Category Archives: People

Princess Elizabeth as a Royal Bridesmaid

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Princess Elizabeth (now known as Queen Elizabeth II) married Prince Philip on November 20, 1947 in a grand wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London, England. But before she was a British Royal Bride marrying her prince charming she was a bridesmaid at four different British Royal weddings.  In this post I will discuss those weddings in more detail and also show photos of Princess Elizabeth as an adorable young bridesmaid and then as a women of twenty years old the year before she herself was married.

The wedding of Lady May Cambridge to Henry Abel Smith – 1931

Princess Elizabeth was a very young bridesmaid at the wedding of Lady May Cambridge (formerly Princess May of Teck) to Henry Abel Smith on October 24, 1931 in Balcombe, Sussex.  Lady May’s parents were Prince Alexander of Teck and Prince Alice of Albany, Lady May was also the niece of Queen Mary who was the sister of her father.  The groom was a Captain in the Royal Horse Guards. 

The wedding of Lady May Cambridge to Henry Abel Smith
(Princess Elizabeth is the one holding the hand of the bride)
photo credit to the National Portrait Gallery

Lady May’s simple wedding dress was made of ivory satin; a slight train fell from her shoulders.  She wore a Honiton wedding veil which Queen Mary had loaned to her niece.  The veil had previously been worn by the Queen when she was Princess May of Teck and married Prince George, Duke of York (later to become King George V), in London on July 6, 1893 at the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace. For more information about their wedding, please click on the link

Lady May Cambridge with Princess Elizabeth
photo credit to the National Portrait Gallery

Princess Elizabeth was only five years old at the time of the wedding of Lady May and was one of several young bridesmaids, she wore a light blue long dress with puff sleeves.  This event was one of her first public official duties as a British Royal.     

Princess Elizabeth
photo credit to the National Portrait Gallery

Special Note:  Two things regarding Lady May, first during World War I there were strong anti-German feelings in England and many families with German surnames changed them to something more English sounding, thus Prince Alexander changed their name from Teck to Cambridge.  Secondly, Princess May broke with a century old tradition and had the word “obey” omitted from her wedding vows.   

The wedding of the Prince George, Duke of Kent to Princess Marina – 1934

The next time Princess Elizabeth was a bridesmaid it was for the wedding of Prince George, the Duke of Kent to Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark that took place on November 29, 1934 at Westminster Abbey in London.  Prince George was the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary. Princess Marina was the youngest daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark and Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia.   

the wedding of Prince George, the Duke of Kent to
Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark
(Princess Elizabeth is seen on the bottom left of the photo)

There were actually two wedding ceremonies, the first was the one held at Westminster Abbey and a second smaller Greek Orthodox service took place in the Private Chapel at Buckingham Palace.  Princess Marina wore a white silk and silver lame brocade dress designed by Edward Molyneux and a tulle veil held in place with a diamond fringe tiara that belong to her mother.    

Princess Elizabeth was a niece to Prince George and as a bridesmaid she wore a rather whimsical short satin dress with an organdy overlay and layered ruffled sleeves    

Princess Elizabeth

Special Note:  The wedding of Prince George, the Duke of Kent to Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark was the first British Royal wedding to be broadcast live on the radio. 

The wedding of Prince Henry, the Duke of Gloucester to Lady Alice Scott – 1935

The wedding of Prince Henry, the Duke of Gloucester and Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott took place on November 6, 1935 in the Private Chapel of Buckingham Palace.  Prince Henry was the third son of King George V and Queen Mary. Lady Alice was the third daughter of the John Montagu Douglas Scott, the 7th Duke of Buccleuch and Lady Margaret Bridgeman.  Originally the wedding had been scheduled to take place at Westminster Abbey but the bride’s father died shortly before the wedding date and the venue was moved to accommodate a smaller private wedding at Buckingham Palace.   

the wedding of Prince Henry and Lady Alice
(Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret are the two bridesmaids sitting)

Lady Alice’s wedding dress was designed by Norman Hartnell and it was an unusual color choice of a lovely shade of pale pink satin; this was per her request because she was an older bride at the age of 34.  The dress featured a high neckline accented with artificial orange blossoms, long sleeves and a cathedral length train.

For the young bridesmaids, which included Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret who were the nieces of Prince Henry, Hartnell designed short dresses of pale pink stain trimmed with tiers of ruffled tulle (as shown in the photo below).

Princess Elizabeth waiting for the bride and groom to depart on their honeymoon
(I love her facial expression of pure joy!)

Special Note:  Lady Elizabeth, the Duchess of York (later to become Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother) was so delighted with the bridesmaid dresses Norman Hartnell designed for her two small daughters that she became his steadfast client.  Hartnell went on to become her primary dress designer and when her husband became King George VI, he designed the famous White Wardrobe for a state visit to France in 1938.  Hartnell went on to design the wedding dress for Princess Elizabeth when she married Prince Philip in 1947 and also her coronation dress when she was crowned Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.  For his work with the British Royal Family, Hartnell received the Royal Warrant as dressmaker to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in 1940 and later the Royal Warrant as dressmaker to Queen Elizabeth II in 1957.   (Please click on the links for more information regarding the White Wardrobe, Princess Elizabeth’s wedding dress and Queen Elizabeth II coronation dress)  

The wedding of Patricia Mountbatten to John Knatchbull – 1946

The wedding of Patricia Mountbatten to John Knatchbull the 7th Baron Brabourn took place on October 26, 1946 at Romsey Abbey in Hampshire, England.  Patricia was the eldest daughter of Louis Mountbatten, the 1st Earl of Burma and Admiral of the Fleet and Edwina Ashley.  John was the second son of Michael Knatchbull, the 5th Baron Brabourne and Lady Doreen Browne, his father had been the Governor of Bombay, Governor of Bengal and then later the Viceroy of India. 

the wedding of Patricia Mountbatten to John Knatchbull
(Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret are the two bridesmaids on the bottom right)

Patrica’s wedding gown was made of Indian silver-gold brocade and she wore the diamond and pearl Mountbatten Star tiara, the tiara had previously been worn by Edwina, the bride’s mother, when she married in 1922.  The four bridesmaids, which included Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, wore blue satin long dresses with puff sleeves with floral wreaths on their heads.

Many members of the British Royal family attended the wedding including King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, notice in the photo below that the Queen is wearing a silver grey dress and a silver fox fur trimmed with ostrich feathers.  Patricia’s godfather, the Duke of Windsor, was not in attendance due to his estrangement from the British Royal family caused by his abdication in 1936. 

the Royal Family arriving at the wedding
King George VI, Princess Elizabeth, Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth

Prince Philip, a first cousin to the bride, was noticeably present at the wedding and his romance with Princess Elizabeth was revealed to the public when they supposedly exchange amorous glances which were caught by the photographers and newsmen covering the wedding as shown in the photo below.  Special Note: Their official engagement was announced on July 9, 1947 and the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip would take place on November 20, 1947 at Westminster Abbey.  For more detailed information about their wedding please click on the link.   

I hope you enjoyed this post about Princess Elizabeth as a bridesmaid throughout the years.  If you are interested in information about the origin and history behind the role of the flower girl and what their purpose is in today’s modern weddings, please click on the link.

Buckingham Palace balcony

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One of the most iconic moments in a British Royal wedding, and the one that the public and the press patiently waits for in anticipation, is the scene on the Buckingham Palace balcony.  In 2011 Prince William and Kate Middleton (now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) were seen on the balcony after their wedding ceremony kissing not once but twice!!

Throughout the centuries many British Kings and Queens have appeared on the Buckingham balcony for special events such as Coronations, Jubilees, Royal weddings,  State occasions and sometimes even in the celebration of the end of war, such as World War I and World War II.  In this post I will discuss some of those events in chronological order.

The first recorded balcony appearance was by Queen Victoria in 1851 shortly after the opening of the Great Exhibition.  She took to the balcony to acknowledge the crowds that had gathered for the international event being held in the Crystal Palace.  The successful exhibition had been organized by Prince Albert to promote British manufacturing and goods.

The earliest photograph showing a Buckingham Palace balcony appearance was taken in 1893 on the occasion of the wedding of Prince George to Princess May (later King George V and Queen Mary).  The grainy photograph shows Queen Victoria standing in the center of the balcony with other wedding guests as below a carriage is seen with the bridal couple leaving for their honeymoon.

The photograph above shows Queen Victoria on the Buckingham Palace balcony on the occasion of the wedding of Prince George and Princess Mary in 1858

With the death of Queen Victoria in 1901 followed by the death of King Edward VII in 1910 the next in line to the British throne was King George V.  With his accession, the planning of his Coronation took almost a year and the event took place at Westminster Abbey on June 22, 1911.  Upon their return to Buckingham Palace King George and Queen Mary appeared on the balcony to acknowledge the good wishes of the public waiting below at the gates.

The photograph above shows King George and Queen Mary making an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony after the coronation in 1911

After the British and their Allies defeated Germany in World War I and when the Armistice was made official on November 11, 1918 crowds gathered at Buckingham Palace calling for the King to make an appearance.  King George came out on the Buckingham Palace balcony with Queen Mary and, with thunderous cheers, the crowds joyfully acknowledged their Sovereign and the end of the war.  This was the first time that a Royal appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony was recorded on film and the event was shown later in movie theaters across the country.

The photograph above shows the crowds greeting King George V and Queen Mary after the end of World War I in 1918

Following the Great War, England underwent many political and social changes.  The role of the monarchy changed with the Sovereign still the Head of State but now the elected Parliament would have the ability to determine legislation.  The Constitutional monarchy would developed with more ceremonial duties, such as Royal tours and State dinners for visiting dignitaries.  Now the once private Royal weddings would become grand public events with the famous British pomp and ceremony.

When the King and Queen’s only daughter Princess Mary married George Lascelles the Earl of Harewood in 1922 the precedence was set for future Royal weddings when the Royal couple became the first to make an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony as shown in the historical photograph below.  King George, Queen Mary and the Dowager Queen Alexandra, the bride’s grandmother, also joined the Royal couple on the balcony.  Sadly, a few short years later the Dowager would become a relative recluse at her home in Sandringham as her health declined and she died in 1925.  (Special Note: For more detailed information on this wedding, please click on the link to A Royal Wedding: Princess Mary and George Lascelles)

In the photograph above, from left to right – King George V, Princess Mary, the Earl of Harewood, the Dowager Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary

In 1923 there was another Royal wedding when the King and Queen’s second son Prince George married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth)  The vivacious Lady Elizabeth was the perfect choice to be the bride for the shy “Bertie” and in the years to come she would become a very formidable force within the British Royal family. After the ceremony the new Duke and Duchess of York appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony to acknowledge the cheering crowds that had gathered.  (Special Note: For more detailed information, please click on the links to A Royal Wedding: Prince Albert and Lady Elizabeth and  A Royal Bride: Lady Elizabeth)

The Duke and Duchess of York
on the Buckingham Palace balcony on their wedding day in 1923

In 1936 after the death of his father King George V and the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII, King George VI ascended to the British throne and this period became known as “the Year of the Three Kings”.  The coronation of King George VI took place on May 12, 1937 at Westminster Abbey and afterwards the King and Queen Elizabeth appeared on the Buckingham Palace Balcony with their two young daughters, Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) and Princess Margaret.  The Dowager Queen Mary set a Royal precedence when she attended the coronation of her son and she joined the Royal family on the balcony as the crowds gathered below cheered their approval.

The photograph above was taken at the Coronation of King George VI in 1937
from left to right – Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth, Queen Mary,
Princess Margaret and King George

In 1945, after the end of World War II, joyfull crowds once again gathered in front of Buckingham Palace cheering for the King to make an appearance.  On May 8, VE Day, King George and Queen Elizabeth were joined on the balcony by Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret.  Also joining the Royal family was Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister.  (Special Note:  It has long been rumored that the young Princesses begged their parents to let them join the public in the celebration of the end of the war.  The King gave his permission reluctantly and Princess Elizabeth with Princess Margaret are said to have gone unnoticed walking among the crowds on the London streets.  It has also been reported that the Princesses stood at the gates of Buckingham Palace later in the day and joined the crowds cheering for the King and Queen!)

VE Day 1945 – from right to left
Princess Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth, Winston Churchill,
King George VI and Princess Margaret

Just a few years after the end of World War II Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip were married on November 20 1947 at Westminster Abbey.  Although the cousins had known each other through the Royal family, the story goes that the Princess became smitten with the handsome Prince when she was a young girl and corresponded by letter with him during the war years and eventually the Prince proposed.  After the ceremony the Royal couple appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony to acknowledge the cheering crowds gathered at the gates.  (Special Note: For more detailed information, please click on the links to A Royal Wedding: Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip and A Royal Bride: Princess Elizabeth)

Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip
on the Buckingham Palace balcony on their wedding day in 1947

Five years later, with the death of her father King George in 1952, Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the British throne.  On June 2 1953 her Coronation took place at Westminster Abbey and Queen Elizabeth appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony with her husband Prince Phillip and their two small children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne.  (For more detailed information, please click on the link to the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II)

The photograph above was taken at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953
from left to right – Queen Elizabeth II, a young Prince Charles
and Princess Anne and Prince Philip

One of the most memorable moments to occur on the Buckingham Palace balcony took place on the occasion of the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer on July 29 1981.  The ceremony was held at St. Paul’s Cathedral instead of Westminster Abbey which has been the traditional site for Royal weddings.  What makes the balcony appearance of Prince Charles and Princess Diana such an iconic moment was that it was the first time a Royal couple had kissed.  This romantic gesture was not a sign of a fairytale marriage and in 1992 the separation of the Prince and Princess of Wales was announced and in 1996 the divorce was finalized.  Sadly, in 1997 Princess Diana died in a tragic car accident in Paris.

Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer
on the Buckingham Palace balcony on their wedding day in 1981

Thirty years later, the oldest son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Prince William married Catherine Middleton in a grand ceremony held at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011.  After a procession through the streets of London the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony.  To the cheers of the crowd, the Royal couple kissed not once but twice!!

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
on the Buckingham Palace balcony on their wedding day in 2011

Throughout the years, there have been other Buckingham Palace balcony appearances.  On the occasion of her Jubilee celebrations Queen Elizabeth has made several balcony appearances – 1977 for her Silver Jubilee to mark 25 years, 2002 for her Golden Jubilee to mark 50 years, 2012 for her Diamond Jubilee to mark 60 years as Queen and 2017 for her Sapphire Jubilee.  (Special Note: Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning British monarch on September 9 2015 when she surpassed the reign of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria. Most recently, on February 6  2017 Queen Elizabeth became the first British monarch to celebrate a Sapphire Jubilee, commemorating 65 years on the throne)

Queen Elizabeth II on the Buckingham Palace balcony
in celebration of her Diamond Jubilee in 2012
with Prince Charles and Prince William

Recently the engagement of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s second son, Prince Harry to Megan Markle was announced in November 2017: their wedding will take place in May 2018 at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.  Two months later, Princess Eugenie (the second daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah, the Duchess of York) and Jack Brooksbank announced their engagement in January 2018; their wedding will also take place at St. George’s Chapel in October 2018.  Since both these weddings will be taking place at Windsor Castle which is located over 30 miles from Buckingham Palace in London do not expect the traditional balcony appearance for either Royal couple.