Unofficial Royalty

On Saturday, 19 June 1999, HRH Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones were married at 5pm at St. George's Chapel, Windsor. Following the wedding there was a reception at Windsor Castle.

The Wedding Service was conducted by the Right Reverend Peter Nott, Bishop of Norwich.

On this page you will find a collection of press releases, articles in the Times and the Telegraph and other information about the wedding! Most of the information on this page is taken from press releases from Buckingham Palace.

Time Table

1.30pm:      Members of the public with tickets admitted to Windsor Castle precincts.     
3.30pm:     Doors of St George's Chapel open for guests.
4.30pm:     Members of the British and other royal families begin to arrive at the chapel.
4.40pm:     Members of the Rhys-Jones family arrive at the chapel.
4.45pm:     Prince Edward and his party are met at the West Door by the dean of the chapel and escorted to the Bray Chapel.
4.50pm:     The Queen and Prince Philip arrive at the West Door, to be met by the dean and chapter.
4.55pm:     The bridesmaids and pages arrive at the West Door.
5.00pm:     Sophie Rhys-Jones and her father arrive at the West Door. The wedding service commences.
5.45pm:     The service finishes and the bridal party leaves by the West Door. They pose outside the chapel for photographs.
5.55pm:     The bride and groom leave the chapel in an open Ascot landau carriage and pass through the castle precincts before travelling along Windsor High Street and Park Street and returning via the Home Park.
6.00pm:     The reception begins at the State Apartments.
6.10pm:     The bride and groom return to the castle.

The Wedding Service

A specially written fanfare was played by the royal marines when Sophie and her father arrived at St George's Chapel.

During the bride's procession to the altar, the Marche Heroique by Sir Herbert Brewer was played.

Then the hymn Ye Holy Angels Bright was sung.

After the ceremony Love Divine, All Loves Excelling was sung, followed by the lesson, which was Lesson, the First Letter of John, chapter 4, verses 7-11.

Following the prayers the Latin anthem Where There Is Charity And Love, There Is God was sung by the choir.

For the final hymn, the royal couple chose Let All The World In Every Corner Sing, My God and King. After this hymn the register was signed.

The choir then sang The Spirit Of The Lord Is Upon Me, the Prologue to the Oratorio The Apostles, opus 39, by Sir Edward Elgar, followed by The Amen Chorus from Messiah by George Frederick Handel.

The congregation all stood to sing the National Anthem, before the bride and groom walked to the West Steps.

For this, they were accompanied by the Toccata from the Fifth Symphony by Charles Marie Widor and the Coronation March - Crown Imperial by Sir William Walton.

The Wedding Reception

The reception for the 550 guests at the wedding of Prince Edward and Miss Sophie Rhys-Jones was held in the State Apartments of Windsor Castle. Among the rooms used were The Grand Reception Room, the Waterloo Chamber and St George's Hall.

The food for the evening was being prepared jointly by the Royal Kitchens and London-based caterers Rhubarb Food Design. A selection of hot and cold canapes was followed by a self-service buffet dinner, for which guests were seated.

The menu was prepared by Royal Chef Lionel Mann and included coulibiac (smoked haddock baked with rice and mushrooms in pastry), beef stroganoff, and a selection of vegetables and salads, with fresh raspberries for dessert.

The customary cutting of the wedding cake, and the toasts, preceded dinner. The toasts were made by the bride's father, the groom and the supporters.

The wedding cake was made by Linda Fripp of Upper Crusts Country Kitchen in Salisbury, Wiltshire.

Music during the evening was provided by a string quartet from the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and a brass ensemble from the London Mozart Players, both organisations of which Prince Edward is patron, and the band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines.

The Rings

In keeping with Royal tradition, the gold for the wedding rings of Prince Edward and Miss Rhys-Jones has come from Wales. The rings have been made to a traditional design by the Crown Jeweller, Mr David Thomas, of royal jewellers Asprey & Garrard.

On this occasion the gold has come from The Prince Edward mine in Trawnsfynydd, Gwynedd, N Wales.

The Prince Edward Mine was originally known as Moel Croesau, which translates from the Welsh as Welcome Hill. In the early twentieth century gold from the mine was used to make the regalia for the investiture of The Prince of Wales, which led to the change of name. The 22ct gold used for the wedding rings was discovered during recent exploration activities by Cambrian Goldfields Ltd, and refined by Marple Laboratories, Birmingham. Previous Royal wedding rings were made of gold from the Clogau St David's mine in Bontddu, N Wales.

Mr Thomas became Crown Jeweller in 1991, succeeding Mr William Summers. The title of Crown Jeweller was created by Queen Victoria in 1843. It is a personal appointment from the Sovereign and carries with it a personal Royal Warrant. The Crown Jeweller is responsible for the care and maintenance of the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London, and also the private jewellery of The Queen and other members of the Royal Family.

Bridesmaids, Pages, Supporters

Miss Sophie Rhys-Jones was attended by two pageboys and two bridesmaids at her marriage to The Prince Edward at St George's Chapel, Windsor on Saturday 19 June.

The pageboys were Master Felix Sowerbutts, aged seven and Master Harry Warburton, aged six. The bridesmaids were Miss Camilla Hadden, aged eight and Miss Olivia Taylor, aged five.

Master Warburton and Miss Hadden are Prince Edward's Godchildren. Master Sowerbutts and Miss Taylor are the children of old friends of Miss Rhys-Jones.

Prince Edward's two supporters were The Prince of Wales and The Duke of York.

Master Felix John Loxley Sowerbutts - Pageboy. Born 31 August 1991, Master Sowerbutts is the son of Julian and Lucinda Sowerbutts of Gloucestershire. He has two brothers, Finn, six and Rufus, four and a sister Ruby, aged four months. He attends Beaudesert Park School, Minchinhampton. Favourite colour - blue; favourite animal - dog; favourite television programme - EastEnders; favourite football team - Chelsea.

Master Harry James Warburton - Pageboy. Born 25 March 1993, Master Warburton has one brother, Edward, aged four, and is the son of Richard and Sarah Warburton of Oxfordshire. Sarah Warburton is Assistant Private Secretary to Prince Edward and has co-ordinated the plans for the wedding. Master Warburton attends Cranford House School, Moulsford. Favourites: colour - blue; animals - dogs and horses; television programme - Blue Peter; football team - Manchester United.

Miss Camilla Margaret Hadden - Bridesmaid. Miss Hadden, who was born on 8 March 1991, is the daughter of Abel and Belinda Hadden who live in London. She has one brother, Leo, aged 15 and two sisters, Chloe, 13 and Madeleine, 11. She attends Kensington Prep School, London. Favourites: colour - blue and yellow; animal - giraffe; television programme - Really Wild Show; football team - Chelsea.

Miss Olivia Jane Celeste Taylor - Bridesmaid. Miss Taylor was born on 30 January 1994. She is the daughter of Ian and Lindy Taylor of Barnes, south west London and has one brother, two-year- old Edward. She attends Prospect House School, Putney Hill. Favourites: colour - pink; animal - cat; television programme - Really Wild Show; football team - Liverpool.