Wedding of Princess Alexandra and Angus Ogilvy
The wedding of Princess Alexandra and Angus Ogilvy took place on Wednesday, 24 April 1963 at Westminster Abbey. Princess Alexandra is the only daughter and second child of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, while the Hon. Angus Ogilvy was the second son and fifth child of the 12th Earl of Airlie and Lady Alexandra Coke.
Engagement
The engagement of Princess Alexandra of Kent to The Hon. Angus Ogilvy was announced on 19 November 1962. Ogilvy presented Alexandra with an engagement ring made of a cabochon sapphire set in gold and surrounded by diamonds on both sides. The Queen gave her consent to the union on 19 December 1962.The night before the wedding, a white-tie ball for 2000 guests was held at Windsor Castle.
The wedding
The service was conducted by The Very Rev. Eric Abbott, Dean of Westminster and The Most Rev. and Rt Hon. Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of Canterbury. It followed the traditional wedding service according to the Book of Common Prayer.After the service, the newlyweds travelled in the glass coach to St. James's Palace for the wedding breakfast. The couple honeymooned at Birkhall on the Balmoral estate.
Music
Prior to the service, the organist of the Abbey played pieces by J.S. Bach, G.F. Handel, Herbert Howells, and William Henry Harris. Princess Alexandra walked down the aisle on the arm of her brother, The Duke of Kent, to the hymn Holy, Holy, Holy. Throughout the service, the hymns God be in my head, and in my understanding and Love Divine, All Loves Excelling were sung. The National Anthem was sung, and during the signing of the register, anthems by Christopher Tye, Thomas Weelkes, and G.F. Handel were sung. The newlywed couple recessed to Widor's "Toccata" from Symphony for Organ No. 5 and Walton's Crown Imperial.Clothing
The bride wore a wedding dress of Valenciennes lace, with matching veil and train, designed by John Cavanagh. The lace had to be made in France, with special customs arrangements being made so that the press was not notified of its arrival in Britain. The wedding dress included a piece of lace from the bride's later grandmother, Princess Nicholas of Greece and Denmark and the veil worn by Lady Patricia Ramsey at her own wedding in 1919. She wore the diamond fringe tiara given to her mother by the City of London as a wedding gift in 1934. The bridegroom wore morning dress.The Queen wore a eau-de-nil dress with a matching three-quarter sleeves chiffon overcoat by Norman Hartnell and a hat by Simone Mirman. In 2016, The Queen's ensemble was on display during the exhibition "Fashioning a Reign" to celebrate her 90th birthday.
Attendants
The bridegroom's best man was The Hon. Peregrine Fairfax, second son of The 12th Lord Fairfax of Cameron. Princess Alexandra was attended by five bridesmaids and two pageboys, they were:- The Princess Anne, the bride's paternal first cousin, once removed
- Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria, granddaughter of Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark, the bride's maternal first cousin, once removed
- The Hon. Doune Ogilvy, daughter of David Ogilvy, 13th Earl of Airlie, the bridegroom's niece
- Miss Georgina Butter, granddaughter of Countess Anastasia Mikhailovna de Torby, the bride's goddaughter
- Miss Emma Tennant, daughter of Iain Tennant and Lady Margaret Ogilvy, the bridegroom's niece
- The Hon. David Ogilvy, son of David Ogilvy, 13th Earl of Airlie, the bridegroom's nephew
- Master Simon Hay, son of the courtiers Sir Alan Hay and Lady Margaret Seymour.
Guests
Relatives of the bride
[British royal family]
- Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, the bride's mother
- * The Duke and Duchess of Kent, the bride's brother and sister-in-law
- * Prince Michael of Kent, the bride's brother
- Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the bride's paternal aunt by marriage
- * The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, the bride's paternal first cousin and her husband, the bride's maternal first cousin, once removed
- ** The Prince of Wales, the bride's paternal first cousin, once removed
- ** The Princess Anne, the bride's paternal first cousin, once removed
- * The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon and The Earl of Snowdon, the bride's paternal first cousin and her husband
- The Princess Royal, the bride's paternal aunt
- * The Earl and Countess of Harewood, the bride's paternal first cousin and his wife
- ** Viscount Lascelles, the bride's paternal first cousin, once removed
- The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the bride's paternal uncle and aunt
- * Prince William of Gloucester, the bride's paternal first cousin
- * Prince Richard of Gloucester, the bride's paternal first cousin
- Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, the bride's paternal first cousin, twice removed and great-aunt by marriage
- The Earl Mountbatten of Burma, the bride's paternal second cousin, once removed
Relatives of the groom
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- The Earl and Countess of Airlie, the groom's parents
- * The Lady and Lord Lloyd, the groom's sister and brother-in-law
- * Lady Margaret and Mr. Iain Tennant, the groom's sister and brother-in-law
- ** Miss Emma Tennant, the bridegroom's niece
- * Lady Griselda and Major Peter Balfour, the groom's sister and brother-in-law
- * Lord and Lady Ogilvy, the groom's brother and sister-in-law
- ** The Hon. Doune Ogvily, the groom's niece
- ** The Hon. David Ogilvy, the groom's nephew
- * The Hon. James and Mrs. Ogilvy, the groom's brother and sister-in-law
Other royal guests
- The King of Norway, the bride's paternal first cousin, once removed
- * The Crown Prince of Norway, the bride's paternal second cousin
- The Queen of Denmark, the bride's paternal second cousin, once removed
- * Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, the bride's paternal and maternal third cousin
- The Queen of Sweden, the bride's paternal second cousin, once removed
- * Princess Margaretha of Sweden, the bride's paternal third cousin
- * Princess Désirée of Sweden, the bride's paternal third cousin
- The Queen of the Hellenes, the bride's maternal and paternal second cousin, once removed, and wife of her first cousin, once removed
- * The Crown Prince of Greece, the bride's maternal second cousin
- * Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark, the bride's maternal second cousin
- Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain, the bride's paternal first cousin, twice removed
- * The Prince and Princess of Asturias, the bride's paternal third cousin and his wife, the bride's maternal second cousin
- Queen Mother Helen of Romania, the bride's maternal first cousin, once removed
- King Umberto II of Italy,
- Princess and Prince Paul of Yugoslavia, the bride's maternal aunt and uncle
- * Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia, the bride's maternal first cousin
- Prince and Princess George William of Hanover, the bride's maternal first cousin, once removed, and her husband
- * Princess Clarissa of Hesse, the bride's maternal second cousin
Other notable guests
- The Prime Minister and Lady Dorothy Macmillan
- The Deputy Prime Minister and Mrs. Butler
- The Colonial Secretary and Mrs. Sandys
- The Earl and Countess of Home, the Foreign Secretary and his wife
- The Earl and Countess Attlee, a former Prime Minister and his wife
- The Earl and Countess of Avon, a former Prime Minister and his wife
- Lady Churchill, wife of former Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill
- The Lord and Lady Fisher of Lambeth, a former Archbishop of Canterbury and his wife