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

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

The Russo-Sweden War and the implementation of the Union and Security Act in 1789, which gave the king 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 and then into 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’s intention had been to shoot himself with the second pistol but instead, he hid the second pistol and mixed with the crowd. The police had everyone unmasked 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 the room where he had supper 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 sepsis, a life-threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs, developed. 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 built in the shape of an Old Norse burial mound that was used 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 which had been 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, which described 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 that was 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 where he changed his name to Berg von Bergheim, became a teacher, and later 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 Guiseppe Verdi‘s 1859 opera Un Ballo in Maschera is based on the assassination and death of King Gustav III of Sweden. Although the subject of the assassination had been used by other composers, 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 then 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 the setting not be in Europe. With the basic plot still 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 an important person 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 then served as midshipman for three months aboard the battleship Hindustan. Next, he was enrolled at Magdalen College, Oxford, despite that he was underprepared intellectually. 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. However, Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener refused to allow it because of the possible harm that could occur if the heir to the throne was captured by the enemy.

In the 1920s and the 1930s, David, as Prince of Wales, 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 upon 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 a number of 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 much 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, with shoes and gloves to match. 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. At her neck, 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 of which overlook 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 which was covered with a dark yellow cloth with large vases containing pink and white peonies at either end. The Mayor of the town of Monts, Dr. Charles Mercier, who was 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 own 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 they were packed up to be taken on the honeymoon and 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 had announced he was going to give his brother the title Duke of Windsor with the style of Royal Highness. Letters Patent dated May 27, 1937 re-conferred the “title, style, or attribute of Royal Highness” upon the Duke of Windsor, but specifically stated that “his wife and descendants, if any, shall not hold said title or attribute”. 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 a 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: 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 then he would 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 had 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, which had been 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

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 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 in their lives. 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 stays 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 made a trip 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 it was then that George 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 that of King Richard II to Anne of Bohemia in 1382. That would be the last royal wedding at Westminster Abbey until the reign of King George V. Queen Victoria’s granddaughter and King George V’s first cousin Princess Patricia of Connaught married The Honorable Alexander Ramsay at Westminster Abbey in 1919. This was the first major royal event after World War I.

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

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

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”. Next, the wedding register was signed in the Chapel of St. Edward the Confessor by the bride and groom, their parents, and other royalty.

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Upon return 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 who was 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 the possessiveness of her mother and the matchmaking of her grandmother, Louise decided that she wanted to marry for love. Louise 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 his childhood, explained to her that as her grandmother and sovereign, she had to spend some time with her potential groom before she could make a decision about the marriage. Queen Victoria was partial to Scotsmen and when she spent some time with Alexander, she approved of 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, which had been 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, she 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, there were 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, along with 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 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 to be 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.

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

  • 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.

Wedding of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

The Marriage of Princess Beatrice by Richard Caton Woodville painted for Queen Victoria. Princess Beatrice is accompanied to the altar by her brother, the Prince of Wales, and Queen Victoria. Her nieces were bridesmaids, but only eight out of the total of ten are shown in the painting; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg were married on July 23, 1885, at Saint Mildred’s Church in Whippingham, Isle of Wight, England.

Beatrice’s Early Life

Princess Beatrice with her mother Queen Victoria; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Beatrice was born on April 14, 1857, at Buckingham Palace in London, England. She was the youngest of the nine children of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. On December 14, 1861, Prince Albert died at the age of 42. Beatrice was only four and a half and had lost one of her principal role models. Queen Victoria was grief-stricken. The night Prince Albert died, Queen Victoria went into the nursery and carried the sleeping Beatrice to her own bed, where she lay unable to sleep, hugging Beatrice while wrapped in the bedclothes of her deceased husband. Because of her mother’s prolonged grief and mourning, Beatrice’s life would forever be shaped by her father’s death. She became a great solace to her mother, and as the years progressed Queen Victoria hoped that Beatrice would always be her constant companion.

Despite her father’s death, Beatrice’s education proceeded according to the plan Prince Albert had devised for all his children. She received lessons in French and German and received a hands-on history education by visiting historical sites. Unlike her mother, Beatrice eventually had clear and legible handwriting and was an accurate speller. By the age of fifteen, Beatrice was writing letters on behalf of Queen Victoria and she was developing into the quiet, attentive, and devoted helper the Queen wanted. When the last of her sisters married and left home, Beatrice took on the job of being her mother’s full-time personal assistant.

To learn more about Beatrice, see Unofficial Royalty: Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, Princess Henry of Battenberg

Henry’s Early Life

Prince Henry of Battenberg; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Henry (Heinrich) of Battenberg was born on October 5, 1858 in Milan, Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, now in Italy. Henry (nicknamed Liko) was the fourth of the five children and the third of the four sons of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine and Countess Julia Hauke. As his parents’ marriage was morganatic, Henry and his siblings took their titles from their mother, who had been created Countess of Battenberg and was later elevated to Princess of Battenberg in 1858.

Henry received a military education and was commissioned a lieutenant in the 1st Regiment of the Rhenish Hussars of the Prussian Army. He also served in the Gardes du Corps, the personal bodyguard of the King of Prussia and, after 1871, of the German Emperor.

To learn more about Henry, see Unofficial Royalty: Prince Henry of Battenberg

The Engagement

Prince Henry giving an engagement ring to Princess Beatrice, illustration from “The Penny Illustrated Paper” (Jan 24 1885); Credit – The British Museum

In 1884, Henry’s brother Prince Louis of Battenberg married Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, the eldest child of Queen Victoria’s third child Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine. Of course, Henry attended the wedding in Darmstadt and so did the bride’s aunt, Princess Beatrice. Queen Victoria had expectations that Beatrice would never marry and would remain her personal assistant and secretary. However, during the wedding celebrations, Henry and Beatrice fell in love. When Beatrice told her mother of her desire to marry Henry, Queen Victoria did not speak to Beatrice for seven months. Eventually, the Queen realized that Beatrice would not back down and with some persuasion from the Prince of Wales, Alice’s widower Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, and Henry’s brother Prince Louis of Battenberg, Queen Victoria decided to allow the marriage with several conditions: Henry must renounce his military career, his nationality, and his home and agree to live with Beatrice and the Queen.

Wedding Site

St. Mildred’s Church, Whippingham; Credit – By Mypix at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57460350

Saint Mildred’s Church in Whippingham, Isle of Wight, England was where Queen Victoria and her family worshipped when in residence at Osborne House, the beloved home Queen Victoria and Prince Albert built on the Isle of Wight. The original church was redesigned by architect Albert Jenkins Humbert with the input of Prince Albert. The chancel of the church was built in 1854 – 1855 and the remainder of the church was constructed in 1861 – 1862. A side chapel, originally used by members of the household at Osborne House when worshipping at Whippingham, was later made into a shrine, the Battenberg Chapel, upon the early death of Prince Henry of Battenberg. Several family members are buried there including Prince Henry and his wife Princess Beatrice.

Wedding Guests

Since Saint Mildred’s Church was a small, parish church, the guest list had to be limited. Also, because there were limited places for royal relations and guests from abroad to stay on the Isle of Wight, the royal yachts served as floating hotels.

Royal Guests

  • Queen Victoria, mother of the bride
  • The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, brother of the bride
  • The Princess of Wales, later Queen Alexandra, sister-in-law of the bride
  • Prince Albert Victor of Wales, nephew of the bride
  • Prince George of Wales, later King George V, nephew of the bride
  • Princess Louise of Wales, niece of the bride
  • Princess Victoria of Wales, niece of the bride
  • Princess Maud of Wales, niece of the bride
  • Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, brother of the bride
  • The Duchess of Edinburgh, born Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, sister-in-law of the bride
  • Prince Alfred of Edinburgh, nephew of the bride
  • Princess Marie of Edinburgh, niece of the bride
  • Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh, niece of the bride
  • Princess Alexandra of Edinburgh, niece of the bride
  • Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, brother of the bride
  • The Duchess of Connaught, born Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia, sister-in-law of the bride
  • Princess Margaret of Connaught, niece of the bride
  • Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, Princess Helena, sister of the bride
  • Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, brother-in-law of the bride
  • Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, niece of the bride
  • Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, niece of the bride
  • Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lome, sister of the bride
  • John Campbell, Marquis of Lome, brother-in-law of the bride
  • Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge, first cousin once removed of the bride
  • Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar
  • Ernst, 4th Prince of Leiningen, first cousin of the bride
  • Princess of Leiningen wife of Ernst, born Princess Marie of Baden
  • Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine, father of the groom
  • Princess of Battenberg, born Countess Julie Hauke, mother of the groom
  • Prince Louis of Battenberg, brother of the groom
  • Princess Louis of Battenberg, born Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, niece of the bride and first cousin once removed of the groom
  • Alexander (of Battenberg), Prince of Bulgaria, brother of the groom
  • Prince Franz Joseph of Battenberg, brother of the groom
  • Count Gustav Ernst of Erbach-Schoenberg, brother-in-law of the groom
  • Countess of Erbach-Schoenberg, born Princess Marie of Battenberg, sister of the groom
  • Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, brother-in-law of the bride and first cousin of the groom
  • Ernst Ludwig, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse of Hesse and by Rhine, nephew of the bride and first cousin once removed of the groom
  • Princess Irene of Hesse of Hesse and by Rhine, niece of the bride and first cousin once removed of the groom
  • Princess Alix of Hesse of Hesse and by Rhine, niece of the bride and first cousin once removed of the groom
  • Prince Philip of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, second cousin of the bride

Invited Guests

  • William FitzRoy, 6th Duke of Grafton
  • Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford and Elizabeth Russell, Duchess of Bedford
  • Susanna Innes-Kerr, Dowager Duchess of Roxburghe
  • James Butler, 3rd Marquess of Ormonde and Elizabeth Butler, Marchioness of Ormonde
  • Spencer Cavendish, Marquis of Hartington
  • John Poyntz Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer
  • Louisa McDonnell, Countess of Antrim
  • Valentine Browne, 4th Earl of Kenmare
  • Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville
  • John Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney
  • Standish Vereker, 4th Viscount Gort, Caroline Vereker, Viscountess Gort and The Honorable Miss Vereker
  • Admiral Lord Frederick Kerr
  • General Lord Alfred Paget and The Honorable Evelyn Paget
  • Lieutenant-General Dudley FitzGerald-de Ros, 23rd Baron de Ros
  • Ismania FitzRoy, Baroness Southampton and The Honorable Frederica Fitzroy
  • Thomas Hovell-Thurlow-Cumming-Bruce, 5th Baron Thurlow
  • Emily Cavendish, Lady Waterpark
  • Frederick Methuen, 2nd Baron Methuen
  • General Lord Wolseley
  • Prince Lichnowsky
  • Count Alexander Münster
  • Count Vitzthum
  • Colonel The Honorable C. H. Lindsay
  • Sir Edward Malet and Lady Ermyntrude Malet
  • Captain The Honorable A. Denison
  • The Honorable Flora Macdonald
  • General Sir Francis Seymour, 1st Baronet
  • Lady Cowell
  • Sir Robert Collins
  • Sir William Carter Hoffmeister, Surgeon to Queen Victoria
  • Captain Sir Alfred Balliston
  • Fraulein Bassing
  • Miss Bauer, Beatrice’s former German tutor, now one of Queen Victoria’s readers
  • Mr. Doyne C. Bell
  • Miss Biddulph
  • Mr. W. Campbell of Blythswood
  • Reverend A. Campbell, Vicar of Crathie Church near Balmoral in Scotland
  • Madame de Arcos
  • Reverend Canon Robinson Duckworth, former tutor to Prince Leopold
  • Mrs. F. I. Edwards
  • Miss Jessie Ferrari, singer and music teacher
  • Captain Fisher
  • Mr. Frederick Gibbs, former tutor to The Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred
  • Mr. Charles Hallé, pianist and conductor
  • Rear-Admiral F. A. Herbert
  • Dr. John Hoffmeister
  • Mr. R. R. Holmes, Librarian of Windsor Castle
  • Lieutenant-Colonel George Ashley Maude, Crown Equerry of the Royal Mews
  • Mademoiselle Norelle, former French tutor to Queen Victoria’s children
  • Miss Alberta Ponsonby and Miss Magdalen Ponsonby, daughters of Sir Henry Frederick Ponsonby, Queen Victoria’s Private Secretary
  • Dr. Alexander Profeit, Commissioner of Works at Balmoral Castle
  • Mrs. and Miss Prothero, wife and daughter of Reverend Canon George Prothero, Rector of Whippingham and Chaplain in Ordinary to Her Majesty
  • Mr. Hermann Sahl, Librarian and German Secretary to Queen Victoria
  • Colonel Stockwell
  • Reverend Canon C. F. Tarver, former tutor to The Prince of Wales
  • Signer Tosti, composer of romantic and drawing-room songs
  • Captain Webbe and Lady Cecilia Webbe
  • Captain Welch
  • Miss Van de Weyer
  • Mr. Arnold White
  • The Mayor of Newport, Isle of Wight, England

The Queen’s Household

  • Louisa Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch, Mistress of the Robes
  • Jane Loftus, Dowager Marchioness of Ely, Lady of the Bedchamber in Waiting
  • The Honourable Harriet Phipps, Maid of Honor in Waiting
  • The Honorable Maude Okeover, Maid of Honor in Waiting
  • William Edgcumbe, 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, Lord Steward
  • Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Earl of Lathom, Lord Chamberlain
  • Orlando Bridgeman, 3rd Earl of Bradford, Master of the Horse
  • William Heneage, Viscount Lewisham, Vice-Chamberlain
  • Major-General Sir J. C. McNeill, Equerry-in-Waiting
  • Colonel H. P. Ewart, Equerry-in-Waiting
  • General Sir Henry Ponsonby, Private Secretary and Keeper of the Privy Purse
  • Major-General Sir John Cowell, Master of the Household
  • The Honourable Sir S. Ponsonby-Fane, Comptroller in The Lord Chamberlain’s Department
  • Mr. Conway Seymour, Gentleman Usher
  • Mr. Arnold Royle, Gentleman Usher
  • Sir William Jenner, 1st Baronet, Physician in Ordinary to Her Majesty
  • Dr. James Reid, Resident Physician to Her Majesty

Attendant on the Bridegroom

  • Major F. I. Edwards, Groom in Waiting to the Queen, in attendance on Prince Henry of Battenberg

Attendants on the Bride

  • Miss M. Cochrane, Lady in Waiting on Princess Beatrice
  • The Honourable Lady Biddulph, Lady in Waiting on Princess Beatrice
  • Jane Spencer, Baroness Churchill, Acting Lady in Waiting on Princess Beatrice

Attendants on Other Royalty

  • Major-General Bateson, Equerry in Waiting on The Duke of Cambridge.
  • The Honorable Lady Ponsonby, Acting Lady in Waiting on Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lorne
  • Baron d’Ablaing de Giessenbuvg, Gentleman in Waiting on Prince Philip of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
  • Colonel Baron Rotsmann, Equerry in Waiting on Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine
  • Lieutenant-Colonel Honorable W. Carington, Equerry in Waiting on The Queen, in attendance on Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine
  • Hoffrath Munther, Gentleman in Waitng on Ernst Ludwig, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine
  • Lieutenant-Colonel Wernher, Equerry in Waiting on Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine
  • Captain Arthur J. Bigge, Equerry in Waiting to The Queen, in attendance Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine
  • The Honorable A. Yorke, Acting Equerry in Waiting on Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
  • Miss Loch, Lady in Waiting on Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
  • Colonel Sir Howard Elphinstone, Comptroller to The Duke of Connaught
  • Major Francis H. Poors, Equerry in Waiting on The Duke of Connaught
  • The Honorable Ethel Cadogan, Acting Lady in Waiting on The Duchess of Connaught
  • Lady Harriot Poore, Lady in Waiting on The Duchess of Edinburgh
  • Lord Colville of Culross, Chamberlain to The Prince of Wales
  • The Honorable H. Tyrwhitt Wilson, Equerry in Waiting to The Prince of Wales
  • Lieutenant-General Sir Dighton M. Probyn, Comptroller and Treasurer to The Prince of Wales
  • The Honorable Mrs. Coke, Lady of the Bedchamber to Her Royal Highness to The Princess of Wales
  • Baron Riedesel, Marshal of the Court to The Prince of Bulgaria
  • Mr. Topchileschtoff, Secretary to The Prince of Bulgaria
  • Colonel Lord E. Pelham Clinton, Groom in Waiting to The Queen, in attendance on The Prince of Bulgaria

Bridesmaids and Supporters

Wedding of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg (see below for who’s who in the photo); Photo Credit – www.victorian-gothic.co.uk

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

The supporters of Prince Henry of Battenberg were his brothers Alexander (of Battenberg), Prince of Bulgaria and Prince Franz Joseph of Battenberg. Princess Beatrice’s supporters were her mother Queen Victoria and her eldest brother The Prince of Wales.

The ten royal bridesmaids were granddaughters of Queen Victoria and nieces of Princess Beatrice, ranging in age from seven-years-old to nineteen-years-old:

  • Princess Louise of Wales, daughter of The Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, married Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife
  • Princess Victoria of Wales, daughter of The Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, unmarried
  • Princess Maud of Wales, daughter of The Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, married King Haakon VII of Norway
  • Princess Marie of Edinburgh, daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the future Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, married King Ferdinand I of Romania
  • Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh, daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the future Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, married (1) Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, divorced (2) Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia
  • Princess Alexandra of Edinburgh, daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the future Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, married Prince Ernst II of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
  • Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine, daughter of the late Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine, married Prince Heinrich of Prussia
  • Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, daughter of the late Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine, married Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia
  • Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, daughter of Princess Helena, Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, unmarried
  • Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, daughter of Princess Helena, Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, married Prince Aribert of Anhalt, marriage dissolved

Wedding Attire

Prince Henry and Princess Beatrice on their wedding day; Credit – Wikipedia

Upon Queen Victoria’s insistence, Prince Henry of Battenberg wore the rather dashing white cuirassier uniform of Prussian Garde Du Corps, the personal bodyguard of the King of Prussia and, after 1871, of the German Emperor.

The ten royal bridesmaids were dressed in high-necked white dresses with flounced skirts and carried bouquets of stephanotis.

Princess Beatrice’s wedding dress was made of white satin, trimmed with orange blossoms, white heather, myrtle, and lace. There was lace on the pointed neckline, and on the sleeves. Princess Beatrice loved lace and became an expert on lace. Knowing this, Queen Victoria allowed Princess Beatrice to wear the precious Honiton lace veil that she had worn on her wedding day. Beatrice was the only one of her daughters to be given the opportunity to wear it. Atop her head, Beatrice wore an orange blossom wreath and a diamond circlet with diamond stars, a wedding gift from her mother.

Beatrice wore diamond collet drop earrings, a diamond collet necklace with a diamond cross suspended from it, a diamond bee brooch, a diamond rose brooch, and a large diamond butterfly brooch. On her right wrist, she wore a wide diamond and sapphire bracelet, gift of the groom, and on her left wrist, she wore five bangle bracelets, some with diamonds and others plain gold. Beatrice wore the Order of Victoria and Albert, the Crown of India, the Gold Lion of Hesse, the Royal Red Cross, and the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha family order.

The Wedding

 

Clergy Officiating

  • Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury
  • Harold Browne, Bishop of Winchester
  • The Very Reverend Randall T. Davidson, Dean of Windsor, Domestic Chaplain to Her Majesty
  • Reverend Canon George Prothero, Rector of St. Mildred’s Church, Whippingham and Chaplain in Ordinary to Her Majesty

Music provided by:

  • Walter Parratt, Organist of St. George’s Chapel, Windsor
  • Choir of St. George’s Chapel, Windsor

A special train carrying the wedding guests, along with the members of The Queen’s Household and those in attendance on the royalty who were not already at Osborne House, left Victoria Station in London at 9 AM on the day of the wedding. The train arrived at Portsmouth, England where the royal yacht Alberta was waiting to take them across The Solent to the Isle of Wight. Carriages were provided for the trip to St. Mildred’s Church, Whippingham. Upon arrival at the church, the guests were shown to their seats by Her Majesty’s Gentlemen Ushers.

At 12:40 PM, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of Winchester, the Dean of Windsor, and the Rector of St. Mildred’s Church, Whippingham arrived from the church rectory with the choir and took their places at the altar while a voluntary was played on the organ.

At 12:30, the royal family and other royalty left Osborne House with their attendants in a carriage procession. They were received at the church gate by the Lord Chamberlain and the Lord Steward, who, with the Vice-Chamberlain, conducted them to the seats in the royal pews. The Princess of Wales, Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, and the groom’s parents, Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine and the Princess of Battenberg, were seated in front of the altar. Georg Friedrich Handel’s March from The Occasional Overture was played as the royal procession moved down the aisle. The royal attendants were shown to seats at the back of the royal and household pews. Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales waited for the arrival of the bride at the church gate.

The ten royal bridesmaids, all nieces of the bride, arrived at 12:45 PM and waited for the arrival of the bride in the church vestry. Ten minutes later, the groom arrived with his supporters, his brothers Alexander (of Battenberg), Prince of Bulgaria and Prince Franz Joseph of Battenberg. As a march by Walter Parratt, the organist of St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, was played, they were conducted to their places on the right of the altar.

As the bride’s carriage procession approached the church, the bridesmaids were escorted to the church gate. Princess Beatrice with Queen Victoria and The Prince of Wales on either side along with the bridesmaids were conducted to the left side of the altar by the Lord Chamberlain and the Lord Steward. Richard Wagner’s Bridal March (“The Bridal Chorus” from the opera Lohengrin) was played as the bridal procession moved down the aisle. Queen Victoria gave the bride away.

After the couple took their vows, the choir sang the anthem O Give Thanks to the Lord by Felix Mendelssohn and then the Archbishop of Canterbury delivered a short address. As the bride and groom and their attendants proceeded up the aisle Felix Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” (from The Suite of Incidental Music to Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream) was played.

After the Wedding

Guests at the wedding of Princess Beatrice to Prince Henry of Battenberg at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, Original Publication: Illustrated London News – pub. 1885

Upon returning to Osborne House, the marriage registry was signed by the bride and groom and attested by Queen Victoria, the royal family, royal guests, and distinguished persons. Luncheon was served for Queen Victoria, the royal family, and the royal guests in a tent upon the lawn. The other guests were served luncheon in a separate tent. The Band of the Royal Marines and the Pipers of the Sutherland Highlanders provided the music.

Beatrice and Henry’s wedding cake; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

The wedding cake was made by Mr. Ponder, the royal confectioner. It stood six feet tall and weighed 280 pounds. The cake featured a replica of the sculpture Hebe by Italian Neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova.

At 5 PM, Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry, attended by Jane Spencer, Baroness Churchill and Colonel E. P. Ewart, left Osborne House for their honeymoon at nearby Quarr Abbey House.

In the evening, there was a dinner party in the tents on the lawn during which the Royal Marines Light Infantry Band played. Later, the guests proceeded to the terrace of Osborne House to view a display of fireworks from the royal yacht Victoria and Albert, HMS Hector, and other yachts in Osborne Bay.

Children

Beatrice and her children in 1900; Credit – Wikipedia

Beatrice and Henry had four children:

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

  • Avictorian.com. (2019). Victorian Wedding Cakes, AVICTORIAN.COM. [online] Available at: http://www.avictorian.com/wedding_cakes.html [Accessed 19 Sep. 2019].
  • Dennison, Matthew. (2009). The Last Princess – The Devoted Life of Queen Victoria”s Youngest Daughter. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin.
  • Duff, David. (1974). The Shy Princess. London: Evans.
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Wedding Dress of Princess Beatrice. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_dress_of_Princess_Beatrice [Accessed 19 Sep. 2019].
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2015). Prince Henry of Battenberg. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/prince-henry-of-battenberg/ [Accessed 19 Sep. 2019].
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2015). Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, Princess Henry of Battenberg. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/princess-beatrice-of-the-united-kingdom-princess-henry-of-battenberg/ [Accessed 19 Sep. 2019].
  • Packard, Jerrold. (1998). Victoria’s Daughters. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
  • Royal-magazin.de. (2019). The Princess Beatrice of Great Britain and Ireland|Battenberg | Diamond Stars. [online] Available at: https://royal-magazin.de/england/beatrice-battenberg/princess-beatrice-wedding.htm [Accessed 19 Sep. 2019].
  • Thegazette.co.uk. (1885). Ceremonial observed at the Marriage of Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry of Battenberg | Issue 25495, 28 July 1885 | London Gazette | The Gazette. [online] Available at: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/25495/page/3529 [Accessed 19 Sep. 2019].
  • Van der Kiste, J. (2011). Queen Victoria’s Children. Stroud: The History Press.

December 19, 2019 – State Opening of Parliament

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On December 19, 2019, the State Opening of the Parliament was held.  Although there was a State Opening of Parliament just in October after Boris Johnson became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom another State Opening was necessary because of last week’s parliamentary election. This ceremony formally marks the beginning of a session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Queen Elizabeth II read a prepared speech, known as the “Speech from the Throne” or the “Queen’s Speech”, outlining the Government’s agenda for the coming year. The Queen was accompanied by The Prince of Wales.

For a shorter video that shows just the Queen’s Speech, see BBC: State Opening of Parliament

For a longer video, that shows more of the pomp, see Global News: Queen’s speech formally reopens UK parliament following election | FULL

BBC: Queen’s Speech: Monarch outlines PM’s Brexit and NHS agenda

For more information, see our link below.

Wedding of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

The Marriage of the Duke of Connaught by Sydney Pryor Hall – The bride is approaching the altar, escorted by her father Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia and Crown Prince Friedrich of Prussia. The bridegroom awaits her, accompanied by his two older brothers and Queen Victoria; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia married on March 13, 1879, at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England.

Arthur’s Early Life

The First of May 1851 by Franz Xaver Winterhalter commemorates the 1st birthday of Prince Arthur, and the 82nd birthday of Arthur’s godfather Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, and the opening day of the Great Exhibition, which was organized by Prince Albert. The painting shows Prince Arthur and his parents, the Duke of Wellington offering a gift to Prince Arthur, and The Crystal Palace, site of the Great Exhibition in the background; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Arthur was born on May 1, 1850, at Buckingham Palace in London, England, the third son of the four sons and the seventh of the nine children of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Arthur was educated by private tutors. In 1866, at the age of 16, Arthur entered the Royal Military College, Woolwich. He graduated two years later and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Corps of Royal Engineers. During his forty-year military career in the British Army, Arthur participated in many missions in various parts of the British Empire. On his mother’s birthday, May 24, 1874, Arthur was created a royal peer, with the titles Duke of Connaught and Strathearn and Earl of Sussex.

To learn more about Arthur, see Unofficial Royalty: Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught

Louise Margaret’s Early Life

Princess Luise Margarete of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Luise Margarete of Prussia was born on July 25, 1860, at the Marmorpalais (Marble Palace), a royal residence in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany. She was the fourth of the four daughters and the fourth of the five children of Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia and Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau. Prince Friedrich Karl’s father, Prince Karl of Prussia, was a younger son of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia and a brother of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia and Wilhelm I, German Emperor and King of Prussia. Luise Margarete’s mother was also descended from Prussian kings as her great-grandfather was King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia.

Luise Margarete’s parents had an unhappy marriage. After the birth of Luise Margarete, the fourth daughter, Prince Friedrich Karl reportedly beat his wife for not producing a son. Apparently, only the urgings of Friedrich Karl’s uncle King Wilhelm I of Prussia prevented a formal separation. Finally, five years after the birth of Luise Margarete, a son was born.

Upon her marriage, her name was anglicized to Louise Margaret.

To learn more about Louise Margaret, see Unofficial Royalty: Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia, Duchess of Connaught

The Engagement

Prince Arthur, 1st Duke of Connaught and Strathearn; Princess Louise, Duchess of Connaught (née Princess of Prussia) after Léon Abraham Marius Joliot, albumen carte-de-visite, 1870s, NPG Ax131371© National Portrait Gallery, London

In 1878, Arthur met Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia on a visit to his eldest sister Victoria, German Crown Princess and Crown Princess of Prussia. Louise Margaret was friendly with the Crown Princess and her eldest daughter Charlotte. Arthur wrote to his mother, “I must say I thought her rather pretty.” Queen Victoria considered Louise Margaret to be a less than satisfactory possible bride for her son. She was plain-looking and had bad teeth. Her parents were unpleasant, had an unhappy marriage, and lived apart from each other. Victoria wanted to avoid associating her family with a possible scandal.

Upon returning home, Arthur had a conversation with his mother and Queen Victoria wrote about that conversation in her diary: “Dear Arthur arrived and stopped with us while we were taking tea. Afterward remained talking with me a little while, and told me that he had taken a great liking to young Louise of Prussia, Fritz Carl’s youngest daughter, who was brought up by an English governess…He said he did not wish to marry yet, and no one had breathed a word about it, but he liked her better and better, and meant, if I had no objection, to ask to see her this summer again. I could not help saying that I dislike the Prussians and told him he should see others first, but he said it would make no difference. What could I then say, but that, of course, his happiness was the first thing? He assured me he liked her better than anyone he had seen, but that he would not do anything without my consent, and looked so sad and earnest, yet so dear and gentle, that, having heard nothing but good of the girl, I could not object.”

Arthur’s eldest sister wrote to her mother: “I could not choose for a sister-in-law anyone I like better than Louise. She will make Arthur a most delightful wife. Each is the complement of the other, and I foresee that each will make the other supremely happy.”

When Queen Victoria met Louise Margaret, she became more positive and the engagement was announced. The Queen admitted to her diary, “Had I seen Louischen before Arthur spoke to me about his feelings, I should not have grieved him by hesitating for a moment in giving my consent. She is a dear, sweet girl of the most amiable and charming character…I am sure dear Arthur could not have chosen more wisely.”

Wedding Site

Embed from Getty Images 

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

There had been no royal weddings at St. George’s Chapel until 1863 when Queen Victoria’s eldest son, the future King Edward VII, married Princess Alexandra of Denmark. Four more of Queen Victoria’s children were married at St. George’s Chapel and it has become a popular site for royal weddings.

Wedding Guests

Royal Guests

  • Queen Victoria, the groom’s mother
  • The Prince of Wales, the groom’s brother, the future King Edward VII
  • The Princess of Wales, the groom’s sister-in-law, born Princess Alexandra of Denmark
  • Prince Albert Victor of Wales, the groom’s nephew
  • Prince George of Wales, the groom’s nephew, the future King George V
  • Princess Louise of Wales, the groom’s niece
  • Princess Victoria of Wales, the groom’s niece
  • Princess Maud of Wales, the groom’s niece
  • Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the groom’s brother
  • The Duchess of Edinburgh, the groom’s sister-in-law, born Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia
  • Crown Princess Victoria of Germany and Prussia, the groom’s sister Victoria, Princess Royal
  • Crown Prince Friedrich of Germany and Prussia, the groom’s brother-in-law and the bride’s second cousin, the future Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia
  • Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, the groom’s nephew, the future Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia
  • Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, the groom’s sister Princess Helena
  • Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, the groom’s brother-in-law
  • Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, the groom’s niece
  • Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, the groom’s niece
  • Princess Beatrice, the groom’s sister
  • Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge, the groom’s first cousin once removed
  • Duchess of Teck, born Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, the groom’s first cousin once removed
  • Duke Francis of Teck, husband of the Duchess of Teck
  • Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, the groom’s second cousin, the future Queen Mary, wife of King George V
  • Prince Adolphus of Teck, the groom’s second cousin
  • Prince Francis of Teck, the groom’s second cousin
  • Prince Alexander of Teck, the groom’s second cousin
  • Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia, the bride’s father
  • Princess Friedrich Karl of Prussia, the bride’s mother, born Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau
  • Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia, the bride’s brother
  • Leopold II, King of the Belgians, the groom’s first cousin once removed
  • Marie Henriette, Queen of the Belgians, wife of King Leopold II, born Archduchess Marie Henriette of Austria
  • Ernst, 4th Prince of Leiningen, first cousin of the groom
  • Prince Philip of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the groom’s second cousin
  • Princess Philip of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, wife of Prince Philip, born Princess Louise of Belgium, the groom’s second cousin
  • Princess August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the groom’s first cousin once removed
  • Princess August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, wife of Prince August, born Princess Clémentine of Orléans
  • Maharajah Duleep Singh and his wife Maharani Bamba
  • Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar

Invited Guests

(Some spouses were in attendance and/or in the processions)

  • Frances Gordon-Lennox, Duchess of Richmond
  • Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford and Elizabeth Russell, Duchess of Bedford
  • Frances Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
  • Charles FitzGerald, 4th Duke of Leinster and Caroline FitzGerald, Duchess of Leinster
  • Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington
  • George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 3rd Duke of Sutherland and Anne Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland
  • Rear-Admiral Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Count Gleichen, first cousin of the groom
  • Georgina Gascoyne-Cecil, Marchioness of Salisbury
  • Emily Seymour, Marchioness of Hertford
  • Henry Moore, 3rd Marquess of Drogheda and Mary Moore, Marchioness of Drogheda
  • Thomas Taylour, 3rd Marquess of Headfort and Emily Taylour, Marchioness of Headfort
  • Jane Loftus, Dowager Marchioness of Ely
  • James Butler, 3rd Marquess of Ormonde
  • Spencer Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington
  • Constance Bruce, Countess of Elgin
  • Mary Louise Bruce, Dowager Countess of Elgin
  • William Edgcumbe, 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe
  • John Scott, 4th Earl of Clonmell
  • Selina Bridgeman, Countess of Bradford
  • Mary Lygon, Countess Beauchamp
  • William Hare, 3rd Earl of Listowell and Ernestine Hare, Countess of Listowel
  • Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville and Castila Leveson-Gower, Countess Granville
  • John Townshend, 3rd Viscount Sydney and Emily Townshend, Countess Sydney
  • Mary Cairns, Countess Cairns
  • General Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport
  • Jane Gathorne-Hardy, Viscountess Cranbrook
  • General Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala
  • Lieutenant-General Lord Alexander Russell and Lady Russell
  • Major C. T. Bunbury
  • Major E. Harvey
  • Captain E. J. Harvey
  • Lieutenant and Adjutant Charles Norcott
  • Lady Constance Stanley
  • The Honorable Mrs. Gerald Wellesley
  • The Honorable Mrs. Alfred Egerton
  • The Honorable Lady Ponsonby
  • Lady Northcote
  • Lady Elphinstone
  • Mademoiselle Norelle, French tutor to Queen Victoria’s children
  • Sir William Jenner, 1st Baronet, Physician in Ordinary to Queen Victoria
  • Sir Henry Keppel, Admiral of the Fleet
  • General Sir Lintorn Simmonds, Inspector General of Fortifications
  • Lieutenant-General Sir C. L. D’Aguilar
  • Lieutenant-General William Parke
  • Lieutenant-Colonel George Ashley Maude, Crown Equerry of the Royal Mews
  • Mr. Frederick Gibbs, former tutor to The Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred
  • Mr. Francis Knollys, Private Secretary to The Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Montagu Corry, Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli’s private secretary
  • Mr. Theodore Martin, Scottish poet, biographer, and translator.
  • Major-General Radcliffe
  • Colonel E. Butler
  • Colonel Robert Hale
  • Staff Captain Thomson
  • Commander H. Pearson
  • Lieutenant-Colonel James Ward
  • Captain Isham Edwards
  • Reverend Canon C. F. Tarver, former tutor to The Prince of Wales
  • Reverend Canon Henry Mildred Birch, Chaplain to The Prince of Wales
  • Reverend Canon Richard Gee, Vicar of New Windsor
  • Reverend Canon Robinson Duckworth, tutor to Prince Leopold
  • Reverend John Neale Dalton, tutor to Prince Albert Victor of Wales and Prince George of Wales
  • Mr. Frederick Campbell
  • Mr. R. R. Holmes, Librarian of Windsor Castle
  • Mr. Holzmann, Private Secretary to the Princess of Wales
  • Mr. A. B. Mitford, British diplomat, collector and writer
  • Mr. Hermann Sahl, Librarian and German Secretary to Queen Victoria
  • Dr. Douglas Argyll Robertson, Surgeon Oculist to Queen Victoria
  • John Webb, Mayor of Windsor
  • Mr. Doyne C. Bell
  • Mr. Edward Corbould, instructor of historical painting to Queen Victoria and her family
  • Mr. Du Pasquier, Apothecary to the Royal Household
  • Mr. James Ellison
  • Mr. Samuel Evans
  • Dr. T. Fairbanks
  • Miss Ferari
  • Mr. Charles Hallé, pianist and conductor
  • Dr. William Carter Hoffmeister – Surgeon to Queen Victoria
  • Mr. Sydney Prior Hall, British portrait painter and illustrator, who was commanded by Queen Victoria to make sketches of the wedding for a future painting
  • Dr. Alexander Profeit, Commissioner of Works at Balmoral Castle
  • Mr. White

The Queen’s Household

  • Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington, Mistress of the Robes
  • Susanna Innes-Kerr, Duchess of Roxburghe, Lady of the Bedchamber in Waiting
  • The Honorable Mary Pitt, Maid of Honor in Waiting
  • The Honorable Amy Lambart, Maid of Honor in Waiting
  • The Honorable Mrs. Ferguson of Pitfour, Bedchamber Woman in Waiting
  • Frederick Lygon, 6th Earl Beauchamp, Lord Steward
  • General Francis Seymour, 5th Marquess of Hertford, Lord Chamberlain
  • Orlando Bridgeman, 3rd Earl of Bradford, Master of the Horse
  • Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Ponsonby, Private Secretary and Keeper of the Privy Purse
  • Lord Henry Thynne, Treasurer of the Household
  • Hugh Seymour, Earl of Yarmouth, Comptroller of the Household
  • George Barrington, 7th Viscount Barrington, Vice-Chamberlain
  • General George Upton, 3rd Viscount Templetown, Gold Stick in Waiting
  • Charles Yorke, 5th Earl of Hardwicke, Master of the Buckhounds
  • Colonel Sir John Cowell, Master of the Household
  • Cornwallis Maude, 4th Viscount Hawarden, Lord in Waiting
  • Major C. E. Phipps, Groom in Waiting
  • General Sir Francis Seymour, Baronet, Master of the Ceremonies
  • Lieutenant-General Lord Alfred Paget, Clerk Marshal
  • Major-General Lord Charles Fitzroy, Equerry in Waiting
  • Colonel The Honorable H. W. J. Byng, Equerry in Waiting
  • Mr. Henry Erskine of Cardross, Groom of the Robes
  • Lieutenant-Colonel C. W. Duncombe, Silver Stick in Waiting
  • Colonel R. H. White, Field Officer in Brigade Waiting
  • The Honorable S. Ponsonby-Fane, Comptroller in the Lord Chamberlain’s Department
  • Count Albert Edward Gleichen, Page of Honor
  • The Honorable Victor Spencer, Page of Honor
  • Mr. Conway Seymour, Gentleman Usher in Waiting
  • Mr. Alpin Macgregor, Gentleman Usher in Waiting
  • Mr. James Bontein, Gentleman Usher in Waiting
  • Captain C. G. Nelson, Gentleman Usher in Waiting
  • Captain A. J. Loftus, Gentleman Usher in Waiting
  • Sir Albert Woods, Garter King of Arms
  • Mr. George Cokayne, Lancaster Herald
  • Mr. John de Havilland, York Herald

Attendants on the Bridegroom

  • Colonel Sir Howard Elphinstone, Comptroller of the Household
  • Captain Maurice FitzGerald, Equerry in Waiting
  • Captain Alfred Egerton, Equerry in Waiting
  • The Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII), Supporter
  • Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Supporter

Attendants on the Bride

  • Lady Adela Larking, Lady in Attendance
  • George Byng, 7th Viscount Torrington, Lord in Waiting to the Queen, in attendance to the Bride
  • Lady Georgiana Spencer-Churchill, Bridesmaid
  • Lady Blanche Conyngham, Bridesmaid
  • Lady Louisa Bruce, Bridesmaid
  • Lady Mabel Bridgeman, Bridesmaid
  • Lady Ela Russell, Bridesmaid
  • Lady Adelaide Taylour, Bridesmaid
  • Lady Cecilia Hay, Bridesmaid
  • Lady Victoria Edgcumbe, Bridesmaid

Attendants on Other Royalty

  • General Sir W. T. Knollys, Groom of the Stole to the Prince of Wales
  • Charles Harbord, 5th Baron Suffield, Lord of the Bedchamber in Waiting to the Prince of Wales
  • The Honorable A. Temple Fitz-Maurice, Groom of the Bedchamber in Waiting to the Prince of Wales
  • Lieutenant-General Sir D. M. Probyn, Comptroller and Treasurer to the Prince of Wales
  • Colonel Stanley Clarke, Equerry in Waiting to the Prince of Wales
  • Charles Colville, Lord Colville of Culross, Chamberlain to the Princess of Wales
  • Lady Emily Kingscote, Lady of the Bedchamber in Waiting to the Princess of Wales
  • Miss Charlotte Knollys, Woman of the Bedchamber in Waiting to the Princess of Wales
  • Colonel The Honorable W. J. Colville, Comptroller and Treasurer to the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh
  • Captain A. B. Haig, Equerry in Waiting to the Duke of Edinburgh
  • Captain John Clerk, Equerry in Waiting to the Duke of Edinburgh
  • Lady Hariot Grimston, Lady in Waiting to the Duchess of Edinburgh
  • Lieutenant-Colonel G. G. Gordon, Treasurer to Prince and Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
  • Lady Agneta Montagu, Lady in Waiting to Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
  • Lady Edward Cavendish, Bedchamber Woman to Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
  • Lady Jane Churchill, Lady of the Bedchamber to the Queen, in attendance on Princess Beatrice
  • Colonel Charles Tyrwhitt, Equerry in Waiting to the Duke of Cambridge
  • Lady Elizabeth Biddulph, Lady in Waiting to the Duchess of Teck
  • Colonel H. L. Fulke Greville, in attendance on the Duchess of Teck
  • Colonel Oliphant, in attendance on the Maharajah Duleep Singh and the Maharanee
  • Baroness de Pach, in Waiting on Prince and Princess August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
  • Baron Nostitz, in Waiting on Prince and Princess August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
  • Colonel C. T. Du Platt, Equerry in Waiting to the Queen, in attendance on In Waiting on
  • Prince and Princess August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
  • The Honorable Flora Macdonald, in attendance to Princess Philip of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
  • Comtesse de Grünne, in attendance to the King and Queen of the Belgians
  • Baronne d’Hooghvorst, in attendance to the King and Queen of the Belgians
  • Jules De Vaux, in attendance to the King and Queen of the Belgians
  • Comte d’Oultremot, in attendance to the King and Queen of the Belgians
  • Major-General H. Lynedock Gardiner, Groom in Waiting to the Queen, in attendance on the King and Queen of the Belgians
  • Countess Brühl, in attendance to the Crown Prince and Princess of Germany and Prussia
  • Countess Marie Münster, in attendance to the Crown Prince and Princess of Germany and Prussia
  • Count G. Seckendorff, in attendance to the Crown Prince and Princess of Germany and Prussia
  • Captain von Pfuhlstein, in attendance to the Crown Prince and Princess of Germany and Prussia
  • Captain Baron von Nyvhenheim, in attendance to the Crown Prince and Princess of Germany and Prussia
  • Lieutenant-General The Honorable A. E. Hardinge. Equerry to the Queen in Attendance on the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Germany and Prussia
  • Countess Schliefen, in waiting on Prince and Princess Friedrich Karl of Prussia
  • Countess Pückler, in waiting on Prince and Princess Friedrich Karl of Prussia
  • Frauelein von Woina, in waiting on Prince and Princess Friedrich Karl of Prussia
  • Count Kanitz, in waiting on Prince and Princess Friedrich Karl of Prussia
  • Count Schlippenbach, in waiting on Prince and Princess Friedrich Karl of Prussia
  • Colonel von Borcke, in waiting on Prince and Princess Friedrich Karl of Prussia
  • Major von Broesegke, in waiting on Prince and Princess Friedrich Karl of Prussia
  • Colonel von Geissler, in waiting on Prince and Princess Friedrich Karl of Prussia
  • Colonel J. C. McNeill, Equerry to the Queen, in waiting on Prince and Princess Friedrich Karl of Prussia
  • Lieutenant von Jacobi, in waiting on Prince Wilhelm of Prussia

Representatives of Foreign Governments

  • Turkish Ambassador and Mademoiselle Musurus
  • Georg Münster, Count of Münster, German Ambassador and Countess Olga Münster
  • Luigi Menabrea, 1st Count Menabrea Italian Ambassador and Countess Menabrea
  • Count Alajos Károlyi, Austro-Hungarian Ambassador and Countess Károlyi
  • Danish Minister
  • Belgian Minister
  • French Minister
  • Portuguese Chargé d’Affaires
  • Russian Chargé d’Affaires
  • Baron von den Brincken, member of the German Embassy
  • Count L. Arco, member of the German Embassy
  • Major von Vietinghoff, member of the German Embassy

Members of the Government

  • Hugh Cairns, 1st Earl Cairns, Lord Chancellor
  • Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond, Lord President of the Council
  • Algernon Percy, 6th Duke of Northumberland, Lord Privy Seal
  • Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury
  • Richard Assheton Cross, Secretary of State for the Home Department
  • Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
  • Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, Baronet, Secretary of State for the Colonies
  • Colonel Frederick Stanley, Secretary of State for War
  • Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 1st Viscount Cranbrook, Secretary of State for India
  • Sir Stafford Northcote, Baronet, Chancellor of the Exchequer
  • W. H. Smith, First Lord of the Admiralty
  • Lord John Manners, Postmaster-General
  • John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough, Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland
  • G. Noel, First Commissioner of the Works
  • Stephen Cave, Paymaster-General
  • T. E. Taylor, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
  • George Sclater-Booth, President of the Local Government Board
  • G. A. F. Cavendish-Bentinck, Judge Advocate-General
  • James Lowther, Chief Secretary for Ireland
  • Lord George Hamilton, Vice-President of the Board of Education
  • General Sir Charles Ellice, Adjutant-General
  • Lieutenant-General Sir Daniel Lysins, Quartermaster-General
  • General Sir Alfred Horsford, Military Secretary
  • Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshal
  • Gilbert Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 2nd Baron Aveland, Deputy Lord Great Chamberlain

Bridesmaids and Supporters

The eight bridesmaids were unmarried daughters of Dukes, Marquesses, and Earls.

  • Lady Georgiana Spencer-Churchill, daughter of John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough, married Richard Curzon, 4th Earl Howe
  • Lady Blanche Conyngham, daughter of General George Conyngham, 3rd Marquess Conyngham, unmarried
  • Lady Louisa Bruce, daughter of James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin, unmarried
  • Lady Mabel Bridgeman, daughter of Orlando Bridgeman, 3rd Earl of Bradford, married Colonel William Kenyon-Slaney
  • Lady Ela Russell, daughter of Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford, unmarried
  • Lady Adelaide Taylour, daughter of Thomas Taylour, 3rd Marquess of Headfort, unmarried
  • Lady Cecilia Hay, daughter of Major William Hay, 19th Earl of Erroll, married Captain George Webbe
  • Lady Victoria Edgcumbe, daughter of William Edgcumbe, 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, married Lord Algernon Percy

Princess Louise Margaret was supported by her father Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia and Friedrich, German Crown Prince and Crown Prince of Prussia (the future Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia), her father’s paternal first cousin and Arthur’s brother-in-law.

Prince Arthur’s supporters were his two elder brothers, the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII) and Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh (the future Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha). Prince Arthur’s youngest brother Prince Leopold was to have been a Supporter but was prevented from attending the wedding due to illness.

Wedding Attire

Louise Margaret in her wedding dress; Credit – Wikipedia

Louise Margaret’s dress reflected her continental European origin. Although it was made of the usual white satin, the lace was not Honiton lace from Devon, England, the traditional lace used in wedding dresses of British royal brides. The lace was a combination of point d’Alençon lace from France and lace made in Silesia, then part of the Kingdom of Prussia, now located mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. The usual orange blossom and myrtle were still woven into the lace. In Germany, myrtle is considered the flower of love, marriage, and lasting fertility.

Louise Margaret in her wedding dress; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

The white satin dress had a band of lace encircling the waist and the skirt was decorated with myrtle leaves. The train was thirteen feet/four meters long with a lace flounce in which a sprig of myrtle was fixed. The bridal veil was made of lace with orange blossoms, roses, and myrtle leaves intertwined. The veil was fastened to her hair with five diamond stars, a gift from Arthur.

Louise Margaret jewelry Credit – Gogmsite- Grand Ladies

Louise Margaret wore the diamond fringe necklace which had belonged to the Duchess of Kent, Queen Victoria’s mother. The diamond fringe necklace along with the diamond brooch on her right shoulder were gifts from Queen Victoria. Louise Margaret’s father gave her a diamond and pearl brooch with a diamond and pearl pendant which she wore in the center of her dress’ neckline. She also wore two bracelets. One was a gold and diamond bracelet, a gift from the groom’s brothers and sisters. The other was a diamond bracelet with a rosette center from the town of Windsor.

The bridesmaids from The Marriage of the Duke of Connaught by Sydney Pryor Hall; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

The eight bridesmaids wore dresses of white satin duchesse faille, a somewhat shiny closely woven silk, and mousseline de soie, a thin stiff silk, embroidered with wild rosebuds and flowers representing England, Scotland, Ireland and Germany.­

Arthur, on the left, and his brothers from The Marriage of the Duke of Connaught by Sydney Pryor Hall; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

Prince Arthur wore the uniform of a Colonel of the Rifle Brigade. The Prince of Wales wore the uniform of a Field Marshal and Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh wore the uniform of an Admiral.

The Wedding

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The officiating clergy:

  • Campbell Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury
  • John Jackson, Bishop of London, Dean of the Chapels Royal
  • John Mackarness, Bishop of Oxford, Chancellor of the Order of the Garter
  • Henry Philpott, Bishop of Worcester, Clerk of the Closet
  • The Honorable Gerald Wellesley, Dean of Windsor

The wedding guests arrived at the Windsor train station via a special train from London. They were taken by carriage to the South Entrance of St. George’s Chapel and shown to their seats. The Lord Steward and the other members of the Queen’s Household who did not take part in the carriage procession from Windsor Castle assembled at the South Entrance to St. George’s Chapel at 11:30 AM. The clergy officiating at the wedding assembled at the Deanery and then took their places at the altar at 11:45 AM.

At 11:45 AM, the Princess of Wales, the Royal Family along with the other royal guests and their attendants proceeded to the West Entrance of St. George’s Chapel via carriages. Upon arrival at St. George’s Chapel, they were received by the Lord Steward and the Vice-Chamberlain. Her Majesty’s State Trumpeters announced with a flourish as each royal procession made its way down the aisle and were conducted to their seats. Georg Friedrich Handel’s March from “Hercules” was played as the royal processions made their way into the church.

At 12 noon, Queen Victoria accompanied by her daughter Princess Beatrice and her grandson Prince Albert Victor of Wales, along with their attendants, left Windsor Castle via carriage. As the Queen’s procession proceeded up the aisle Felix Mendelssohn’s March from “Athalie” was played.

At 12:15 PM, the bridegroom, along with his supporters and all their attendants, made their way via carriages to the West Entrance of St. George’s Chapel. As the bridegroom’s procession made its way to the altar, “Edward Albert,” a march by St. George’s Chapel organist Sir George Elvey, was played.

Finally, the bride with her supporters, bridesmaids, and attendants left Windsor Castle at 12:30 PM and proceeded to the West Entrance of St. George’s Chapel. The bride’s procession made its way down the aisle to Georg Friedrich Handel’s “Occasional Overture.”

The Archbishop of Canterbury performed the Church of England wedding service and the bride was given away by her father. During the service, the choir sang Psalm 128 and Psalm 67, set to music by Sir George Elvey. At the conclusion of the service, the choir sang Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” from “The Messiah.” The bride and groom, the royalty and their attendants left the chapel as Felix Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” was played.

After the Wedding

Arthur and Louise Margaret’s wedding cake; Credit – https://www.royal.uk/royal-wedding-cakes-history

A royal salute was fired upon the conclusion of the wedding service by a battery of the Royal Horse Artillery stationed in the Long Walk. Upon returning to Windsor Castle, the marriage registry was signed by the bride and groom and attested by Queen Victoria, members of the British royal family, other royalty, and representatives of the British government. Queen Victoria, the British royal family, and the royal guests were served a private luncheon in the Dining Room. The other guests were served a buffet luncheon in St. George’s Hall. Sir George Elvey played the organ and conducted the orchestra and choir.

At 4:00 PM, the bride and groom, accompanied by Lady Adela Larking and Captain Alfred Egerton left for Claremont House in Esher, Surrey, England where they would spend part of their honeymoon. After several days at Claremont House and then Windsor Castle, the newlyweds departed for a cruise in the Mediterranean. After their return to England, they took up residence in Bagshot Park, now the home of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.

Children

Arthur, Louise Margaret, and their children; Credit – Wikipedia

Arthur and Louise Margaret had three children:

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