 The Duke and Duchess of York on their wedding day | |
| Date | 26 April 1923; 102 years ago (26 April 1923) |
|---|---|
| Venue | Westminster Abbey |
| Location | London, England |
| Participants |
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The wedding ofPrince Albert, Duke of York (later KingGeorge VI), andLady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (laterQueen Elizabeth the Queen Mother[a]) took place on 26 April 1923 atWestminster Abbey. The bride was a member of theBowes-Lyon family, while the groom was the second son of KingGeorge V.
Prince Albert, Duke of York, "Bertie" to the family, was the second son of KingGeorge V. He was second inline to succeed his father, after his elder brotherEdward, Prince of Wales. He initially proposed toLady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1921 (reportedly by proxy),[1] but she turned him down, being "afraid never, never again to be free to think, speak and act as I feel I really ought to".[2] When he declared he would marry no one else, his mother,Queen Mary, visitedGlamis, Elizabeth's home, to see for herself the young woman her son wanted to marry. She became convinced that Elizabeth was "the one girl who could make Bertie happy", but nevertheless refused to interfere.[3] At the same time, Elizabeth was courted byJames Stuart, Albert'sequerry, until he left the Prince's service for a better-paid job in the American oil business.[4]
In February 1922, Elizabeth was a bridesmaid atthe wedding of Albert's sister,Princess Mary, toViscount Lascelles.[5] The following month, Albert proposed again, but she refused him once more.[6] Eventually, on 13 January 1923, Elizabeth agreed to marry Albert, despite her misgivings about royal life.[7] Following the engagement, she gave an interview to the press. She appeared to be relaxed and laughing and referred to Albert by his nickname "Bertie", which made the King furious in private.[1]
Prince Albert, Duke of York, and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon were married on 26 April 1923 inWestminster Abbey. The couple's wedding rings were crafted from 22-caratWelsh gold from theClogau St David's mine inBontddu. During the years to come, the use of Clogau Gold for the wedding rings of the royal family became a tradition.[8] In an unexpected and unprecedented gesture,[9] Elizabeth laid her bouquet at the Tomb ofthe Unknown Warrior on her way into the Abbey,[10] in memory of her brotherFergus.[11] Ever since, the bouquets of subsequent royal brides have traditionally been laid at the tomb, though after the wedding ceremony rather than before.[12]
Lady Elizabeth was attended by eight bridesmaids:[13]
The newly formedBritish Broadcasting Company had wanted to record and broadcast the event on radio, but theChapter vetoed the idea (although theDean,Herbert Edward Ryle, was in favour).[14] Albert's freedom in choosing Elizabeth, not a member of a royal family, though the daughter of a peer, was considered a gesture in favour of political modernisation; previously, princes were expected to marry princesses.[15]
The event was not broadcast on the radio due to theArchbishop of Canterbury's concern "that men might listen to it in public houses".[12]
Elizabeth's wedding dress was made from deep ivory chiffonmoire, embroidered with pearls and silver thread.[16] It was intended to match the traditionalFlanders lace provided for the train by Queen Mary.[16] Elizabeth's dress, in the fashion of the early 1920s, was designed byMadame Handley-Seymour, dressmaker to Queen Mary.[17] Its design was reportedly based on a dress created byJeanne Lanvin and was "suggestive of a medieval Italian gown".[17][18] Elizabeth chose not to wear a tiara, and instead a chaplet of leaves secured the veil.[17]
A strip of Brussels lace, inserted in the dress, was a Strathmore family heirloom. A female ancestor of the bride wore it to a grand ball for "Bonnie Prince Charlie",Charles Edward Stuart.[19]
The silver leaf girdle was embellished with spring-green tulle, trailing to the ground; silver and rose thistles fastened it. According to a contemporary news article: "In the trimming the bride has defied all old superstitions about the unluckiness of green."[19] Elizabeth wore "anorange blossom wreath", which featured "white roses of York".[20] The dress had two trains: "one fastened at the hips, the other floating from the shoulders".[21]
Unlike more recent dresses, details of this one were publicly revealed in advance of the wedding day.[19] However, the dress was worked on until the last possible opportunity: the day before the wedding, Elizabeth divided her time between the wedding rehearsal and her dressmakers.[22]
A prototype of the wedding dress was sold at an auction in 2011 for £3,500. It was one of the three initial designs prepared for the wedding and the one used for the final design.[23]
Prince Albert woreRAF full dress in the rank ofgroup captain,his senior service rank at the time of his marriage.[12]
Upon their marriage, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was styled Her Royal Highness the Duchess of York.[24] Following a wedding breakfast atBuckingham Palace prepared by chefGabriel Tschumi, they honeymooned atPolesden Lacey, a manor house inSurrey, and then went to Scotland, where she caught "unromantic"whooping cough.[25]
