A History of Royal weddings; King George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon Until Prince William and Kate Middleton (Catherine Elizabeth Middleton) in 2011(See Similar topic click here)
George VI's wedding
26 April 1923
George VI's three marriage proposals to Elizabeth
Socialite Elizabeth
Old customs prevent the broadcast of the royal wedding
Fears the public would be sitting down, or worse, drinking during the national anthem (an outrage at that time), prevents the broadcast of George VI's wedding in 1923.
Highlights from George VI's wedding
Crowds line the streets as George VI marries Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey, London. (No audio)
 |
| Colin Firth acts as king George VI |
 |
| Elizabeth (The Queen's mother) and King George VI In The Film - The King's Speech |
Elizabeth II's wedding
20 November 1947
 | |
Photo: Princess Elizabeth leaves Westminster Abbey in London, with her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, after their wedding ceremony, 20 November 1947.(Press Association) |
Princess Elizabeth's wedding to Philip Mountbatten took place at Westminster Abbey and was broadcast to 200 million radio listeners around the world. After the ceremony, the pair waved to large crowds from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
Highlight Of Queen Elizabeth II's Wedding
 |
| Photo: Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip wave to the crowds on their wedding day, 20 November 1947. (Press Association) |
More information about: Elizabeth II's wedding
How they met
Princess Elizabeth, born 21 April 1926, was the first child of Albert, Duke of York, and his wife, formerly Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. The abdication of her uncle, Edward VIII, in December 1936 meant her father became king and she became heir. Elizabeth was educated at home. In 1940, she and her sister Margaret were evacuated to Windsor Castle to escape the Blitz. Their parents remained at London's Buckingham Palace - a promise made to the nation at the start of World War II. Philip Mountbatten was born 10 June 1921 on the Greek island of Corfu, the youngest child and only son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg. His early years were spent in France, but he came to England in 1928. He attended Gordonstoun boarding school in Scotland, after which he joined the Royal Navy and saw active service in WWII. Elizabeth and Philip were distant cousins, and first met at a wedding in 1934. After meeting again in 1939, they began to exchange letters. The pair became secretly engaged in 1946, but the formal engagement was delayed until Elizabeth turned 21 in April 1947.
The wedding day
Elizabeth and Philip were married at Westminster Abbey on 20 November 1947, in front of 2,000 invited guests. The ceremony was broadcast on radio, to 200 million listeners worldwide. The wedding dress was designed by Norman Hartnell - a duchesse satin bridal gown with motifs of star lilies and orange blossoms. Princess Elizabeth had to use ration coupons to obtain the material. More than 2,500 wedding presents arrived from around the world, and 10,000 telegrams of congratulations. The couple went to Buckingham Palace after the ceremony where they waved from the balcony to large crowds. They spent their wedding night in Broadlands, Hampshire, the home of Philip's uncle, Earl Mountbatten. The rest of their honeymoon was spent at Birkhall on the Balmoral Estate.
Life after the wedding
The couple's first child, Prince Charles, was born in 1948 and Princess Anne arrived in 1950.
In February 1952, King George VI died and Elizabeth, his daughter, immediately became Queen. In June 1953, her coronation was held at Westminster Abbey, televised by the BBC to a worldwide audience of millions. Prince Andrew was born in 1960, and four years later came Prince Edward.
For decades, the Queen has been performing public duties including ceremonies, receptions and visits. She has also supported numerous charities, and encouraged public and voluntary service. Weekly audiences with prime ministers have been held throughout her reign. The Duke of Edinburgh abandoned his Royal Navy ambitions in order to take on more public duties and support the Queen. In 1956 he launched the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Prince Philip has earned a reputation for speaking his mind, which has sometimes landed him in trouble. Prince William said in 2004 that his grandfather "will tell me something I don't want to hear and doesn't care if I get upset about it. He knows it is the right thing to say". In 2007 the Queen became the first British monarch to celebrate a diamond wedding anniversary.
Princess Margaret's wedding
06 May 1960
 | |
Princess Margaret's first public event with fiancee Antony Princess Margaret's first public event with fiancee Antony Armstrong-Jones, at the Royal Opera House, following their surprise engagement announcement. |
Highlights from Princess Margaret's wedding
Highlights from Princess Margaret's wedding to Antony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey, London.
More information about: Princess Margaret's wedding
How the couple met
Princess Margaret was the daughter of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, born 21 August 1930 at Glamis Castle - the first royal birth in Scotland since the 17th Century. On VE Day in 1945, she mingled with the crowds outside Buckingham Palace along with her older sister Elizabeth, who was to become queen in 1952.
The young princess took an interest in the arts and fashion and was the centre of a young set of aristocrats, know as The Margaret Set. In 1953 she fell in love with one of the Royal Household, Group Captain Peter Townsend. Because he was divorced, marriage to Margaret was judged unacceptable by the Church of England and the political establishment. Eventually, Margaret decided not to marry him. The princess resumed her social life and, in 1958, was introduced to a Cambridge graduate who was making a name for himself as a photographer. Anthony Armstrong-Jones and Princess Margaret were engaged in October 1959.
The wedding day
Thousands lined the streets to witness the Queen's younger sister get married. It was the first ever televised wedding, and 20 million viewers tuned in. Princess Margaret made the journey from Clarence House to Westminster Abbey in the Glass Coach with the Duke of Edinburgh. She dressed in white silk and sported a diamond tiara. Among the 2,000 guests in the church were the King and Queen of Sweden, and the traditional Church of England service was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury. After the ceremony, the pair travelled to Buckingham Palace where they waved to a delighted crowd. The newlyweds boarded the Royal Yacht Britannia on the Thames and set off for a honeymoon in the Caribbean.
Life after the wedding
Antony Armstrong-Jones (now the Earl of Snowdon) and Princess Margaret had two children, Viscount Linley and Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones. Over time, Lord Snowdon tired of official engagements, saying "I'm not royal; I'm just married to one." The couple officially separated in March 1976, and divorced two years later.
Princess Margaret was dogged by ill-health for many years. She suffered a nervous breakdown, had parts of a lung removed and badly scalded her feet in a bathing accident. The operation on her lung failed to stop her smoking. In 1998, she suffered the first of a series of strokes. On 9 February 2002 she died peacefully in her sleep after another stroke. Her funeral took place at St George's Chapel, Windsor. The Earl of Snowdon has continued with his photography work. He remarried in 1978 but later divorced in 2000. In 1999 he received a life peerage so he could keep his seat in the House of Lords.
Princess Anne's wedding
14 November 1973
 |
Photo: Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip wave to the crowds on their wedding day, 20 November 1947. (Press Association) |
An estimated 500 million television viewers from around the world watched Princess Anne marry Captain Mark Phillips in Westminster Abbey. It was only the second time in more than 200 years that a member of the British Royal Family had married a commoner.
The engagement of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips
Mark Phillips' best man at his wedding to Princess Anne discusses the pressures his 'shy' friend faced on marrying into the royal family and a public life.
Highlights from Princess Anne's wedding
Highlights from Princess Anne's wedding to Captain Mark Phillips at Westminster Abbey, London, with commentary from Tom Fleming.
More information about: Princess Anne's wedding
How the couple met
Princess Anne was born at Clarence House on 15 August 1950, the second child and only daughter of Princess Elizabeth (who was to become Queen several years later). She was educated at a boarding school in Kent. She developed a keen interest in horses, won eventing titles and was the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1971. Later, after her wedding, she competed at the Olympic Games in Montreal. Mark Phillips attended Marlborough College and went on to join the Army, where he later reached the rank of captain. In 1972 he won a gold medal at the Munich Olympics in an equestrian event. The pair met through their shared interest in horses, and their engagement was announced in May 1973.
The wedding day
A global television audience of an estimated 500 million watched the Westminster Abbey ceremony.
It was only the second time in more than 200 years that a member of the British Royal Family had married a commoner. Princess Anne wore an embroidered Tudor-style wedding dress with a high collar and medieval sleeves. Lieutenant Phillips was in the full scarlet and blue uniform of his regiment, the Queen's Dragoon Guards. Her younger brother, nine-year-old Prince Edward, was pageboy. Crowds lined the streets on the wedding day, which had been declared a bank holiday. The pair honeymooned aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia on the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Life after the wedding
In 1974 the pair escaped a kidnap attempt in which four people were wounded. They were being driven down the Mall on their way back to Buckingham Palace after an event. Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips had two children - Peter, born in 1977 and Zara in 1981. They divorced in April 1992. The same year, Princess Anne married Commander Timothy Laurence, formerly one of the Queen's equerries. She received the title of Princess Royal from the Queen in 1987, and earned a reputation as carrying out the most engagements of any member of the Royal Family. Her charity work includes a role as president of the Save The Children Fund.
Captain Mark Phillips also remarried and had a daughter with his new wife, a former Olympic horse rider.
Next Prince Charls and Diana's Wedding
Resource : BBC NEWS
Comments
Post a Comment