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

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018

Bringing Royal Weddings into Our Homes

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

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

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

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

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

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Overview of the Later Windsor Weddings

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mark Phillips and Princess Anne; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo Credit – www.dailymail.co.uk

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

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

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

Grandchildren of King George V

Grandchildren of King George VI

Grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth II

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Works Cited

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