WEDDING FLOWERS: The Royal 2017
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Showing posts with label The Royal 2017. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Royal 2017. Show all posts

Kate, the bump and another new dress: back to royal normality

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After a frenzied 24 hours in which speculation was ramped up over just about every royal scenario you can imagine, we end in a rather normal situation. The regal week comes to an end with an appearance from the Duchess of Cambridge and a return to the far less fevered world of bump spotting, gender guessing and new evening gowns. Welcome to royal reality.


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At one point today, whispers about a potential royal engagement being announced were so loud you couldn't shut them out if you tried. Reports in the Evening Standard that the BBC was on stand by for a major royal story on November 24th combined with bookies stopping taking bets on a betrothal between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on Thursday led to orders for souvenir tea towels being finalised across the land. Make that world. No matter. The crucial moment that is 11am on the nose when royal engagements are made public came and went without so much as a hint of a diamond.


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Never worry, in the absence of a royal wedding let's get back to royal baby number three. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were always scheduled to attend the Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium so Harry doing the marry thing would always have been slightly awkward as it would have led to photos of the future king attending a royal staple being bounced by his brother.

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William and Kate arrived for a slightly delayed performance - the Palladium in Argyll Street in central London was briefly out of bounds after the Metropolitan Police responded to reports of gunshots being fired around nearby Oxford Circus. The Met later confirmed they had found no trace of ''any suspects, evidence of shots fired, or casualties''.




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The royal guests are following a very regal tradition. The Royal Variety Performance began in 1912 when King George V and Queen Mary attended the Royal Command Performance. The king had said he would attend an event provided all the proceeds went to the Variety Artistes' Benevolent Fund. Now well over 100 years old, the show is run by the Royal Variety Charity of which the Queen is patron. It will raise money that will help hundreds of entertainers throughout the UK in need of support.



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It really was back down to earth. This event is a regular in the royal calendar and really marks the final regal turn towards Christmas. It's attended by different members of the Royal Family every year and this was the Cambridges' second appearance at the event  - the first was in 2014. So after hours of wondering which big royal story was next, it all ended very predictably. A royal staple, Kate in Jenny Packham (new, too) and lots of photos of her bump which is truly making its presence felt. The speculation was left to whether Baby Cambridge Number Three is a boy or girl (she's in baby blue and that bump is all out front right now so let's go with boy for the next hour or so) and everyone in Kensington Palace can settle down to a proper giggle about how excited everyone got about something that didn't happen at all. This is the royal reality. As you were - until Monday, at least.

Photo Kensington Royal Twitter.

Harry and Meghan: how we knew it was love

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Is today the day? Engagement speculation is so high for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle that many a royal watcher has cancelled plans until at least 11am just in case Prince Charles has a small announcement to make. The bookies have stopped taking bets, the BBC has apparently lined up enough royal experts to sink a small punt and the bunting is being freshened up and pressed as we speak. There aren't really any clues to look for other than that royal press release. So as we wait and wonder, here's a look back to the hints Harry and Meghan gave us about their royal romance which began in the summer of 2016 and is making its way to the altar as we speak. This is how we knew it was love....



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Social media has played a big part in the unfolding royal romance of Harry and Meghan and the way it's been told. William and Kate saw their betrothal pinged across Twitter as Clarence House set up its account the day before their big anno but Hazza and Megs have seen every stage of their relationship shared on social media. Meghan dropped a pretty big clue back in October 2016 when she posted a photo of herself at Soho House wearing a bracelet which turned out to match one that Harry had been spotted wearing too. Clue number one was out there.....

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Just before Prince Harry issued a statement confirming their relationship, we got another huge great big hint from Meghan on her Instagram. At the start of November 2016, she shared a photo of a teapot and lots of people got very exicted indeed. It is a very lovely teapot, that's true, but the fact it was shaped as an elephant was seen as a nod to Harry's conservation work (he's taken part in projects to help preserve populations). And drinking tea is about as British as it gets. Meghan made her mark with this one.



Several days later came the news that the couple were a pair. Harry issued an unprecedented statement calling for the media to leave Meghan alone. He called her his girlfriend and criticised those who had levelled abusive comments at her. It was a declaration of love that set everyone talking.


Meghan then went on to post a pictre of two banans spooning with a message ''Sleep tight''. Quite possibly the most modern confirmation of a royal romance ever. What's not to love?


 
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Megs clearly likes love and food to go together because this appeared on her Instagram around the time we all knew about her royal romance. Let's face it, there can only be one recipient for this herby hand out of hearts and that's Harry. Since then we've seen the couple out together informally, kissing at a polo match and then making their first offical appearance together at the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games. Meghan also gave an interview to Vanity Fair confirming the couple were in love. But while we all wait for the official announcement, let's just take a moment to remember how sweet it really was to see this royal romance unfold. All those cryptic pictures that made it clear it really was love.

Photo credit: BBC Still

Royal Wedding Rumours: is Harry about to marry Meghan

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Stand by, this is your royal engagement warning. Social media is abuzz, and I mean ayyyy-buzzzzzzzz, about Harry and Meghan showing off the sparkler soon. As in tomorrow. As in less than 24 hours away. And there are some reasons why this really might be it. Stand by for the latest royal wedding rumours, quite possibly the last instalment before we turn into Royal Wedding Countdown....




You want to know something is about to happen? Check the bookies. They have stopped taking bets now on whether Harry and Meghan will get married next year, rumours are so fierce. Just about every paper is reporting tonight that some bookies have closed their books on the wedding happening. The Evening Standard also reported that an engagement might be ''just hours away'' ....






It's Londoner's Diary column whispered that the BBC is clearing the decks for a major royal story on Friday 24th November. And LaineyGossip reported that along with other media outlets in the States, they had received an epic amount of requests about availability for comments on a royal story for this Friday.  In other news, we know that Meghan has quit Suits and earlier this week her body double in the show posted a photo of the two with a message wishing her well in her new life.





The duchess in waiting, sorry, lady in question was giving nothing away as she stepped out in London. Yes, Meghan is here. She apparently landed on Saturday but was first seen on Monday. She also had a facial which could possibly be a perfectly timed piece of preparation for an engagement photocall...or a way to recover after a hectic few days whcih has seen you quit your job, move home and take a transatlantic flight. Time will tell....

Photo: Invictus Twitter.

Queen's 70th Wedding Anniversary: the bridal party

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The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary today. They are marking the event privately, with a dinner at Windsor Castle, and one of the reasons for the lack of public celebration hinted at is that the couple feel it would remind them too much of all those they have lost. The passing of time and the fading of friends is perhaps best seen in the official photo with their wedding party. For of the eight bridesmaids who attended the Queen, just two are still alive while only one of her two cheeky pageboys is still here to celebrate with the couple he attended seventy years ago. The Duke of Edinburgh's best man, David, Marquess of Milford Haven, has also sadly passed away. The official photo of the wedding party is a reminder of those who were so loved and so important. On this special anniversary, here's a look back at the bridal party of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh....



The bridesmaids



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The eight bridesmaids who attended the Queen at her royal wedding all had a special place in her life. All brides want their sister at their side and heading the list of attendants was seventeen year old Princess Margaret, then second in line to the throne.



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The Queen also chose several cousins as bridesmaids. Ten year old Princess Alexandra of Kent was the daughter of George VI's brother, the late Duke of Kent, and his wife, Princess Marina of Greece. Another cousin, Diana Bowes Lyon, then 24, was also in attendance - her father, John, was a brother of the bride's mother. Margaret Elphinstone was the 22 year old daughter of Mary, a sister of Queen Elizabeth, later Queen Mother, and another bridesmaid. In later years, she was better known as Margaret Rhodes.



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One of the bride's second cousins was also included as a bridesmaid. Lady Mary Cambridge was 23 years old at the time of the wedding and related to Princess Elizabeth through Queen Mary. Another more distant relation to perform the role of attendant was Lady Caroline Montagu-Douglas-Scott. The 20 year old was the daughter of Walter Montagu-Douglas-Scott whose sister, Alice, was married to the bride's paternal uncle, Henry, Duke of Gloucester.





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The groom's first cousin, Pamela Mountbatten, was also in the bridal party. The eighteen year old had been living in India with her parents, the Earl and Countess of Mountbatten. The final bridesmaid was 23 year old Lady Elizabeth Lambart whose father, the Earl of Cavan, had been Chief of the Imperial Staff.


The bridesmaids' outfits


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Like the bride, her mother and grandmother, the bridesmaids were dressed by Norman Hartnell. The British designer took inspiration from some of the paintings on display at Buckingham Palace by Winterhalter, Sit George Hayter and Tuxen. They were made of ivory silk tulle with fitted waists and skirts embroidered with a star design similar to that on the bride's dress. The eight bridesmaids wore wreaths in their hair but these were fake rather than real flowers. The creation of Jac Ltd, they consister of silver lame and white satin lilies, white sheaves and London Pride. Their bouquets contained flowers including white orchids, lily of the valley and white roses and they were made by Moyses Stevens.



The pageboys

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 There were two pageboys, both cousins of the bride. Prince William of Gloucester, the elder son of the Duke of Gloucester, was approaching his sixth birthday when he took on the role of pageboy and train bearer. He was accompanied by Prince Michael of Kent who had just turned five. Big cousin Lillibet did what all relations should do to the cute kids they ask to be pageboy - she stuck them in outfits they clearly didn't want to wear. Enter young princes in frilly shirts and Royal Stewart tartan kilts. That's a bride on form.




The best man


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Forget all that talk about the Duke of Cambridge breaking with royal tradition and naming brother, Prince Harry, as his best man rather than supporter. The Duke of Edinburgh had a best man and he picked him in the way many a groom does, falling back on the help of an old friend who had already seen him through thick and thin. There was a family connection, too. David Mountbatten, Marquess of Milford Haven was also Philip's cousin and the two men attended Dartmouth Naval College together. 
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Seventy years on, those bright and beautiful faces stare back at us from history but most of them are gone. Two had died before the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh's Silver Wedding Anniversary. Best man David, Marquess of Milford Haven, died in 1970 at the age of just 50. Pageboy Prince William of Gloucester died in August 1972 in a plane crash. He was 30 years old. Bridesmaid Diana Bowes-Lyon died in 1986 aged 62 while Lady Mary Cambridge passed away in 1999 at the age of 75. The Queen lost her sister, Princess Margaret, in 2002. 
In 2004, Caroline Montagu Douglas Scott died aged 76. Last year, the Queen lost two of her bridesmaids with Margaret Rhodes passing away at the age of 91, Lady Elizabeth Lambart died at the end of 2016 aged 92.
Just three of the wedding party remain. Princess Alexandra will be 81 on Christmas Day this year while her little brother, Prince Michael of Kent, turned 75 this summer. Pamela Mountbatten is the last of her glamourous family remaining. She was 88 earlier this year. The three may well be among those invited to celebrate the 70th wedding anniversary at Windsor today. After all, being part of a wedding party is a special honour and a bond that lasts forever.

Queen's 70th Wedding Anniversary: the Queen as a bride

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All brides are beautiful but some linger in the memory forever. The Queen is in that category. OK, it helps that she's the Queen and millions watched her wedding while billions have no doubt seen the photos since. And we're all getting wedding excitement again as the Platinum anniversary of her marriage to the Duke of Edinburgh arrives this November 20th. So to celebrate that very special moment, here's a look back at the Queen as a bride.....


The Veil



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For simplicity's sake, let's start at the top and work our way down. The Queen's wedding veil was tulle and worn back from her face. It gave way to a fifteen foot court train, attached at the bride's shoulders, made from silk tulle and with embroidery including pearls and crystals.


The Tiara


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There was plenty of family and lots of drama about the tiara that the Queen wore to her wedding. The diamond fringe diadem was made for her granny, Queen Mary, and had started as a wedding present itself. When Mary married the future George V in 1893 she received a diamond necklace from her new hubby's granny - who just happened to be Queen Victoria. She later had Garrards turn that into the tiara. She passed the piece on to her own daughter-in-law, Elizabeth, when she became queen consort in 1936. The then Princess Elizabeth chose it for her wedding but may have had second thoughts after it famously broke on the morning of her marriage and had to be hastily repaired.




The Dress


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Created by Norman Hartnell, this is about as famous a royal wedding gown as you will find. It was made of ivory silk, spun by worms at Lullingstone Castle in Kent and woven by Winterthur in Dunfermline. Hartnell said he was inspired by the painting Primavera by Botticelli - the return of spring, rather apt for a gown worn by a future monarch marrying in front of a nation still recovering from the harsh times of war. The gown has full length sleeves, fitted bodice and heart shaped neckline. After the wedding it was displayed in cities across the UK.



Jewellery


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When you're a royal bride, you don't just stop at a tiara. Oh no. There are all kinds of expectations and family heirlooms to contend with and the Queen managed it all marvellously. We know she loves pearls and for her wedding she wore a double strand necklace with enough historical punch for three royal nuptials. One strand of the pearls is believed to have belonged to Queen Anne, the last Stuart monarch of Britain, while the other belonged to Caroline of Ansbach, consort to King George II. The pearls were passed down from Queen Victoria and given to Princess Elizabeth by her father on her wedding day. The earrings are made of pearls and diamonds and once belonged to George III's daughter, Mary, who ended up as Duchess of Edinburgh - the title waiting for the new royal bride after her marriage. Of course, Princess Elizabeth wore her diamond engagement ring, made by Antrobus using a stone from a tiara belonging to Prince Philip's mother, Alice. And she left the Abbey with perhaps her most precious piece of jewellery - a wedding ring fashioned from Welsh gold, continuing a tradition of the House of Windsor.



The Flowers



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The Queen carried a bouquet of white orchids, three varieties in total, all grown in the UK. Amongst those exotic blooms was a sprig of myrtle, continuing a tradition started by Queen Victoria who carried some in her own wedding bouquet who had received a cutting from Prince Albert's grandmother and planted it at Osborne House where it flourished. The bouquet, created by Martin Longman, went missing before the official photos were taken hence the bloomless bride in some of the snaps.



The Shoes



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How forties are these? The satin crossover sandals were made by Edward Rayne and if the rest of the  outfit is all about a future queen getting married, these are all about a young bride enjoying the biggest day of her life. The company originally made theatre shoes and went on to be a royal favourite with Margaret and Diana also using them.

Royal Platinum Wedding: Congratulations to the Queen and Prince Philip on 70 Years of Marriage

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''In all essentials, exactly the same as it would have been for any cottager who might be married this afternoon''.. That's what the Archbishop of York said to Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten about their marriage as they wed on November 20th 1947 at Westminster Abbey. Plenty raised an eyebrow at that sentiment then and since. But in many ways, Cyril Garbet was right. For any marriage will always come down to the two people who enter into it. It might start in splendour but it relies on the hard work and unending hope of those saying 'I do' if it is to continue in glory. The Queen and Prince Philip, seven decades on, have proved that love really does conquer all.



Today, Elizabeth II, the longest reigning monarch in British history, and Prince Philip, the longest serving consort, will celebrate and be celebrated for what is a pretty phenomenal achievement. Few couples get to the milestone that is 70 years of marriage. Yes, good health and good care have helped a lot but so has this couple's determination to make their marriage work. They are clearly just as happy in one another's company as they were on that cold November day when they became husband and wife. Their affection for one another and rock solid bond is a huge part of the modern Monarchy's success. It has been a constant in the evolution of the House of Windsor and a solid foundation that has kept it stable even when crises began to threaten it.




Royal marriages don't have to succeed. It's perhaps the greatest irony of Elizabeth and Philip's long and successful marriage that their children have, sometimes, struggled so hard to find matrimonial happiness themselves. There is an assumption that once a monarch or sovereign in waiting has said 'I do' they are bound to their spouse for all time. We know that isn't true, Regal marriages fall apart. For one to succeed in the way that this one has is a true achievement.


The marriage that began on November 20th 1947 has allowed both partners to follow the paths they believe to be right. The Queen has made no secret of the support she takes from her husband, calling him famously ''quite simply my strength and my stay all these years''. Philip, in turn, has been a perfect consort, always one step behind but with enough ideas and energy to make a difference in the areas that matter. Elizabeth and Philip haven't just smiled and waved all these years. The Duke of Edinburgh has become renowned for work that has supported young people, helped the environment and promoted arts and culture. The Queen has transformed herself from an unexpected heiress to the very model of a modern monarch. Neither could have been what they are without the other.


Their marriage also clearly brings them great personal joy. The delight they take in each other, the pride they feel for one another is clear for all to see. Despite their sometimes frosty reputations, they also clearly adore their children, grand children and great grandchildren. They have shaped a royal family for the 21st century and continue to be its mainstay even now.



Their marriage has clearly brought joy to them and to those that they love. It has provided inspiration to many who only watch from afar. And, despite being a dynastic necessity and a public property in some ways, it is still clearly first and foremost the promise made between two people in Westminster Abbey all those years ago. Cottagers is a word from another time. The world has moved on - it is bound to, seven decades have passed. But the reality of life remains the same. Like every other couple marrying that day they have faced joy and sadness and learned to support one another through it all. For marriage is growing comfortable with one another, learning to walk away from the annoyances, loving when it is the hardest thing to do.  The Archbishop of York was right about this one and the couple he said it to have shown that and then some. Congratulations to them, now and always. Their marriage is a celebration we should all treasure. 

Photo credit: Royal Family Twitter and Matt Holyoak/ Camera Press.

Royal Platinum Wedding: the Queen's engagement ring

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On a platinum anniversary, you need a platinum ring. With just hours to go until the 70th wedding anniversary of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, it's time to look back to the piece of jewellery being worn by the bride on the eve of her wedding. Her engagement ring was filled with sentiment, history and sparkle and has proved a royal classic in its own right. As the anniversary approaches, here's a look back at the Queen's engagement ring....





The then Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten announced their engagement on July 10th 1947 although it's understood they had been betrothed privately for some time ahead of that. The ring summed up their relationship in many ways. For while it was made to suit the very royal role that had become Elizabeth's, Philip's energy and imagination played a large part in its creation.  The result is a single three carat diamond with two settings of smaller diamonds on the shoulders of the ring. And the stones had a very special link to the groom.



Philip might have been marrying into the House of Windsor but the engagement ring he gave to his queen in waiting had plenty of his own royal family history about it. The diamonds in this ring came from a tiara belonging to Philip's mother, Princess Alice - she herself had received the diadem as a wedding present almost forty five years earlier.



This is a very 1940s ring, made by the jewellery firm Philip Antrobus, which had enough sparkle to sit on the finger of a future monarch without being completely over the top. Elizabeth and Philip got engaged just two years after the end of World War Two and the bride had to use clothing rations to get the material for her dress (the government stepped in with an extra 200 to help out). Anything too over the top in the sparkle stakes wouldn't have been a popular move.



But the ring, like the royals in this relationship, got it just right. The sparkler was shown off in a very jolly and relaxed press conference while the Queen still wears this special piece of jewellery every day. Seventy years on, it's a piece of history all on its own. A platinum ring that deserves plenty of attention on this platinum anniversary.

Royal Platinum Wedding: the bride's grandmother

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Norman Hartnell made a lot of frocks for the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten on November 20th 1947. But while he was no doubt sweating over making the bride's gown perfect and ensuring that her mum looked marvellous in another of his creations, the frock that may have caused most fear was the one he made for Queen Mary. The Queen's granny was nothing if not formidable so this was no easy commission. Here's how Hartnell helped create the perfect granny of the bride....


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Queen Mary may have been born as an almost poor relation of the royals but she did grand like no one else. She might have seemed severe but she loved style and fashion as much as anyone else and had an eye on public image that had helped to transform the Royal Family. Not only that, Mary was very much aware of position and ceremony. She had steered the House of Windsor through the crisis of her eldest son's abdication and she knew, better than anyone, what this royal wedding meant. For Mary, who had seen her family's throne wobble under threat of disappearing, was dressing for the marriage that would secure its future for good. No pressure, then, Norman. Just keep breathing....



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The result was as elegant and as classic as expected. Full length of course - Mary rarely went shorter - with long sleeves and a slightly flared skirt. So far, so what you would expect for the octagenarian granny born in the time of Queen Victoria. But look closely and you will see that marvellous Mary has added some magic. The golden blue gown has a textured pattern which really lifts it as do the whole shedload of diamonds Mary has brought out to play - when you've all but single handedly created the modern royal jewellery box and provided the bride with the tiara she's wearing, you have the right to sparkle.


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Mary really was the epitome of royal. Her wedding day outfit is so regal it hurts - it might look simple but this gown is telling every other royal in the room (and there were plenty) that she is the right up there at the very top. And who can blame Mary for her very regal stance? Plucked from royal obscurity by Queen Victoria to marry a future king, only to see him die before their wedding, she had ended up queen through her wedding to his younger brother. She had raised a house of princes only for the eldest, Edward VIII, to threaten the whole institution when he married for love. Now, she watched another heir wed the person of their choosing but with a far happier ending promised. For Princess Elizabeth, the beloved granddaughter Mary had doted on since her birth, had picked with both heart and head. The little girl who had become the unexpected heir had found a match that even then held all the promise of an historic royal union. Mary may well have worked that out and even if her heart did tremble a little as she watched her Lillibet take this mighty step, you would never have noticed. The head was held high and thanks to Hartnell, the granny of the bride looked every inch the part she had made her own. 

Royal Platinum Wedding: the official photo

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You don't get out of a major royal wedding anniversary without an official photo or two and with just hours to go until they mark 70 years of marriage, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have opened up the latest chapter in their album with a portrait by Matt Holyoak of Camera Press.

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The picture, taken in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle earlier in November 2017, comes with a promise. It's the first of a series of photos which will be released ''worldwide'' to mark the special anniversary. And it's underlining the historic nature of this anniversary. The Queen and Prince Philip are standing in front of portraits of George III and Queen Charlotte who were married for 57 years - the previous record for a monarchical marriage in Britain. It's already proved a huge hit with over 80,000 likes on Instagram in less than 12 hours. 




The Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, married Philip Mountbatten on November 20th 1947 at Westminster Abbey. You can find lots more about this Platinum Wedding Anniversary on the special page here.

Royal Platinum Wedding: Europe's other monarchical marriages

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The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are about to break yet another royal record. On November 20th 2017 they will mark their 70th wedding anniversary, the first British royals to make that milestone. But how do Europe's other monarchs match up when it comes to marital marks? As Elizabeth II and her consort prepare for their platinum, here's a run down of how the sovereigns of Europe measure in the matrimonal market....



Denmark -  50 years


Margrethe of Denmark married Henri de Monpezat on June 10th 1967

Then heiress to the Danish throne, Margrethe wed her French fiance at Holmens Kirke in Copenhagen, before a congregation packed with royals. Queen Margrethe, now 76, has ruled Denmark since 1972 . Her husband. who uses the Danish version of his name (Henrik) now, was officially Prince Consort until 2016. The couple marked their Golden Wedding Anniversary privately this summer but the year has been hard for them. After a row about where they would be buried became very public indeed, it was confirmed by the Danish Royal Household that 83 year old Prince Henrik has dementia.


Norway - 49 years



Harald of Norway married Sonja Haraldesn on August 29th 1968

Harald was Crown Prince of Norway when he caused a controversy with his pick of royal bride. Sonja Haraldsen was without the royal blood on the wish list for anyone marrying the future King of Norway but Harald dug his heels in and after a long courtship, the couple finally got to say 'I do' in August 1968 at Oslo Domkirke. Harald became King of Norway in 1991 and earlier this year he and Queen Sonja celebrated their 80th birthdays with one of the biggest gathering of royals seen in Europe for several years. Their Golden Wedding Anniversary next year could provide another popular party.


Sweden - 41 years


Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden married Silvia Sommerlath on June 19th 1976

Most of Europe's current crop of sovereigns were already married when they took their throne but Carl Gustaf is among that rare group that said 'I do' while already ruling. The young King of Sweden had met his future wife in 1972 but succession laws meant that, had he wed her then, he would have lost his right to the throne and his country would have faced a succession dilemma as only men had rights to the crown at the time and the only other available prince was his ageing uncle, Bertil. But if you can't change laws to marry your love when you are a king, then when can you? Following his succession in 1973, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden sorted out the royal marriage rules and wed Silvia Sommerlath at Stockhol Cathedral in 1976. The couple marked their Ruby Wedding Anniversary last year.

Luxembourg - 36 years

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Henri of Luxembourg married Maria Teresa Mestre on February 14th 1981

Poor old Henri and Maria Teresa. In any other year, they would have taken top billing in the royal wedding stakes but just days after the then Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg wed his university love at the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Prince Charles announced his engagement to Lady Diana Spencer and the rest, as they say, is history. Not that it bothered the newlyweds. The couple are notoriously happy and still look loved up all these years on. Henri became Grand Duke of Luxembourg in 2000 on the abdication of his father, Jean. In 2016, Henri and Maria Teresa released special portraits marking their 35th wedding anniversary.


Belgium - (almost) 18


Philippe of Belgium married Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz on December 4th 1999

OK, we're building Philippe and Mathilde up here but it seems mean not to clock this up to eighteen when they are just days off their wedding anniversary. Philippe, heir to the Belgian throne, surprised qutie a lot of people by announcing his engagement to Mathilde in late summer 1999 but it meant that Europe's royals got to see out a tumultuous century with a glittering and very happy wedding as the year came to an end. The couple wed in a civil ceremony in Brussels followed by a church service at the Cathedral of St Michel and St Gudula. Mathilde turned out to be a very pleasant surprise indeed. Hugely popular, she has seen her star rise and rise. Philippe became King of the Belgians in July 2013 on the abdication of his father, Albert II.


Netherlands - 15 years


Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands married Maxima Zorreguieta on February 2nd 2002

The bride sparkled, the groom couldn't stop smiling and everyone lived happily ever after. That's how to do a royal wedding. Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange wed Maxima in a civil ceremony in Amsterdam followed by a religious service at the city's Nieuwe Kirke starting a royal marriage that has proved one of the most successful of recent times. Willem-Alexander became the first King of the Netherlands in over a century on the abdication of his mother, Beatrix, in April 2013 making that sparkling bride of 2002 into the country's first queen consort in a long, long time. Maxima was anything but daunted by the role. These two look like they might end up rivalling the Queen and Prince Philip in the most famous monarchical marriage stakes.

Spain - 13 years


Felipe of Spain married Letizia Ortiz Rocosolano on May 22nd 2004

Was there ever an heir more eligibile than Felipe, Prince of Asturias. Partly thanks to his good looks and partly thanks to the fact he kept everyone waiting for years for a wedding, anticipation of his nuptials was at fever pitch before they even became a reality. Like several of his other monarchical counterparts, Felipe surprised plenty with his choice of spouse. Letizia Ortiz was a TV star, divorced and just as good looking as her groom. Their wedding, at the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid, was a huge celebration. Felipe became King of Spain on June 19th 2014 on the abdication of his father, King Juan Carlos. The celebrations are a distant memory - right now, the couple are facing one of the toughest times Spain's monarchy has endured in decades and that's saying something. Let's hope fourteen is a luckier number for them.


Monaco - 6 years


Albert of Monaco married Charlene Wittstock on July 1st and 2nd 2011

The most recent royal wedding of Europe's reigning royals is that of Albert II of Monaco who, like Carl XVI Gustaf, had already taken his country's throne when he said 'I do'. Albert married Charlene Wittstock in a civil ceremony on July 1st 2011 and a religious service the following day - both were held at the Prince's Palace in Monaco. If the wedding itself was spectacular, then the build up was even more talked about as rumours spread the bride had tried to run away. Charlene has always denied she tried to flee. The new consort settled into her role and in December 2014 the couple welcomed twins, Jacques and Gabriella.

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