A History of Royal Weddings at Windsor Castle

On 12 October 2018, Princess Eugenie and Mr. Jack Brooskbank will become the 17th Royal Couple to wed at Windsor.

Here's a look back at all of Windsor's Royal Brides and Grooms in the last 150 years. 

1863

The Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra of Denmark

Prince Albert, the future Edward VII, known to his family as 'Bertie', met Danish Princess Alexandra in 1861 at the Cathedral in Speyer, Germany. He proposed on the 9 September 1862.

The wedding took place at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, and was witnessed by his mother, Queen Victoria who was seated in the Catherine of Aragon closet.

Born on 9 November 1841 as Prince Albert Victor, Bertie was the oldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and was baptised at St George's Chapel on 25 January 1842.

1866

Princess Helena and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein

Following their engagement on 5 December 1865, Princess Helena, who was the fifth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, married Prince Christian in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle.

The Princess was given away by her mother, Queen Victoria, who added a white mourning cap to her black mourning dress. Louise was also accompanied up the aisle by The Prince of Wales and her eight bridesmaids.

1871

Princess Louise and The Marquess of Lorne

Princess Louise, the sixth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, married John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne, heir to the Dukedom of Argyll, at St George's Chapel after becoming engaged on 3 October 1870.

On the wedding day, Louise wore a wedding veil of Honiton lace that she designed herself, and was escorted into the Chapel by her mother and her two eldest brothers – The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Edinburgh. The couple later became The Duke and Duchess of Argyll.

1879

Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia

Prince Arthur, the seventh child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, married Princess Louise at St George's Chapel. Louise was the daughter of Prince Frederick Charles and was a great-niece of the German Emperor, Arthur's godfather, Wilhelm I.

The couple went on to have three children, who were all raised at Bagshot Park in Surrey, which is the current residence of The Earl and Countess of Wessex – who were also married at St George's Chapel.

1880

Princess Frederica of Hanover and Luitbert, Von Pawel Rammingen

Princess Frederica, the elder daughter of King George V of Hanover (a grandson of George III) and Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg, married Baron Alfons Von Pawel-Rammingen at St George's Chapel.

Alfred Tennyson, the Poet Laureate, wrote a quatrain in honour of Frederica's marriage, focusing on her relationship to her blind father, who had died two years earlier;


"O you that were eyes and light to the King till he past away
From the darkness of life —
He saw not his daughter — he blest her: the blind King sees you to-day,
He blesses the wife"

1882

Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont

Prince Leopold, the eighth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, married Princess Helena Friederike, the daughter of Georg Viktor, reigning Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont at St George's Chapel.

On the wedding day, Princess Helena was given away by her father and her brother-in-law, King Willem III of the Netherlands. The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Connaught acted as the Groom's Best Men.

1891

Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein and Prince Aribert of Anhalt

Princess Marie Louise, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, followed in the footsteps of her parents, Princess Helena and Prince Christian, when she married Prince Aribert at St George's Chapel.

Prince Aribert was the third son of Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt and Princess Antoinette of Saxe-Altenburg.

1904

Princess Alice Mary of Albany and Prince Alexander of Teck

Princess Alice, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, also followed in the footsteps of her parents, Prince Leopold and Princess Helena, by marrying Prince Alexander at St George's Chapel.

Prince Alexander was the brother of Princess Mary, The Princess of Wales (later Queen Mary, consort of George V).

The couple later became known as The Earl and Countess of Athlone.

1905

Princess Margaret of Connaught and Prince Gustaf Adolph of Sweden

Princess Margaret, the daughter of The Duke of Connaught, whose wedding took place at St George's Chapel in 1879, married Prince Gustaf who later became King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden.

The couple met during a visit to Egypt, and Gustaf proposed during a dinner held by Lord Cromer at the British Consulate in Egypt.

One of Margaret's wedding presents was the Connaught tiara, which remains in the Swedish Royal Jewellery collection today.

1919

Lady Helena Cambridge and Major John Gibbs

Lady Helena, who was the daughter of the Marquess of Cambridge and niece of Queen Mary, married Major Gibbs of the Coldstream Guards at St George's Chapel.

1957

Anne Abel Smith and David Liddell-Grainger

Anne, a granddaughter of The Earl and Countess of Athlone, married David Liddell-Grainger at St George's Chapel.

In 1904, The Earl and Countess, then Prince Alexander of Teck and Princess Alice Mary of Albany, had also married at St George's Chapel.

1992

Lady Helen Windsor and Timothy Taylor

Lady Helen Windsor, the daughter of The Duke of Kent, married Timothy Taylor at St George's Chapel.

Helen wore a dress designed by Catherine Walker, which was inspired by the architecture of the wedding venue.

1999

Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones

Prince Edward, The Queen's youngest child, married Sophie Rhys-Jones at St George's Chapel.

The Earl's two brothers, The Prince of Wales and The Duke of York acted his supporters during the Service.

After the ceremony, the newly married couple rode in an open, horse-drawn carriage around the town of Windsor. Edward was created The Earl of Wessex on the morning of the ceremony, and the couple are now known as The Earl and Countess of Wessex.

2005

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall were married at a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall. A Service of Prayer and Dedication at St George's Chapel followed. The Service was attended by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, and was led by The Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Duchess's flower bouquet contained daffodils, jasmine, Lily of the Valley, pink and cream lillies, camellias, hydrangeas, and rose which came the garden at Highgrove House.

2008

Peter Philips and Autumn Kelly

Peter Philips, the eldest child of The Princess Royal and The Queen's first Grandson, married Autumn Kelly at St George's Chapel.

2018

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex chose St George's Chapel as the venue for their wedding, which involved 2,640 members of the public invited to watch from the grounds of Windsor Castle. Following the ceremony, the newlyweds took part in a carriage procession through Windsor town and up the iconic long walk.

2018

Princess Eugenie and Mr. Jack Brooksbank

Princess Eugenie and Mr. Jack Brooksbank will wed on 12 October 2018. The Wedding Service will take place at St George’s Chapel at 11 o’clock, with The Dean of Windsor, The Rt Revd. David Conner officiating and The Archbishop of York, The Most Revd. and Rt. Hon. John Sentamu, will lead the prayers.

After receiving over 100,000 applications, invitations have now gone out to the 1,200 members of the public who will join The Couple in the grounds of Windsor Castle outside St. George’s Chapel.

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