The brides who came across the sea to marry into Windsor

The brides who came across the sea to marry into Windsor

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After a frenzy of excitement about a possible royal engagement on Friday, it's back to the waiting game this weekend. Any upcoming royal nuptials are still top secret but that doesn't change the fact that just about all of us have decided Prince Harry is going to marry Meghan Markle. And if when he does, his bride will be joining a rather select club. For the House of Windsor has brought mostly homeborn brides into its ranks. Despite that, some of those saying 'I do' have travelled across seas to marry into Windsor and Meghan will (probably) be the latest with that claim. So as we keep on waiting (it really only heightens the excitement more), here's a look back at some of the brides from other lands who have wed a Windsor....

The Duchess of Windsor

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Bride Bessie Wallis Warfield Simpson

Born Pennsylvania, United States of America on June 19th 1896

 

Married Edward, Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, Emperor of India

When June 3rd 1937

Where Chateau de Cande, south of Tours in France

Before the wedding Twice married Mrs Simpson caused a sensation when news of her relationship with the then King Edward VIII broke. When her lover demanded she become his wife, the Abdication Crisis ensued and Edward gave up his throne to ensure their marriage in December 1936.

After the wedding Wallis became the Duchess of Windsor but was never given the HRH title both she and her husband wanted. The couple lived in exile for their whole married life. Edward died in Paris in 1972 and Wallis passed away in the same city in 1986.

Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent


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Bride Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark

Born Athens, Greece on December 13th 1906

Married George, Duke of Kent, fourth son of George V and Queen Mary

When November 29th 1934

Where Westminster Abbey, London

Before the marriage Marina's grandparents included King George I of Greece and Tsar Alexander II of Russia. Along with her parents, Prince Nichoas of Greece and Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia, she was forced into exile. Marina was just 11 and she spent the rest of her youth in Paris before meeting the handsome if rather racy fourth son of George V and Queen Mary in London in 1932.

After the marriage Marina became HRH The Duchess of Kent and took on a wide range of engagements for her new royal household as well as filling her regal nursery with two sons and a daughter. Marina was widowed on August 25th 1942 when the Duke of Kent was killed in a plane accident while on active service with the RAF. She continued to be a high profile member of the House of Windsor and died on August 27th 1968 at Kensington Palace, London.

The Duchess of Gloucester

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Bride Birgitte Eva van Deurs, born Birgitte Eva Henrikson

  

Born Odense, Denmark on June 20th 1946

Married Prince Richard of Gloucester, second son of Henry, Duke of Gloucester and a grandson of King Georeg V and Queen Mary

When July 8th 1972

Where St Andrew's Church, Barnwell, Northamptonshire

Before the marriage Birgitte van Deurs met Richard of Gloucester at Cambridge in the 1960s when they were both students there. She worked at the Danish Embassy in London in the years before her marriage.

After the marriage Six weeks after their wedding, Richard and Birgitte's lives changed forever when the groom's older brother, William, was killed in a plane accident. Richard was now heir to the Dukedom of Gloucester and inherited when his father, Henry, died in 1974. The new Duke and Duchess of Gloucester quickly took on a wide range of royal engagements as well as building a family of two daughters and a son. They continue to be active working royals today.

Princess Michael of Kent

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Bride Princess Michael of Kent

  

Born January 15th 1945, Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic (then called Carlsbad and part of the Sudetenland)

Married Prince Michael of Kent, grandson of King George V and Queen Mary

When June 30th 1978

Where Vienna, Austria

Before the wedding Marie Christine von Reibnitz was a rather controversial royal bride. She was divorced when she wed Prince Michael and for that reason their marriage took place overseas. Marie Christine had lived part of her early life in Australia following her own parents' divorce. She married Thomas Troubridge in London in 1971 but they separated in 1973 and were divorced in 1977. The marriage was annulled by the Pope in 1978.

After the wedding The couple set home in England and have carried out public engagements since. Marie Christine is also an author and has an interest in conservation work. Prince and Princess Michael of Kent have a son and daughter and two granddaughters.

The Countess of Snowdon

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Bride Serena Alleyne Stanhope

Born County Limerick, Republic of Ireland on March 1st 1970

Married David, Viscount Linley, only son of Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon and grandson of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother

When October 8th 1993

Where St. Margaret's Church, Westminster

Before the wedding Serena Stanhope is the daughter of the Earl of Harrington and spent the early part of her life in Ireland.

After the wedding David and Serena have two children together, Charles and Margarita. They became Earl and Countess of Snowdon in January 2017 on the death of Antony, Earl of Snowdon.

Mrs. Peter Phillips

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Bride Autumn Patricia Kelly

Born Montreal, Quebec, Canada on May 3rd 1978

Married Peter Phillips, only son of Princess Anne, the Princess Royal and her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, and eldest grandson of Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh

When May 17th 2008

Where St. George's Chapel, Windsor

Before the wedding Autumn Kelly grew up in Canada and went on to work as a model and actress before getting a job with a technology firm in England. Before then she had already met Peter Phillips, eldest grandchild of the Queen and Prince Philip. Ahead of her marriage, Autumn converted from Catholicism to Anglicanism - without that decision, the couple's children would not have been eligible to succeed to the throne.

After the wedding The first of the Queen's grandchildren to marry, Peter Phillips attracted controversy when he and his new bride agreed a deal with Hello magazine for some of their wedding photos. Following their marriage, the couple lived briefly in Hong Kong before settling again in England. Autumn is the mother of the Queen's eldest great grandchild, Savannah Phillips, who was born in December 2010. She and her husband welcomed a second daughter, Isla, in March 2012.

Photo credit: Wiki Commons

Royal Wedding Flowers: orchids

Royal Wedding Flowers: orchids

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It's known as a luxurious flower and symbolises love so it's perhaps surprising that the orchid doesn't feature in every royal wedding bouquet. This exotic bloom isn't one of the most regular flowers used by royal brides but it's featured in some of the most famous bouquets of recent times. Among them, the bouquet that was carried at a wedding still making history today. Yes, the flowers chosen by the then Princess Elizabeth for her marriage on November 20th 1947 included orchids. As the Queen and Prince Philip prepare to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary in just a few days time, here are five times royal brides have chosen orchids for their bouquets.




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Queen Elizabeth II, November 20th 1947

The Queen's wedding bouquet was a spectacular sprawling sprig of flowers that featured orchids among its  blooms. The then Princess Elizabeth went for three types of British orchids in the bouquet made by Martin Longman of Ludgate in London. She chose from five ideas submitted by the florist and ended up with a rather exotic looking royal bouquet that inspired many other brides in its day. It also went AWOL before the photos and another one was made while she honeymooned. Back at Buck House, the newlyweds posed for more pictures with the blooms on show. Well, when you've got three types of orchid (cattleya, odontoglossum and cypripedium) as well as a sprig of myrtle from the bush planted by Queen Victoria at Osborne then why not?



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Princess Margaret, May 6th 1960

Margaret Rose did like to make a point of how she had been born the younger sister and so wasn't really considered as important as Lillibet the Queen. You could read that into this bouquet which is a much smaller affair than that carried by her big sister and contains orchids in their miniature form. You have to peer pretty hard to see them among the stephanotis and lily of the valley that Margaret also chose. There was always an element of theatre with this princess.

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Diana, Princess of Wales, July 29th 1981


Given the amount of flowers she carried down the aisle of St Paul's Cathedral, it's not surprising that Diana got some orchids into her bouquet somewhere along the line. Even the official press release about Diana's flowers noted how big they were. The cascading, Edwardian style bouquet also contained roses (named in honour of Charles' beloved uncle, Lord Mountbatten), ivy, freesias and lily of the valley.



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Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, June 19th 2010
Victoria was another royal bride who packed in the petals when it came to her wedding bouquet but given that her nuptials were billed as the biggest regal marriage since Charles and Diana, that's perhaps only to be expected. The future queen of Sweden chose a sweet smelling selection of white flowers for her bouquet with orchids joined by peonies, roses and valley lilies in the flowing confection. 


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Stephanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, October 20th 2012
The bride of the last heir to the throne of his generation to get married was always going to wow at her wedding and Stephanie sparkled so much that we're still getting over it, five years on. Among the many triumphs of her two day wedding celebration was the bouquet carried into the religious service at the Cathedral de Notre Dame in Luxembourg on October 20th. Made by the famous Parisian florist, Maison Lechaume, it consists of white orchids, roses and ivy in a delicate swirling shape. Rather pretty and just the right contrast with the acres of gorgeous lace in her Elie Saab frock. Stephanie was a bride to be reckoned with and her flowers look fragrant, even now.

A trio of November royal brides

A trio of November royal brides

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The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh on their wedding day

November 20th 1947, Buckingham Palace

November isn't overladen with royal weddings but among them is one of the most historic royal of them all. For this is the month in which the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh celebrate their wedding anniversary. The longest marriage in British royal history began on a cold November day in 1947 and seven decades later it's still being celebrated. The sparkle and joy of that event is among those remembered here as we look at three royal brides for November.

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   Queen Elizabeth II,  November 20th 1947Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, then heir to the throne, married Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on November 20th 1947 at Westminster Abbey, London. The wedding of the elder daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth was broadcast to millions around the world and it was seen as a beacon of hope in the post war years with the bride famously receiving ration coupons from around the country to help provide for her wedding dress. The couple have gone on to break many royal records and this month they celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary. A landmark indeed.

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Princess Anne, November 14th 1973Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise, only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, married Captain Mark Phillips on November 14th 1973 at Westminster Abbey with tens of millions watching on television. Anne, later Princess Royal, was the first of the Queen's children to wed and her husband famously refused a title at the time of their marriage. They had two children, Peter and Zara, and shared a love of horse riding and equestrianism. They divorced in 1992. 

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Alexandra Manley, November 18th 1995Alexandra Christina Manley became a royal bride on November 18th 1995 when she married Prince Joachim, the younger son of Queen Margarethe II of Denmark. Their wedding was held at the Chapel of Frederiksborg Castle, Hillerod with a reception at the Fredensborg Palace. It was the first big royal nuptials in several years and attracted guests from all the ruling houses of Europe as the then second in line to the Danish throne said 'I do'. The couple had two sons, Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix, but soon after the marriage of Joachim's brother, Frederik, in 2004 they announced their separation and they were divorced in 2005.  

Three royal brides for October

Three royal brides for October

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Stephanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, was an October bride
(photo Grand Cour Ducale)

You don't get that many royal weddings in October. It's getting chilly for a start and this part of the year in modern times is often pencilled in for overseas tours and State Visits while the regal agenda firmly beds in after the summer break. But every now and again we get an early autumn royal bride - here's a trio that said 'I do' in October.

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Countess Stephanie Marie Claudine Christine de Lannoy, October 19th and 20th 2012

The marriage of Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Stephanie de Lannoy in October 2012 was billed as the last wedding of an heir to the throne for the best part of a generation. The bride, who speciliased in languages, became engaged to her prince in April 2012 and they married in a civil ceremony at the Town Hall in Luxembourg on October 19th before a religious marriage at Notre Dame Cathedral the following day attended by royalty from around the world. Five years on, they are turning into the stars of a new royal generation.

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Infanta Cristina Federica Victoria Antonia de la Santisima Trinidad of Spain, October 4th 1997

Once upon a time, Spain's monarchy was among the most popular in the world and one of its favourite members was the Infanta Cristina. When the second daughter of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain married Olympic bronze medal handball player, Inaki Urdangarin, in Barcelona on October 4th 1997 the bride was just about as popular as a bride gets and the couple were feted as a golden pairing among their generation. They were created Duke and Duchess of Palma de Mallorca  by the bride's father and had four children together. But a lot has changed in the past twenty years. The couple were accused of financial irregularities and ended up on trial. Earlier this year, Cristina was acquitted of fraud but her husband was found guilty of embezzlement and is appealing. But the wedding present of a proud papa is gone - Cristina lost the right to use the title of Duchess of Palma in 2015 before her acquittal. She remains sixth in line to the Spanish throne.

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Serena Alleyne Stanhope, October 8th 1993
The Queen's nephew, the new Earl Snowdon, was always a glamourous member of the extended Royal Family and when he married in 1993 it was a glittering affair. His bride, Serena Stanhope, was a distant cousin of Diana, Princess of Wales and wore a dress inspired by the famous creation chosen by her new mother-in-law, Princess Margaret, over two decades earlier. The marriage, at St Margaret's Church, Westminister on October 8th 1993, made front pages around the world and the bride's outfit remains among the most famous of modern royal times.

5 royal outfits for a civil marriage

5 royal outfits for a civil marriage

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Royal civil weddings, eh? Why on earth would anyone be thinking about those right now? Odd. But as we are, let's talk outfits. Several European royals have had a civil and religious wedding on the same day in which case there's no change for the bride. They can keep their big frocks to themselves right now. We're looking at outfits made purely for a civil marriage. Other brides have said 'I do' in front of a registrar in a different outfit from the one worn to the church for their religious wedding or blessing afterwards. Among them is Claire Lademacher whose civil wedding to Prince Felix of Luxembourg took place on September 17th 2013. In honour of that, and the possibility we might just be doing civil weddings in the UK again sometime soon, here's a look at five recent times we've seen royal brides dressed for a civil marriage.

Princess Claire of Luxembourg

Civil Ceremony September 17th 2013

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And the bride wore white. No surprises there then. Claire Margareta Lademacher's civil marriage to Prince Felix, second in line to the throne of Luxembourg, took place in Konigtein near Frankfurt on September 17th 2013. Claire, whose civil wedding took place near her home town as is traditional, chose a simple but striking ivory dress with cap sleeves and a peplum waist. Keeping it bridal, she carried a bouquet of cream roses with white flowers and added something blue with aquamarine jewels. The couple's religious wedding took place on September 21st 2013.

Princess Charlene of MonacoCivil Ceremony July 1st 2011

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Charlene Lynette Wittstock went for all blue when she wed Prince Albert II of Monaco in a civil ceremony in the principality on July 1st 2011. The bride chose a shimmering shade that was dubbed 'Charlene blue' after the wedding. Charlene also helped design the outfit alongside Karl Lagerfeld. It was a surprising look, pairing chiffon trousers with a neat jacket. But it made more sense in the evening when the bride lost the jacket and revealed the trousers were part of a rather cutting edge strapless outfit. This is perhaps the most unusual royal wedding outfit we'll see in a long while. The couple's religious wedding took place on July 2nd 2011.

The Duchess of CornwallCivil Ceremony April 9th 2005



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Camilla Rosemary Parker Bowles kept things much more traditional when she said 'I do' to the Prince of Wales in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall on April 9th 2005. Camilla chose a chiffon cream dress with applique details at the hem and a cream coat, both by Robinson Valentine. There was a cream hat with feathers, by Philip Treacy, but no flowers for this civil marriage - Camilla kept the bouquet for the blessing at St George's Chapel, Windsor, later that day.

Princess Laurentien of the NetherlandsCivil Ceremony May 17th 2001



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Petra Laurentien Brinkhorst was pretty in pink for her civil wedding to Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands on May 17th 2001 in The Hague. Constantijn was the first of the three sons of Beatrix of the Netherlands to wed and his bride got things off to a bright start with a rosy wrap coat and pale mauve wide brimmed hat that made sure no one lost this new princess in the crowd. Laurentien was the only one of the three brides of that royal generation to have a separate outfit for her first ceremony - she was traditional in white for her religious wedding in The Hague on May 19th 2001.



Stephanie of LuxembourgCivil Ceremony, October 19th 2012


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Let's head back to where we started because the recent royal brides of Luxembourg have been kind in providing civil wedding outfits. Stephanie Marie Claudine Christine de Lannoy chose a cream Chanel suit for her civil marriage at the Town Hall in Luxembourg City on October 19th 2012. The new Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg kept the accessories simple for this part of her wedding celebrations letting the famous jacket and skirt style speak for itself. The couple's religious wedding took place on October 20th 2012.Photo credit: Grand Cour Ducale, Eric Chanel.