Tuesday 13 November 2018

November's Windsor Brides


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 over 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.

   
 
Queen Elizabeth II,  November 20th 1947
Elizabeth 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 (they had to be sent back, swapping coupons was most definitely not allowed). The couple have gone on to break many royal records and last year became the first monarch and consort in the UK to celebrate a 70th wedding anniversary. A landmark indeed.




Lady Alice Monatgu-Douglas Scott, November 6th 1935
Twelve years before her own big day, the then Princess Elizabeth had been bridesmaid at another November royal wedding. Elizabeth, along with sister Margaret, followed Lady Alice Montagu-Douglas-Scott down the aisle at a small and sombre ceremony held at Buckingham Palace. The bride had lost her father just weeks earlier and the larger ceremony planned for Westminster Abbey was scaled back as a mark of respect. Alice was a quiet bride, the perfect match for her groom, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and third son of King George V and Queen Mary. They went on to have a happy marriage while Alice would become the longest lived member of the British Royal Family ever.



Embed from Getty Images
  


Princess Anne, November 14th 1973
Anne 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. 

No comments:

Post a Comment