had a lavender orchid at her waist but carried no flowers.

The Wedding

Château de Candé in Monts, Indre-et-Loire, France; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 3, 1937, David married Wallis at the Château de Candé in Monts, France, a 16th-century castle owned by Charles Bedaux, a ­­French-born, naturalized American industrial millionaire.  Marcel Dupré, one of France’s leading organists, played the organ and the famous British photographer Cecil Beaton took the photographs.

A civil ceremony was required in France. It was performed in the green-paneled music room, the windows overlooking the beautiful Indre Valley. Four chairs for the bride, the groom, the best man, and the bride’s supporter had been placed before the marriage table, covered with a dark yellow cloth with large vases containing pink and white peonies at either end. The Mayor of Monts, Dr. Charles Mercier, also a physician, performed the civil ceremony. The mayor then made a speech, the register was signed and the civil ceremony was over in five minutes. During the civil service, Marcel Dupré, in an adjoining room, softly played music by Bach, Schumann, and one of his compositions.

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

The religious service was held in the music room. An improvised altar of an oak chest was in an alcove of the room. At each end of the altar was a single yellow candle with a cross in the middle. David and his best man entered the room and awaited the bride. While Marcel Dupré played the march from Georg Friedrich Handel’s oratorio “Judas Maccabeus”, Wallis entered the room on the arm of her friend Herman Rogers. Reverand Jardine performed the traditional Church of England wedding ceremony. During the benediction, Marcel Dupre played “O Perfect Love”. Ironically, “O Perfect Love” was specially written by English composer Sir Joseph Barnby for the wedding of David’s paternal aunt Louise, Princess Royal, and Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife.  “O Perfect Love” remains a popular wedding anthem.

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After the wedding, the newlyweds led the guests to the terrace where the best man gave a champagne toast to the bride and groom’s happiness and long life together. The guests dined on a buffet luncheon of lobster, chicken a la king, salad, and strawberries. There was a three-foot-high wedding cake that the newlyweds cut together. More than 2,000 telegrams were delivered and were packed up to be taken on the honeymoon, to be read at the couple’s leisure.

At 6:25 PM, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor climbed into their limousine, driven by George Ladbrooke, the Duke’s chauffeur for seventeen years, for the drive to the train station. Ahead of them went 226 pieces of luggage, including 183 trunks. They went by train to Wasserleonburg Castle in Austria where they spent their three-month honeymoon.

Wallis’ Style and Title

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On December 12, 1936, at the accession meeting of the Privy Council, the new King George VI announced he was giving his brother the title Duke of Windsor with the style of Royal Highness. Letters Patent dated May 27, 1937 re-conferred the “title, style, or attribute of Royal Highness” upon the Duke of Windsor, but specifically stated that “his wife and descendants, if any, shall not hold said title or attribute”. This meant that Wallis would be styled as the wife of a duke, Her Grace The Duchess of Windsor, while her husband was styled His Royal Highness The Duke of Windsor.

The legality of King George VI’s Letters Patent stating that David’s style Royal Highness could not be extended to his wife or any children is doubtful. As the son of a British monarch, David was entitled to that style which should have automatically reverted to him upon his abdication without the need of Letters Patent and automatically extended to his legal wife and any legitimate children. David considered the holding back of the style Her Royal Highness from his wife unjust but out of respect for his brother, he never made a public issue. In their household, the Duchess of Windsor was always addressed as Royal Highness.

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

  • Bocca, Geoffrey. (1954). The Woman Who Would Be Queen. New York: Rinehart & Company Inc.
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Wedding dress of Wallis Warfield. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_dress_of_Wallis_Warfield [Accessed 27 Oct. 2019].
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2013). King Edward VIII, The Duke of Windsor. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/may-28-daily-featured-royal-date/ [Accessed 27 Oct. 2019].
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2013). Wallis, Duchess of Windsor. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/april-24-daily-featured-royal-date/ [Accessed 27 Oct. 2019].
  • Hallemann, Caroline. (2017). Inside the Wedding That Changed the British Royal Family Forever. [online] Town & Country. Available at: https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a9967591/wallis-simpson-prince-edward-wedding/ [Accessed 27 Oct. 2019].
  • Higham, Charles. (1988). The Duchess of Windsor. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company.
  • Hough, Richard. (1991). Born Royal – The Lives and Loves of the Young Windsors. Leicester: Ulverscroft.
  • Nytimes.com. (1937). Duke Weds Mrs. Warfield; They Start on Austrian Trip; Windsor and Bride Appeal to Press for Privacy–Wed in Simple Civil Ceremony at Chateau, Followed by Anglican Service. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1937/06/04/archives/duke-weds-mrs-warfield-they-start-on-austrian-trip-windsor-and.html?searchResultPosition=241 [Accessed 27 Oct. 2019].
  • Nytimes.com. (1937). WINDSOR WEDDING TO HAVE 16 GUESTS; Britain Permits Several Who Hold Official Posts to Attend, but None of Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1937/05/27/archives/windsor-wedding-to-have-16-guests-britain-permits-several-who-hold.html?searchResultPosition=230 [Accessed 27 Oct. 2019].
  • Rothman, Lily. and Ronk, Liz. (2017). Inside the Wedding That Shook the British Monarchy. [online] Time. Available at: https://time.com/4781342/wallis-edward-wedding-photos/ [Accessed 27 Oct. 2019].
  • Staff Writers (2018). Flashback: A royal scandal, the marriage of Wallis and Edward.. [online] The Sydney Morning Herald. Available at: https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/flashback-a-royal-scandal-the-marriage-of-wallis-and-edward-20180514-p4zf5g.html [Accessed 27 Oct. 2019].

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

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Photo Credit – The wedding of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester by and after Vandyk, hand-coloured bromide print, 6 November 1935, NPG x134883 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott were married on November 6, 1935, at the Private Chapel in Buckingham Palace in London, England. The wedding was originally set to be held at Westminster Abbey but the wedding venue was changed after the death of the bride’s father. John Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch died from cancer at Bowhill House in Selkirkshire, Borders, Scotland on October 19, 1935, less than three weeks before the wedding date. Because of the circumstances, it was deemed more appropriate to have the wedding at the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace.

 

Henry’s Early Life

Henry with his siblings in 1912 (Front row) John, Mary and George (Back row) Albert, Henry and Edward; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Henry was the third son of the five sons and fourth of the six children of George, Duke of York (later King George V) and Victoria Mary of Teck (later Queen Mary). He was born on March 31, 1900, at York Cottage on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England. Henry attended St. Peter’s Court School in Kent and then Eton College near Windsor which was unusual for a royal child at that time. He also attended the Royal Military College at Sandhurst and Trinity College, Cambridge. Henry had a military career in the British Army and served with The King’s Royal Rifle Corps and the 10th Royal Hussars. On his 28th birthday, his father King George V created him Duke of Gloucester.

For more information, see Unofficial Royalty: Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester

Alice’s Early Life

Mary Theresa (née Montagu-Douglas-Scott), Lady Burghley; Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester by Lafayette bromide print, circa 1910 NPG Ax29354 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott was born on December 25, 1901, at Montagu House in Whitehall, London, England. She was the third daughter and the fifth of eight children of John Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch and 9th Duke of Queensberry and Lady Margaret Bridgeman, daughter of George Bridgeman, 4th Earl of Bradford. Alice’s father was the largest landowner in Scotland, and she was a descendant of King Charles II through an illegitimate line. Alice grew up in her family’s country homes home, Boughton House in Northamptonshire, England, Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland and Bowhill House near Selkirk, Scotland. She attended St. James’ School for Girls, in West Malvern, Worcestershire, England.

For more information, see Unofficial Royalty: Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Gloucester

The Engagement

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September 2, 1935: A royal gathering at Balmoral Castle on the occasion of the Duke of Gloucester’s engagement to Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott. From left to right: The Duchess of Buccleuch (Alice’s mother), King George V, Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Queen Mary

Both Prince Henry and Lady Alice were older than usual when they married. Henry was 35-years-old and Alice was nearly 34-years-old. Henry’s eldest brother David (the future King Edward VIII and later Duke of Windsor) was also not married and his parents had given up hope. David encouraged Henry’s bachelorhood because it made him feel more comfortable about not being the only single sibling. He also encouraged Henry’s travels which kept him out of any serious relationship. In the early 1930s, most of Henry’s friends thought he had his eye on Lady Alice and that Henry would have courted her if he would settle down.

Pressured by his parents, Prince Henry decided it was time to settle down and started to seriously court Lady Alice, sister of one of his best friends Lord William Montagu Douglas Scott. In May 1935, after an extended stay with an uncle in Kenya, Alice returned home due to her father’s illness and the couple started to see quite a lot of each other. Henry and Alice were staying at Windsor Castle with Queen Mary while King George V, who was ill, was staying at Sandringham. Henry wrote to his father: “I saw Alice Scott several times & met her out riding each morning. I think Mama liked her.” George V replied quickly to his son, a surprise considering his health situation, “Mama thought Alice Scott very nice, glad you saw something of her at Windsor.”

While walking his dogs with Alice at Richmond Park, Henry finally proposed. Alice later wrote in her memoirs: “There was no formal declaration on his part, I think he just muttered it as an aside…nor was there any doubt about my acceptance. I was thirty-four, so I had had a very good innings. Apart from my great happiness in getting married, I felt too that it was time I did something useful with my life.”

King George V wrote to Alice’s father: “I must send you a line to say how delighted the Queen and I are that my son Harry is engaged to be married to your third daughter…Our families have known each other for many generations now, that it gives me great pleasure to think that they will be more closely connected still.”

Sadly, Alice’s father would not live to see her wedding day and Henry’s father would die ten weeks after the wedding.

The Wedding Site

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The Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace was created by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1844 in what had originally been a conservatory. Queen Victoria was delighted with the result, supervised by Prince Albert, and described it as “beautiful” and “exceedingly restrained”. During World War II, the Private Chapel was damaged by bombing and was later incorporated into The Queen’s Gallery. In 1889, the wedding of Henry’s aunt Louise, Princess Royal, Duchess of Fife was the first wedding to take place at the Private Chapel in Buckingham Palace.

Bridesmaids and Supporters

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Left to right, back row: Clare Phipps, The Duke of York (later George VI), Lady Elizabeth Montagu Douglas Scott, the groom and the bride, Lady Angela Montagu Douglas Scott, The Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII), and Moyra Montagu Douglas Scott. Left to right, front row: Lady Mary Cambridge, Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II), Princess Margaret of York and Anne Hawkins

Supporters:

Henry’s two eldest brothers The Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VIII, later the Duke of Windsor) and The Duke of York (the future King George VI) served as his supporters.

Bridesmaids:

  • Princess Elizabeth of York, the groom’s niece, the future Queen Elizabeth II
  • Princess Margaret of York, the groom’s niece, married Antony Armstrong-Jones, later 1st Earl of Snowdon
  • Lady Mary Cambridge, the groom’s first cousin once removed, daughter of George Cambridge, 2nd Marquess of Cambridge (nephew of Queen Mary), married Peter Whitley
  • Lady Angela Montagu Douglas Scott, the bride’s sister, married Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Dawnay
  • Lady Elizabeth Montagu Douglas Scott, the bride’s niece, daughter of Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 8th Duke of Buccleuch, married Hugh Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland
  • Anne Hawkins, the bride’s niece, daughter of Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott and Admiral Sir Geoffrey Hawkins, married Commander Michael Edward St. Quintin Wall
  • Clare Phipps, the bride’s niece, daughter of Lady Sybil Montagu Douglas Scott and Charles Phipps, married David Hadow
  • Moyra Montagu Douglas Scott, the bride’s first cousin, daughter of Lord Francis Montagu Douglas Scott, married Colonel David Smiley

Wedding Attire

‘The Royal Wedding’ (Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester; Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester) by Vandyk, published by J. Beagles & Co bromide postcard print, 6 November 1935 NPG x197272 © National Portrait Gallery, London

The groom looked splendid in the blue and gold uniform of the 10th Royal Hussars with the sash and star of the Order of the Garter and black-topped boots. The Prince of Wales wore the uniform of a colonel of the Welsh Guard and the Duke of York wore the uniform of a colonel of the Scots Guards. The bridesmaids wore simple satin dresses with golden satin sashes.

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Alice’s wedding dress was designed by Norman Hartnell, the first of many designs for the women of the British royal family. What was most striking about Alice’s dress was the color. It was not the traditional white but pink. Hartnell described the color as “glimmer of pearl” while others called it “blush pink” or simply “blush-colored.” Alice wanted a simple dress and Hartnell did as he was told. The dress was a modest, simple design, with long, narrow sleeves and a high neckline draped into a nosegay of artificial orange-blossom. The cathedral train was appropriate for the intended setting, Westminster Abbey.

Alice wore a pearl necklace, pearl stud earrings. Her tulle veil was held in place by a crystal headdress specially made for the day, instead of a tiara. The bridal bouquet was of white roses and lilies of the valley with a sprig of myrtle grown from a sprig taken from Queen Victoria’s wedding bouquet. Every royal bride has since carried a sprig of the myrtle for good luck.

The Wedding

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The bride on the way to Buckingham Palace

Henry had breakfast with his parents and from the windows of the palace, they saw that the crowds were already lined up ten deep. Crowds also gathered near Alice’s family home in London, in Grosvenor Place hoping to get a glimpse of her.

The Private Chapel was decorated with hundreds of white flowers. Two gold vases full of lilies stood at the altar. The communion rails had garlands made from lilies, white heather, orange blossoms, roses, and narcissus. Flowers six feet high decorated the pillars.

Waiting in the Private Chapel were about 120 guests, far fewer than there would have been in Westminster Abbey. King George V and Queen Mary (the groom’s parents), Queen Maud of Norway (the groom’s aunt), King George II of Greece (the groom’s second cousin), the Duke of Kent (the groom’s brother), the Duchess of York (the groom’s sister-in-law, the future Queen Elizabeth, wife of King George VI) and The Princess Royal (the groom’s sister Mary) sat on the right side of the altar. Behind them sat the three surviving children of Queen Victoria: Arthur, Duke of Connaught, Princess Louise, and Princess Beatrice, along with Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden (the future King Gustaf VI Adolf), and Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood (husband of The Princess Royal) and his two sons (the groom’s nephews). On the opposite side sat Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 8th Duke of Buccleuch and his wife Vreda (the bride’s brother and sister-in-law) and Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott, Dowager Duchess of Buccleuch (the bride’s mother). Behind them sat other relatives and members of the Cabinet.

Alice accompanied by her brother Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 8th Duke of Buccleuch, taking the place of his recently deceased father, rode in the Glass Coach to Buckingham Palace. After arriving at the palace, they met the bridesmaids in the Drawing Room and walked in a procession to the Private Chapel where the groom was waiting with his two eldest brothers.

The service was conducted by Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury, Arthur Winnington-Ingram, Bishop of London, and Arthur Maclean, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church. After the hymn “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven” was sung, the Archbishop of Canterbury led the couple through their wedding vows. The Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church prayed for God’s blessing upon the couple. Then the Archbishop of Canterbury gave a short address, followed by his benediction. While Felix Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” was played, the newlyweds proceeded to the adjacent household drawing-room to sign the wedding register.

After the Wedding

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Left to right: Princess Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, King George V, Queen Maud of Norway (the king’s sister), The Duke Of Gloucester, The Duchess of Gloucester, and Queen Mary

After the signing of the wedding register, the royal party proceeded to the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Tremendous cheers greeted the newlyweds. When King George V and Queen Mary appeared the cheers were renewed. The crowd was especially delighted at the appearance of Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. The new Duchess of Gloucester waved repeatedly to the crowd before leaving the balcony. Queen Maud, The Princess Royal, the Duchess of York, and other members of the royal family also appeared on the balcony.

The wedding breakfast was very simple. The guests were seated at twelve round tables decorated with gold vases filled with roses, chrysanthemums, heather, and mimosa. The bride and groom sat with King George V, Queen Mary, and Princess Elizabeth of York. King George V made a short toast to the health of the bride and groom.

After the wedding breakfast, the bride and groom were taken by carriage to St. Pancras Station in London. Along the way, the streets were crowded with well-wishers. The train took them to Kettering, Northamptonshire, England where they spent their honeymoon at Boughton House, one of the seats of the Duke of Buccleuch.

Boughton House; Credit – By Euan Myles – Euan Myles Photography, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.w.ikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52799330

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

  • Bowles, Hamish. (2018). The Royal Bride Who Wore Pink. [online] Vogue. Available at: https://www.vogue.com/article/the-royal-bride-who-wore-pink-princess-alice-duchess-of-gloucester [Accessed 27 Oct. 2019].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Wedding dress of Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_dress_of_Lady_Alice_Montagu_Douglas_Scott [Accessed 27 Oct. 2019].
  • Flantzer, S. (2014). Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/princess-alice-duchess-of-gloucester/ [Accessed 27 Oct. 2019].
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2013). Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/june-10-daily-featured-royal-date/ [Accessed 27 Oct. 2019].
  • Hough, Richard. (1991). Born Royal – The Lives and Loves of the Young Windsors. Leicester: Ulverscroft.
  • Nytimes.com. (1935). WEDDING BELLS FOR ANOTHER ROYAL SON; Duke of Gloucester’s Marriage Leaves the Prince of Wales Alone Unwed ANOTHER ROYAL SON TO WED The Marriage of the Duke of Gloucester Will Leave the Prince of Wales Alone a Bachelor. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1935/11/03/archives/wedding-bells-for-another-royal-son-duke-of-gloucesters-marriage.html?ref=oembed [Accessed 27 Oct. 2019].
  • Orderofsplendor.blogspot.com. (2011). Wedding Wednesday: Alice, Duchess of Gloucester’s Gown. [online] Available at: http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.com/2011/11/wedding-wednesday-alice-duchess-of.html [Accessed 27 Oct. 2019].
  • Pope-Hennessy, James. (1959). Queen Mary, 1867-1953. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
  • Trove. (1935). ROYAL WEDDING – QUIET CEREMONY IN PALACE CHAPEL LONDON REGRETS LACK OF PAGEANTRY CROWDS CHEER HAPPY COUPLE LONDON, Nov. 6. – The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 – 1957) – 7 Nov 1935. [online] Available at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/11852400 [Accessed 27 Oct. 2019].

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

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Wedding of Prince George, Duke of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece by Bassano Ltd 12 x 10 inch glass plate negative, 29 November 1934 NPG x95790 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Prince George, Duke of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark were married in a Church of England ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London, England on November 29, 1934, followed by a Greek Orthodox service at the Private Chapel in Buckingham Palace. This was the last time a foreign princess married into the British Royal Family. It was the first time that a royal wedding was broadcast over the radio.

George’s Early Life

Prince George with his siblings in 1902; (Sitting left to right, John, Mary, George, Standing left to right Albert (future King George VI), Henry, Edward (known as David, future King Edward VIII); Credit – Wikipedia

Prince George, Duke of Kent was the fifth of six children of the future King George V and Queen Mary. He was born on December 20, 1902, at York Cottage on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England. George’s siblings were King Edward VIII, later Duke of Windsor; King George VI; Mary, Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood; Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester; and Prince John who died at age thirteen due to epilepsy complications.

George’s education began privately at home, and then he attended St Peter’s Court Preparatory School in Kent, England. After attending the Royal Naval Colleges at Osborne and at Dartmouth, George served in the Royal Navy until 1929. He then became the first member of the British Royal Family to work as a civil servant, taking up positions in the Foreign Office and then the Home Office. On October 12, 1934, six weeks before his marriage to Princess Marina, he was created Duke of Kent, Earl of St Andrews, and Baron Downpatrick.

Learn more about Prince George at Unofficial Royalty: Prince George, Duke of Kent

Marina’s Early Life

Marina on the right with her sisters Olga and Elizabeth; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark was born on December 13, 1906, in Athens, Greece. She was the youngest of the three daughters of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark (a son of King George I of the Hellenes, born Prince Vilhelm of Denmark) and Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia (a granddaughter of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia). Through her father, Marina was the first cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Marina and her sisters grew up with their paternal grandparents in Athens, Greece. They were educated by English governesses and were taught foreign languages, history, and mathematics by private tutors. The year 1913 brought the family’s idyllic life to an end. Marina’s grandfather King George I was assassinated. In 1917, when her uncle King Constantine I was forced from the Greek throne, Marina’s family joined Constantine in exile in Switzerland. World War I had wiped out her mother’s Russian fortune and the family faced financial difficulties for the first time. Marina’s family returned to Greece in 1920 when King Constantine I was restored to the throne but again went into exile two years later when he was forced to abdicate. After staying in Italy and England, Marina’s family settled in Paris, where they relied upon the generosity of her father’s elder brother Prince George and his very wealthy wife Princess Marie Bonaparte.

Learn more about Princess Marina at Unofficial Royalty: Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, Duchess of Kent

The Engagement

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In September 1933, Marina traveled to London with her sister Olga and Olga’s husband Prince Paul of Yugoslavia. Both Marina and George attended a luncheon at Claridge’s Hotel. The two were second cousins as they were both great-grandchildren of King Christian IX of Denmark. They had met many times before but at the luncheon, they each paid more attention to the other. George’s eldest brother encouraged him to court Marina.

The next summer, Marina’s mother and other members of the Greek royal family came to London, and George and Marina began a serious courtship. On the evening of August 20, 1934, after a game of backgammon, Marina’s family left her alone with George and he proposed. On August 28, 1934, Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Prince George, Duke of Kent to Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark.

The Wedding Site

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Westminster Abbey was completed around 1060 and was consecrated in 1065, during the reign of Edward the Confessor. Construction of the second and present church was begun in 1245 by Henry III who selected the site for his burial. In 1269, Henry III oversaw a grand ceremony to rebury Edward the Confessor in a magnificent new shrine, personally helping to carry the body to its new resting place.

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

The wedding of George’s sister Princess Mary and Viscount Lascelles in 1922 was the first time a child of a monarch had married at Westminster Abbey since 1290 when Margaret of England, daughter of King Edward I, married John II, Duke of Brabant. George’s brother Prince Albert, Duke of York, the future King George VI, had married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey in 1923. Because there had not been a royal wedding for eleven years, there was much excitement about the wedding of George and Marina.

Wedding Guests

1,500 guests attended the wedding at Westminster Abbey. Members of the British royal family attended the wedding along with members of the royal families of Denmark, Greece, and Yugoslavia. Also in attendance were members of the former reigning royal families of Russia, Prussia, Austria, and other lesser royals who had also lost their thrones after World War I. Among the guests were the American-born British shipbroker Ernest Simpson and his American wife Wallis, who would soon become a household name. Also in Westminster Abbey, was an eight-year-old bridesmaid, the niece of the groom, the future Queen Elizabeth II, and the thirteen-year-old first cousin of the bride, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, the future Duke of Edinburgh.

Bridesmaids and Supporters

The wedding of Prince George, Duke of Kent and Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent by Bassano Ltd, 12 x 10 inch glass plate negative, 29 November 1934, NPG x95791 © National Portrait Gallery, London

George’s two eldest brothers The Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VIII, later the Duke of Windsor) and The Duke of York (the future King George VI) served as best man and his supporter.

The eight bridesmaids were related to the bride and/or the groom:

  • Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark, the bride’s first cousin and groom’s second cousin, daughter of King Constantine I of Greece and Princess Sophie of Prussia (granddaughter of Queen Victoria), married Prince Aimone, Duke of Aosta
  • Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark, the bride’s first cousin and groom’s second cousin, daughter of King Constantine I of Greece and Princess Sophie of Prussia (granddaughter of Queen Victoria), married Major Richard Brandram
  • Princess Eugénie of Greece and Denmark, the bride’s first cousin, daughter of Prince George of Greece and Denmark, married (1) Prince Dominic Radziwill (2) husband Prince Raymundo della Torre e Tasso, Duke of Castel Duino
  • Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia, the bride’s first cousin and the groom’s second cousin, daughter of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia and Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (granddaughter of Queen Victoria), married Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia
  • Princess Juliana of the Netherlands, the bride’s first cousin once removed, the future Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, daughter of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, married Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld
  • Princess Elizabeth of York, the groom’s niece and the bride’s second cousin once removed, the future Queen Elizabeth II, married the bride’s first cousin Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark
  • Lady Iris Mountbatten, the groom’s second cousin, daughter of Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke, (grandson of Queen Victoria), married (1) Hamilton O’Malley (2) Michael Bryan (3) William Kemp
  • Lady Mary Cambridge, the groom’s first cousin once removed, daughter of George Cambridge, 2nd Marquess of Cambridge (nephew of Queen Mary), married Peter Whitley

Wedding Attire

The Wedding of Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent and Prince George, Duke of Kent by Elliott & Fry vintage contact print, 29 November 1934 NPG x104247 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Prince George, Duke of Kent was dressed in military uniform with ropes, sash, and medals including the Royal Victorian Order, the Order of the Thistle, the Order of the Garter, and the Order of St Michael and St George.

Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent by Elliott & Fry half-plate negative, 29 November 1934 NPG x82064 © National Portrait Gallery, London

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

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

The Wedding

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At 8 AM on November 29, 1934, the first guests began to arrive at Westminster Abbey, dressed in uniforms and evening dress. An hour later, arriving guests found it difficult to make their way into Westminster Abbey due to the huge crowds that had gathered.

The groom’s parents King George V and Queen Mary led the royal procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, departing as scheduled at 10:35 AM. King Haakon V (first cousin once removed of both the bride and groom) and Queen Maud of Norway (the groom’s aunt), King Christian X of Denmark (the first cousin once removed of both the bride and groom) and his wife Queen Alexandrine, former King George II of Greece (second cousin of both the bride and groom), Prince Paul of Yugoslavia (the bride’s brother-in-law) and Princess Nicholas of Greece (the bride’s mother) followed in the royal procession to Westminster Abbey. Prince George, Duke of Kent left St. James’ Palace at 10:44 AM with his brothers The Prince of Wales and The Duke of York. Two minutes later, Princess Marina and her father Prince Nicholas of Greece left Buckingham Palace.

At 10:50 AM, members of the various royal families began the royal procession into Westminster Abbey which ended with King George V and Queen Mary. Following the royal procession, the groom made his way down the aisle accompanied by his two eldest brothers the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VIII, later the Duke of Windsor) and the Duke of York (the future King George VI). Princess Marina, on the arm of her father Prince Nicholas of Greece, and accompanied by her eight bridesmaids, proceeded to the altar to the organ playing “The Bridal March” by Hubert Parry. Eight-year-old Princess Elizabeth of York and ten-year-old Lady Mary Cambridge carried the bride’s veil. After the bride reached the altar, the hymn “Gracious Spirit, Holy Ghost” was sung.

Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury conducted the wedding ceremony, and referring to the radio broadcast, he said, “The whole nation, nay the whole empire, are wedding guests.” The couple took their vows as the bridesmaids stood in two lines behind them. After two prayers and the choir’s melodious “Amens”, the bridal couple moved to the altar. Psalms were sung and the Lord’s Prayer was said. After additional prayers and the hymn “God Be in My Head”, the Archbishop of Canterbury gave his address followed by his benediction and the national anthem, “God Save The King.” The choir then sang an anthem specially written for the occasion, “Alleluia, The Lord Send You Help from the Sanctuary”. The bride, the groom, their parents, and other royalty signed the wedding register in the Chapel of St. Edward the Confessor.

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Upon returning to Buckingham Palace, a Greek Orthodox wedding ceremony was held in the Private Chapel officiated by The Metropolitan Dr. Strinopoulos Germanos, Head of the Greek Orthodox Church in England.

After the Wedding

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A wedding breakfast was held for 120 guests at Buckingham Palace. There were five wedding cakes and the largest one was cut with the groom’s sword. Shortly before 1:30 PM, the newlyweds appeared on the balcony. As George and Marina left Buckingham Palace for Paddington Station, they were pelted by rose petals confetti shaped in symbols of good luck: silver shoes, horseshoes, and true lovers’ knots. The Prince of Wales and the Duke of York then ran after the carriage in the palace forecourt tossing the symbols of good luck at the newlyweds.

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On the way to Paddington Stations, the couple was greeted by crowds of people lining the streets. They spent their honeymoon at Himley Hall in Himley, Staffordshire, England, the country estate of William Ward, 3rd Earl of Dudley.

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At Paddington Station, ready to leave for their honeymoon

Children

 

George and Marina had three children. Sadly, just six weeks after the birth of their youngest child Prince Michael, George was killed when his military plane crashed in Scotland on August 25, 1942.

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

  • Hough, Richard. (1991). Born Royal – The Lives and Loves of the Young Windsors. Leicester: Ulverscroft.
  • Jewels, K. and Jeweller, T. (2019). Kent Royal Wedding Jewels. [online] Thecourtjeweller.com. Available at: http://www.thecourtjeweller.com/2019/05/kent-royal-wedding-jewels.html [Accessed 26 Oct. 2019].
  • Mehl, Scott. (2014). Prince George, Duke of Kent. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/prince-george-duke-of-kent/ [Accessed 26 Oct. 2019].
  • Mehl, Scott. (2014). Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/princess-marina-duchess-of-kent/ [Accessed 26 Oct. 2019].
  • News.google.com. (1934). Dense Crowds Throng Around Westminster To See Processions. [online] Available at: https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gBRkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BnsNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1563,3406056&dq=prince+george+duke+of+kent&hl=en [Accessed 26 Oct. 2019].
  • News.google.com. (1934). Prince George, Son of King To Be Married. [online] Available at: https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0owjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HZkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6110,3145586&hl=en [Accessed 26 Oct. 2019].
  • News.google.com. (1934). Royal Wedding – King and Queen See Rehearsals. [online] Available at: https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jOpUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6JEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7191,2539668&dq=princess+marina&hl=en [Accessed 26 Oct. 2019].
  • Nytimes.com. (1934). Glittering Gathering in Abbey.. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1934/11/30/archives/glittering-gathering-in-abbey.html?searchResultPosition=4 [Accessed 26 Oct. 2019].
  • Nytimes.com. (1934). MARGOT ASQUITH HAILS ‘LOVE MATCH’; Happy Expressions on Faces of Princess Marina and Duke of Kent Move Her. THRONGS WELL MANNERED Writer Marvels at Good Humor of Britons That Makes Rulers Safe in Their Midst.. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1934/11/30/archives/margot-asquith-hails-love-match-happy-expressions-on-faces-of.html?searchResultPosition=3 [Accessed 26 Oct. 2019].
  • Nytimes.com. (1934). PRINCE GEORGE GOES ABROAD FOR A BRIDE; His Wedding With Princess Marina Allies Windsor With a Dispossessed Dynasty. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1934/09/02/archives/prince-george-goes-abroad-for-a-bride-his-wedding-with-princess.html?searchResultPosition=2 [Accessed 26 Oct. 2019].
  • Orderofsplendor.blogspot.com. (2012). Wedding Wednesday: Princess Marina’s Gown. [online] Available at: http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.com/2012/10/wedding-wednesday-princess-marinas-gown.html [Accessed 26 Oct. 2019].
  • Pope-Hennessy, James. (1959). Queen Mary, 1867-1953. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

Wedding of Louise, Princess Royal and Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

The Marriage of Princess Louise of Wales with the Duke of Fife at Buckingham Palace, 27th July 1889 by Sydney Prior Hall; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

The painting above depicts the couple kneeling at the altar, Behind them, from right to left: The Prince of Wales; Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine; Queen Victoria; The Princess of Wales and her brothers King George I of Greece, and Crown Frederik of Denmark

On July 27, 1889, in the Private Chapel of Buckingham Palace in London, England, Princess Louise of Wales (later The Princess Royal), the eldest daughter of The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), married Alexander Duff, then the 6th Earl Fife, later 1st Duke of Fife.

Louise’s Early Life

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Princess Louise of Wales was born on February 20, 1867, at her parents’ London home, Marlborough House. She was the third of the six children and the eldest of the three daughters of The Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, and The Princess of Wales, born Princess Alexandra of Denmark. Louise was the granddaughter of two monarchs, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and King Christian IX of Denmark.

Unlike their beautiful mother, Louise and her sisters Victoria and Maud were not considered attractive and had the rather unpleasant nickname of “The Hags.” Their education was minimal although they had been taught music. In public, the sisters appeared shy and did not want to be noticed or have others talk about them. In private, they were less inhibited and took part in the family tradition of practical jokes. Every summer, the whole family went to Denmark, the homeland of Louise’s mother, where relatives from all parts of Europe gathered.

Alexandra was extremely possessive of her children and prolonged their childhood far past the norm. For example, Louise, at age 19, was given a child’s birthday party. While Louise and Maud married, their sister Victoria was not allowed to marry so that she could serve as a companion to her mother.

To learn more about Louise, see Unofficial Royalty: Princess Louise, Princess Royal, Duchess of Fife

Alexander’s Early Life

Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife, 1889; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on November 10, 1849. He was the only son of James Duff, 5th Earl Fife and Lady Agnes Hay, daughter of William Hay, 18th Earl of Erroll and Lady Elizabeth FitzClarence, an illegitimate daughter of King William IV and his mistress Dorothea Jordan. Alexander had two older sisters and two younger sisters. When Alexander’s father became 5th Earl Fife in 1857, he was able to use the courtesy title Viscount Macduff, and Macduff became his nickname. Alexander was educated at Eton College.

In 1874, Alexander was elected to Parliament as a Liberal Party member for the Scottish constituency Elginshire and Nairnshire. He remained in Parliament until his father’s death in 1879 when he became the 6th Earl Fife and then had a seat in the House of Lords.

About Alexander Duff’s Titles

Alexander was married as the 6th Earl Fife. Two days after the wedding, Queen Victoria created him Duke of Fife and Marquess of Macduff in the County of Banff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The Letters Patent contained the standard remainder that the peerages were to be inherited by the “heirs male of his body”. Alexander and Louise had two daughters. When it appeared that they would have no more children and Alexander’s peerages would be extinct upon his death, Queen Victoria issued another Letters Patent. The Queen once again created Alexander Duke of Fife and Marquess of Macduff but with the remainder that in default of a male heir, these peerages would pass to the daughters of the 1st Duke and then to their male descendants.

When Alexander died in 1912, all his titles created before the 1900 titles became extinct because there was no male heir, and his elder daughter Alexandra became 2nd Duchess of Fife in her own right. Because her son and only child predeceased her, upon Alexandra’s death in 1959, James Carnegie, her nephew, the son of her sister Maud, became the 3rd Duke of Fife. When Carnegie’s father died in 1992, he became the 12th Earl of Southesk.

To learn more about Alexander, see Unofficial Royalty: Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife

The Engagement

Louise and Alexander in 1889; Credit – Wikipedia

Despite her mother’s possessiveness and her grandmother’s matchmaking, Louise decided that she wanted to marry for love. She preferred to marry a British subject rather than a European prince that would take her away from home and so, like her aunt Princess Louise who had married the future 9th Duke of Argyll, she chose a husband from the British aristocracy, Alexander Duff, then the 6th Earl Fife. Louise and Alexander were third cousins via their mutual descent from King George III. Alexander’s descent was via the long-time relationship of King George III’s third son, the future King William IV, with actress Dorothea Jordan by whom he had ten children who married into the British aristocracy. Alexander was eighteen years older than Louise. He was a close friend of Louise’s father The Prince of Wales who was only eight years older than Alexander. Alexander was a regular companion of the Prince and frequently went shooting with Louise’s father and brothers so he was someone Louise saw often.

When Louise’s grandmother Queen Victoria arrived at Sandringham to discuss a potential engagement with Louise’s parents, she was met by Louise who tearfully explained that if she was not allowed to marry Alexander, she would die an old maid. Queen Victoria, who had known Alexander since childhood, explained that as her grandmother and sovereign, she had to spend some time with her potential groom before deciding about the marriage. Queen Victoria was partial to Scotsmen and when she spent some time with Alexander, she approved the marriage.

Queen Victoria recorded in her journal on June 27, 1889, that she had officially given her approval to the marriage. On that same day, she wrote a letter to Alexander: “…I love my granddaughters dearly and they are like my own children: their happiness is very near my heart. Dear Louise, will, I am sure, be happy with you, whom I have known and liked since childhood. That my dear beloved grandchild should have her home in Scotland and in the dear Highlands is an additional satisfaction to me.” She signed the letter “your very affectionate future Grandmama.”

The Wedding Site

Buckingham Palace: The Private Chapel 1843-4 by Douglas Morrison; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

The Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace was created by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1844 in what had originally been a conservatory. Queen Victoria was delighted with the result, supervised by Prince Albert, and described it as “beautiful” and “exceedingly restrained”. During World War II, the Private Chapel was damaged by bombing and was later incorporated into The Queen’s Gallery. The wedding of Princess Louise of Wales was the first wedding to take place at the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace.

Wedding Guests

Royal Guests

  • Queen Victoria, grandmother of the bride
  • The Prince of Wales, father of the bride, the future King Edward VII
  • The Princess of Wales, mother of the bride, born Princess Alexandra of Denmark
  • Prince Albert Victor of Wales, brother of the bride
  • Prince George of Wales, brother of the bride, the future King George V
  • Princess Victoria of Wales, sister of the bride
  • Princess Maud of Wales, sister of the bride
  • Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, Princess Helena, aunt of the bride
  • Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, uncle of the bride
  • Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, first cousin of the bride
  • Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, first cousin of the bride
  • Prince Christian Victor of Schleswig-Holstein, first cousin of the bride
  • Prince Albert of Schleswig-Holstein, first cousin of the bride
  • Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lome, aunt of the bride
  • John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne, uncle of the bride
  • Princess Henry of Battenberg, Princess Beatrice, aunt of the bride
  • Prince Henry of Battenberg, uncle of the bride
  • Princess Frederica of Hanover, Baroness von Pawel Rammingen, second cousin once removed of the bride
  • Baron Alfons Von Pawel Rammingen, husband of Princess Frederica of Hanover
  • Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, first cousin twice removed of the bride
  • Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, Duchess of Teck, first cousin twice removed of the bride
  • Prince Francis, Duke of Teck, husband of Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge
  • Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, second cousin once removed of the bride and her future sister-in-law
  • Prince Francis of Teck, second cousin once removed of the bride, the future Queen Mary, wife of King George V
  • Prince Alexander of Teck, second cousin once removed of the bride
  • Prince Edward of Saxe- Weimar
  • Princess Edward of Saxe-Weimar, born Lady Augusta Gordon-Lennox
  • Prince Victor of Hohenlohe, first cousin once removed of the bride
  • Princess Victor of Hohenlohe, born Laura Williamina Seymour
  • Countess Feodore Gleichen, second cousin of the bride
  • Countess Victoria Gleichen, second cousin of the bride
  • Countess Helen Gleichen, second cousin of the bride
  • Count Gleichen, second cousin of the bride
  • King George I of Greece, uncle of the bride, born Prince Vilhelm of Denmark
  • Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, widower of Princess Alice, uncle of the bride
  • Crown Prince Fredrik of Denmark, first cousin of the bride, the future King Frederik VIII of Denmark
  • Ernst, Hereditary Prince of Hohenlohe Langenburg, second cousin of the bride, the future
  • Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

The Queen’s Household

  • Louisa Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch, Mistress of the Robes
  • Eliza Hay, Countess of Erroll, Lady of the Bedchamber in Waiting
  • The Honorable Emily Cathcart, Woman of the Bedchamber
  • Miss Ina McNeill, Woman of the Bedchamber
  • The Honorable Evelyn Paget, Maid of Honor in Waiting
  • The Honorable Marie Adeane, Maid of Honor in Waiting
  • William Edgcumbe, 4th Earl of Mount-Edgcumbe, Lord Steward
  • Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Earl of Lathom, Lord Chamberlain
  • William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland, Master of the Horse
  • General Sir Henry Ponsonby, Private Secretary and Keeper of the Privy Purse
  • William Pleydell-Bouverie, 5th Earl of Radnor, Treasurer of the Household
  • Lord Arthur Hill, Comptroller of the Household
  • William Legge, Viscount Lewisham, Vice-Chamberlain
  • Field-Marshal Sir Patrick Grant, Gold Stick in Waiting
  • William Pery, 3rd Earl of Limerick, Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard
  • Major-General Sir John Cowell, Master of the Household
  • General Lord de Ros, Lord in Waiting
  • Major Sir F. I. Edwards, Groom in Waiting
  • Colonel The Honorable H. W. J. Ryng, Equerry in Waiting
  • The Honorable W. Carrington, Equerry in Waiting
  • Colonel The Honorable O. Montagu, Silver Stick in Waiting
  • Colonel H. H. D. Stracey, The Field Officer in Brigade Waiting
  • The Honorable Sir S. Ponsonby Fane, Comptroller in the Lord Chamberlain’s Department
  • Mr. Conway Seymour, Gentleman Usher in Waiting
  • Mr. E. H. Anson, Gentleman Usher in Waiting
  • Mr. Arnold Royle, Gentleman Usher in Waiting
  • Captain C. G. Nelson, Gentleman Usher in Waiting
  • The Honorable Henry Stonor, Gentleman Usher in Waiting

Attendants to Other Royalty

  • Charles Harbord, 5th Baron Suffield, Lord in Waiting to The Prince of Wales
  • General Sir Dighton M. Probyn, Comptroller and Treasurer to The Prince of Wales
  • Sir Francis Knollys, Private Secretary to The Prince of Wales
  • Major-General Arthur Ellis, Equerry in Waiting to The Prince of Wales
  • Charles Colville, 1st Viscount Colville of Culross, Chamberlain to The Princess of Wales
  • Lady Emily Kingscote, Lady of the Bedchamber to The Princess of Wales
  • Miss Charlotte Knollys, Woman of the Bedchamber to The Princess of Wales
  • Captain Holford, Equerry in Waiting to Prince Albert Victor
  • The Honorable Mrs. J. M. Stopford, Lady in Waiting to Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
  • Lieutenant-Colonel The Honorable C. G. C. Eliot, Equerry in Waiting to Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
  • Lady Sophia Macnamara, Lady in Waiting to Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lorne
  • Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Collins, Comptroller and Equerry to Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lorne
  • The Honorable Lady Biddulph, Lady in Waiting to Princess Henry of Battenberg
  • Colonel J. Clerk, Equerry in Waiting to Prince Henry of Battenberg
  • Miss Trotter, Lady in Attendance to Princess Frederica of Hanover, Baroness von Pawel Rammingen
  • Major-General R. Bateson, Equerry in Waiting to Prince George, Duke of Cambridge
  • The Honorable Mary Thesiger, Lady in Waiting to Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, Duchess of Teck
  • Captain Edgar Sebright, Equerry in Waiting to Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, Duchess of Teck
  • Colonel E. Hadjipetros, Gentleman in Waiting to King George I of Greece
  • Charles Marsham, 4th Earl of Romney, Lord in Waiting to The Queen in Attendance on King George I of Greece
  • Baron Grancy, Equerry to Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine
  • Lord E. Pelham Clinton, Groom in Waiting to The Queen in Attendance on Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine
  • Captain Bull, Equerry to Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark
  • Colonel Stanley Clark, Equerry to The Prince of Wales in Attendance on Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark

Other Guests

  • George Cadogan, 5th Earl Cadogan and Beatrix Cadogan, Countess Cadogan
  • Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond and his daughter Lady Caroline Gordon-Lennox
  • William Beauclerk, 10th Duke of St. Albans and Grace Beauclerk, Duchess of St. Albans
  • William Montagu Douglas Scott, 6th Duke of Buccleuch
  • George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll and Amelia Campbell, Duchess of Argyll
  • Anne Murray, Dowager Duchess of Atholl
  • Susanna Innes-Ker, Dowager Duchess of Roxburghe
  • James Innes-Ker, 7th Duke of Roxburghe and Anne Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe
  • Winifred Cavendish-Bentinck, Duchess of Portland
  • William Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester and Louisa Montagu, Duchess of Manchester
  • James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn and Mary Anna Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn
  • Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster and Katherine Grosvenor, Duchess of Westminster
  • Christian de Falbe, Danish Ambassador and Madame de Falbe
  • The Greek Ambassador
  • Schomberg Kerr, 9th Marquess of Lothian and Victoria Kerr, Marchioness of Lothian
  • Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, Prime Minister and Georgina Gascoyne-Cecil, Marchioness of Salisbury
  • Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of Londonderry and Theresa Vane-Tempest-Stewart, Marchioness of Londonderry
  • Spencer Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington
  • Lady Geraldine Somerset
  • William Hay, 19th Earl of Erroll
  • Alice Douglas, Dowager Countess of Morton
  • Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery and Hannah Primrose, Countess of Rosebery
  • Thomas Parker, 6th Earl of Macclesfield and Mary Frances Parker, Countess of Macclesfield
  • John Poyntz Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer and Charlotte Spencer, Countess Spencer
  • John Scott, 4th Earl of Clonmell
  • Archibald Acheson, 4th Earl of Gosford and Louisa Acheson, Countess of Gosford
  • Adelbert Brownlow-Cust, 3rd Earl Brownlow and Adelaide Brownlow-Cust, Countess Brownlow
  • Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville and Marie Louise Leveson-Gower, Countess Granville
  • Thomas Coke, 2nd Earl of Leicester and Georgina Coke, Countess of Leicester
  • Charles Noel, 3rd Earl of Gainsborough and Augusta Noel, Countess of Gainsborough
  • John Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney and Emily Sydney, Countess Sydney
  • Lord A. Somerset
  • Lord and Lady Randolph Churchill
  • Lady Agnes Townshend
  • Lady Alfred Paget
  • Lady Colville of Culross
  • Lady Suffield
  • Dowager Lady Churchill
  • Lord De L’Isle and Dudley
  • Lord and Lady Vivian
  • Lord Rowton
  • Lord and Lady Rothschild
  • Lord and Lady Wantage
  • Admiral of the Fleet The Honorable Sir Henry Keppel
  • The Honorable Mrs. Robert Bruce
  • The Honorable A. T. and Mrs. Fitzmaurice
  • Captain The Honorable North and Mrs. Dalrymple
  • The Honorable Lady Ponsonby Fane
  • The Honorable R. Meade
  • The Honorable Lady Hardinge
  • The Honorable Julia Stonor
  • The Honorable H. Tyrwliitt Wilson
  • The Honorable Lady Knollys
  • The Honorable Mrs. Ellis
  • The Honorable Horatia Stopford
  • The Honorable Harriet Phipps
  • William Ewart Gladstone, former Prime Minister, and Mrs. Gladstone
  • G. J. and Mrs. Goschen
  • The Honorable Lady Ponsonby
  • W. H. and Mrs. Smith
  • Henry Matthews
  • Sir C. L. Wyke
  • Lady Cowell
  • Lady Scott and Miss Scott
  • General Sir F. Seymour, Baronet
  • Sir Prescott Hewett, 1st Baronet, Serjeant-Surgeon to Queen Victoria
  • Sir William Jenner, 1st Baronet, Physician in Ordinary to Queen Victoria and to the Prince of Wales
  • Sir James Paget, 1st Baronet, Surgeon Extraordinary to Queen Victoria
  • Sir William Gull, 1st Baronet, Physicians-in-Ordinary to Queen Victoria
  • Sir Frederick Leighton, 1st Baronet, painter and sculptor
  • Sir Theodore Martin, Scottish poet, biographer, and translator.
  • Sir Henry Acland, Physicians-in-Ordinary to Queen Victoria
  • Lady Probyn
  • Colonel Sir George Maude, Crown Equerry to Queen Victoria.
  • Colonel Sir N. Kingscote
  • Major-General Sir C. Teesdale
  • Sir Oscar Clayton, Extra Surgeon-in-Ordinary to the Prince of Wales
  • Sir Arnold White, Solicitor to Queen Victoria
  • Mr. E. Beck
  • Mr. Henry Calcraff
  • Reverend A. Campbell, Vicar of Crathie Church near Balmoral in Scotland
  • Mrs. Stanley Clarke
  • Reverend Canon Robinson Duckworth, former tutor to Prince Leopold
  • Reverend Canon John Neale Dalton, chaplain to Queen Victoria and tutor to Prince Albert Victor of Wales and Prince George of Wales
  • Dr. Evans
  • Major Wynne Finch
  • Mr. Frederick Gibbs, former tutor to The Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred
  • Mrs. Hervey
  • Mr. C. Hal
  • Mr. M. Holzmann
  • Reverend B. Jackson
  • Francis Laking, Physician-in-Ordinary to The Prince of Wales
  • Mr. W. Leslie
  • Reverend J. Mitchell
  • Miss Mitchell
  • Mr. Mackenzie of Kintail
  • Mr. A. Montgomery
  • Mr. A. H. A. Morton
  • Mr. M. Muther
  • Fraulein Noedel, tutor to Princess Louise and her sisters
  • Dr. Alexander Profeit, Commissioner of Works at Balmoral Castle
  • Dr. Quain
  • Dr. James Reid, Physician in Ordinary to Queen Victoria
  • Mr. Reuben Sassoon, banker
  • Reverend Edgar Sheppard, Sub-Dean of the Chapels Royal
  • Captain H. F. Stephenson
  • Mr. C. Sykes
  • Signer Tosti, composer of romantic and drawing-room songs
  • Mademoiselle Vauthier, governess to Princess Louise and her two sisters
  • Captain G. A. and Lady Cecilia Webbe

Bridesmaids and Supporters

Left to Right Standing: Princess Victoria of Wales; Duke of Fife; Princess Louise; Princess Victoria Mary of Teck; Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein; Countess Feodore Gleichen. Seated: Princess Maud of Wales; Countess Helena Gleichen; Countess Victoria Gleichen; Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

Mr. Horace Farquhar, a friend of the groom, was the groom’s supporter and best man. He was created Baron Farquhar in 1890, Viscount Farquhar in 1917, and Earl Farquhar in 1922.

The bride was supported by her father The Prince of Wales and had eight bridesmaids, all relatives of the bride.

  • Princess Victoria of Wales, sister of the bride, unmarried
  • Princess Maud of Wales, sister of the bride, married King Haakon VII of Norway
  • Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, first cousin of the bride, unmarried
  • Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, first cousin of the bride, married Prince Aribert of Anhalt, marriage dissolved
  • Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, the future Queen Mary, wife of King George V, second cousin once removed of the bride and her future sister-in-law
  • Countess Feodore Gleichen, second cousin of the bride, unmarried
  • Countess Victoria Gleichen, second cousin of the bride, married Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Machell
  • Countess Helena Gleichen, second cousin of the bride, unmarried

Note: The Gleichens were grandchildren of Queen Victoria’s half-sister Princess Feodora of Leiningen who married Ernst, 4th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.

Wedding Attire

Alexander William George Duff, 1st Duke of Fife; Princess Louise Victoria Alexandra Dagmar, Duchess of Fife by William Downey, for W. & D. Downey. albumen cabinet card, 27 July 1889, NPG x3805. © National Portrait Gallery, London

The groom wore the green uniform of the Banffshire Artillery Volunteers and the Order of the Thistle, an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. In 1884, Alexander had been appointed Honorary Colonel of the Banffshire Artillery Volunteers.

The bride’s wedding dress was made of white duchesse satin with a long train trimmed with orange blossoms. On her head, Louise wore a wreath of orange blossoms and a point de gaze lace veil.  She wore diamond and pearl jewelry.

The eight bridesmaids wore dresses made of blush pink faille, a soft, light-woven silk fabric with a ribbed texture, and carried bouquets of pink roses.

The Wedding

Credit – Wikipedia

Clergy Officiating:

  • Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury
  • Mandell Creighton, Bishop of London
  • The Very Reverend Randall T. Davidson, Dean of Windsor, Domestic Chaplain to The Queen
  • The Reverend F. A. J. Hervey, Domestic Chaplain to The Prince of Wales
  • The Reverend T. Teignmouth Shore, Chaplain in Ordinary to the Queen

Music Provided by:

  • Charles Sherwood Jekyll, Organist and Choirmaster of the Chapel Royal, St. James’ Palace
  • Choir of the Chapel Royal, St. James’ Palace

July 27, 1889 was a gloomy, rainy, chilly day in London, “better befitting October than July” according to the New York Times. Nevertheless, crowds gathered to see the bridal procession on its way from Marlborough House, the London home of The Prince and Princess of Wales, to nearby Buckingham Palace where the wedding would take place in the Private Chapel.

Guests arrived at the Pimlico entrance to Buckingham Palace at 11:30 AM and were conducted to their places in the Private Chapel by Her Majesty’s Gentlemen Ushers. The clergy also arrived at the Pimlico entrance and were taken to their place at the altar at 11:45 AM while a “Marche Nuptiale” composed by Charles Sherwood Jekyll was played by the composer on the organ. The groom and his supporter arrived at 11:40 AM and remained in the New Luncheon Room until summoned for the ceremony.

The mother of the bride, The Princess of Wales, along with her brothers King George I of Greece and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and her sons Prince Albert Victor of Wales and Prince George of Wales, left Marlborough House at 11: 30 AM, arrived at the Grand Entrance of Buckingham Palace at 11:40 AM and were conducted to the Bow Library. Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and the other members of the Royal Family, who had arrived at the Grand Entrance were also conducted to the Bow Library, where they assembled at 11:45 AM and awaited the arrival of Queen Victoria from the Private Apartments. After the arrival of Queen Victoria in the Bow Library, the procession of the Royal Family and their attendants made its way to their places in the Private Chapel while “The Occasional March” by Georg Friedrich Handel was played on the organ.

The Vice-Chamberlain then proceeded to the New Luncheon Room and conducted the groom to the Private Chapel while a march from Richard Wagner’s opera “Tannhäuser” was played on the organ. The groom, with his supporter, took his place on the right side of the altar where he awaited the arrival of the bride.

The Prince of Wales and the bride along with her sisters Princess Victoria of Wales and Princess Maud of Wales left Marlborough House at 11:40 AM, proceeded the short distance down The Mall, and arrived at the Grand Entrance of Buckingham Palace at 11:50 AM. They were conducted to the Bow Library, where they were joined by the other six bridesmaids, who had assembled in the Lower Drawing Room, and proceeded at once to the Private Chapel. The well-known march from the opera “Lohengrin” by Richard Wagner was played on the organ as the bridal procession made its way down the aisle.

The bride was given away by her father. Before the Archbishop of Canterbury gave the final address, the anthem “O Perfect Love” written especially for the occasion by English composer Sir Joseph Barnby was sung by the choir. “O Perfect Love” remains a popular wedding anthem. Felix Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” from his suite of incidental music to Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was played as the bride and groom left the Private Chapel.

Queen Victoria and the Royal Family then proceeded to the Lower Drawing Room, where the Register of the Marriage was signed by the bride and groom and attested by Queen Victoria, royalty, and distinguished persons invited to attend for that purpose.

After the Wedding

Credit – The Strand Magazine, No. 55 July 1895 Some Remarkable Wedding Cakes by Framley Steelcroft

The bride and groom returned to the Bow Library and received the congratulations of the royal and distinguished guests assembled there. Then Queen Victoria, the bride and groom, King George I of Greece, Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, The Prince and Princess of Wales, and other members of the Royal Family along with William Edgcumbe, 4th Earl of Mount-Edgcumbe, The Lord Steward; Louisa Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch, The Mistress of the Robes; and Eliza Hay, Countess of Erroll, The Lady of the Bedchamber in Waiting proceeded to the State Dining Room, where luncheon was served. Luncheon was also served for the other guests in the Supper Room.

Gunter’s Tea Shop of Berkeley Square in London, considered one of the best wedding cake makers of the day, made the wedding cake. It was seven feet high and weighed 150 pounds. A sugar Greek temple was atop the cake and around it were medallions of satin with raised sugar monograms. The cake was exhibited to the public before the wedding and while it was on display, it was decorated with artificial flowers. On the wedding day, the artificial flowers were replaced with about twenty pounds of fresh natural flowers.

After the luncheon, Queen Victoria and the Royal Family proceeded to the Picture Gallery where they received the congratulations of the wedding guests. The bride and groom then returned to Marlborough House at 2:30 PM followed by The Prince and Princess of Wales, King George I of Greece, and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark. In the afternoon, The Prince and Princess of Wales held a reception at Marlborough House.

At 5 PM, the bride and groom left for East Sheen Lodge, the suburban home of the groom, near the banks of the Thames at Richmond, where they spent their honeymoon. Queen Victoria watched their departure from the Buckingham Palace balcony.

Children

Louise with her two daughters; Credit – Wikipedia

Louise and Alexander had two surviving children.

  • Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife (1891 – 1959), married her first cousin once removed, Prince Arthur of Connaught; had one son
  • Maud (1893 – 1945), married Charles Carnegie, 11th Earl of Southesk, had one child

As female-line great-granddaughters of the British monarch, (Queen Victoria), Alexandra and Maud were not entitled to the title of Princess or the style Royal Highness. Instead, they were styled Lady Alexandra Duff and Lady Maud Duff, the styles of daughters of a Duke. In 1900, when it became apparent that the Duke and Duchess of Fife were unlikely to have a son to inherit the title, Queen Victoria issued the Duke of Fife a new Letters Patent as Duke of Fife and Earl of Macduff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom giving the second dukedom of Fife a special remainder in default of male issue to the Duke’s daughters and their agnatic male descendants.

Louise was the eldest daughter of King Edward VII and was created Princess Royal during her father’s reign, in 1905.  At the same time, Louise’s daughters Alexandra and Maud were granted the title of Princess with the style of “Highness” and received precedence immediately after all members of the royal family bearing the style of “Royal Highness.” This act was unprecedented and when the College of Arms told King Edward VII it could not be done, the King simply said, “Do it!” Louise’s brother, the future King George V, was greatly disturbed by this act.

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Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2014). Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/alexander-duff-1st-duke-of-fife/ [Accessed 4 Oct. 2019].
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2014). Princess Louise, Princess Royal, Duchess of Fife. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/february-20-1867-birth-of-louise-princess-royal-daughter-of-king-edward-vii-of-the-united-kingdom/ [Accessed 4 Oct. 2019].
  • Nytimes.com. (1889). LOUISE AND LORD FIFE ONE; A GLOOMY DAY FOR THE ROYAL WEDDING. RUMORS THAT HER MAJESTY IS BREAKING UP–MGR. PERSICO’S WILD-GOOSE CHASE IN IRELAND.. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1889/07/28/archives/louise-and-lord-fife-one-a-gloomy-day-for-the-royal-wedding-rumors.html?searchResultPosition=3 [Accessed 4 Oct. 2019].
  • Steelcroft, Framley. (1895). Some Remarkable Wedding Cakes. The Strand Magazine, (No. 55), pp.101-104.
  • Thecourtjeweller.com. (2014). Jewel History: The Royal Wedding (1889). [online] Available at: http://www.thecourtjeweller.com/2014/07/jewel-history-royal-wedding-1889.html [Accessed 4 Oct. 2019].
  • Thegazette.co.uk. (1889). Page 4312 | Issue 25962, 8 August 1889 | London Gazette | The Gazette. [online] Available at: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/25962/page/4312 [Accessed 4 Oct. 2019].
  • Trove. (1889). THE MARRIAGE OF THE PRINCESS LOUISE OF WALES. – (FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) LONDON, JULY 27. – The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954) – 11 Sep 1889. [online] Available at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13734404 [Accessed 4 Oct. 2019].
  • Van der Kiste, John. (2013). Edward VII’s Children. Stroud: The History Press.