User:Iamthecheese44/Wedding of Princess Alexandra of Kent and Angus Ogilvy sandbox

The wedding of Princess Alexandra of Kent and Hon. Angus Ogilvy took place on 24 April 1963 at Westminster Abbey in London. The bride is a member of the British Royal Family, and the groom was a businessman from a noble British family.

Background and engagement
The bride, Princess Alexandra of Kent, is the only daughter Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. She was also a granddaughter of King George V, and a cousin of the reigning monarch, Elizabeth II. Princess Alexandra is also related to The Queen's husband, The Duke of Edinburgh, through her mother, Princess Marina. The Duke, originally a Prince of Greece and Denmark, was Princess Marina's first cousin, making Princess Alexandra his first cousin, once removed.

The groom, The Hon. Angus Ogilvy, was the second son of David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie, and Lady Alexandra Coke, daughter of Thomas Coke, 3rd Earl of Leicester.

The engagement ring given to Princess Alexandra by Ogilvy is an oval sapphire with a diamond on either side, set in platinum. The ring was very similar to the engagement ring of her mother, Princess Marina.

Bridal party
The best man was the groom's school friend Peregrine Fairfax.


 * Bridesmaids
 * The Princess Anne, age 12 – daughter of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh
 * Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria, age 6 – daughter of Archduke and Archduchess Ferdinand of Austria
 * Miss Georgina Butter, age 6 – daughter of Myra, Lady Butter (daughter of Lady Zia Wernher), and Major Sir David Butter; and a goddaughter of Princess Alexandra
 * Miss Emma Tennant, age 8 –
 * The Lady Doune Ogilvy, age 9 – daughter of Lord and Lady Ogilvy


 * Page boys
 * The Hon. David Ogilvy, age 5 – son of Lord and Lady Ogilvy
 * Simon Hay

Wedding attire
The bride's wedding gown was designed by John Cavanagh, who had designed the dresses of both the bride's mother, Princess Marina, and the bride's sister-in-law The Duchess of Kent. The dress was made of patterned lace.
 * Bride

The bride wore the Kent City of London Fringe tiara, which was borrowed from her mother, who wore it on her own wedding day in 1934. It is believed that the tiara is a remodeled piece from the jewel collection of Queen Mary.

Wedding service
The service was officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey, who was assisted by the Dean of Westminster, Eric Symes Abbott.

Before the service there was the procession of guests from over 50 of Europe's royal houses. The Queen Mother entered with King Olav V of Norway and Queen Frederika of Greece. Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, and The Earl of Snowdon soon followed.

The bride's mother, The Dowager Duchess of Kent, along with the bride's younger brother, Prince Michael of Kent, and her sister-in-law, The Duchess of Kent, arrived shortly after.

The last of the guests to arrive were The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, and Prince Charles.

Princess Alexandra was driven to the Abbey from Kensington Palace in a car lent to her by The Queen. She was accompanied by her older brother, The Duke of Kent, who gave her away, as their father had died years earlier fighting World War II.

The Dean of Westminster opened the service.

The Archbishop of Canterbury then took over. Ogilvy vowed to "love and cherish" his new wife, while she vowed to "love, cherish, and to obey" him.

Ogilvy then placed the ring on Princess Alexandra's finger.

The Archbishop, the couple, and witnesses then moved into the Chapel of Saint Edward the Confessor for the signing of the registers. At one point when the couple were returning from the chapel, the Princess's train became stuck. As Princess Alexandra looked back at Princess Anne, her head bridesmaid, for assistance, the young bridesmaid told her cousin to continue walking; Princess Anne kept an eye on and guided the train, adjusting it accordingly.

Princess Alexandra and Ogilvy gave a curtsey and bow, respectively, to The Queen, and then proceeded down the aisle to exit the Abbey as husband and wife.

Title
Though The Queen had offered to give Ogilvy an earldom, he declined. As a result, the children of Princess Alexandra, James and Marina, were born without titles. Princess Alexandra became Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Mrs Angus Ogilvy.

Ogilvy was later created a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1998, at which time Princess Alexandra assumed the style Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy.

House of Windsor

 * The Dowager Duchess of Kent, the bride's mother
 * The Duke and Duchess of Kent, the bride's brother and his wife
 * Prince Michael of Kent, the bride's brother


 * Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, widow of the bride's paternal uncle
 * The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, the bride's cousin and cousin, once removed
 * The Prince Charles
 * The Princess Anne
 * Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, and The Earl of Snowdon, the bride's cousin and her husband


 * The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the bride's uncle and aunt
 * Prince William of Gloucester, the bride's cousin
 * Prince Richard of Gloucester, the bride's cousin

Maternal family

 * Princess Paul of Yugoslavia, the bride's maternal aunt
 * Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark's family:
 * Archduchess and Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, the bride's cousin and her husband
 * Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria, the bride's cousin, once removed
 * Archduchess Sophie of Austria?, the bride's cousin, once removed

Relatives of the groom

 * The Earl and Countess of Airlie, the groom's parents
 * The Lady and Lord Lloyd, the groom's sister and her husband
 * The Hon. Davinia Lloyd, the groom's niece
 * The Hon. Charles Lloyd, the groom's nephew
 * The Lady Margaret and Captain Iain Tennant, the groom's sister and her husband
 * Mr Mark Tennant, the groom's nephew
 * Mr Christopher Tennant, the groom's nephew
 * Miss Emma Tennant, the groom's niece
 * The Lady Griselda and Major Peter Balfour, the groom's sister and her husband
 * Miss Bridget Balfour, the groom's niece
 * Mr Hew Balfour, the groom's nephew
 * Mr Fergus Balfour, the groom's nephew
 * Lord and Lady Ogilvy, the groom's brother and his wife
 * The Hon. Mr and Mrs James Ogilvy, the groom's brother and his wife
 * Miss Laura Ogilvy?, the groom's niece

Foreign royalty

 * 🇩🇰 The Queen of Denmark
 * 🇩🇰 Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark
 * The Queen of Greece
 * 🇳🇴 The King of Norway
 * 🇪🇸 The Queen of Spain
 * 🇸🇪 The Queen of Sweden (also aunt of The Duke of Edinburgh)

Commonwealth of Nations

 * Harold Macmillan (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom)

Politicians and diplomats

 * The Earl (former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom) and Countess Attlee
 * The Lord (Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs) and Lady Home of the Hirsel
 * Mr Duncan Sandys (Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations) and his wife, Marie-Claire Sandys
 * The Earl (former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom) and Countess of Avon

Religious figures

 * Eric Symes Abbott (Dean of Westminster)
 * Dr Geoffrey Fisher (former Archbishop of Canterbury)
 * Michael Ramsey (Archbishop of Canterbury)

Other guests

 * The Lady Churchill
 * The Earl Mountbatten of Burma, uncle of The Duke of Edinburgh

Family celebrations
The couple entered the Glass coach, last used at the wedding of Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones. They were driven back to St James's Palace for their reception.

Honeymoon
After their reception, the couple left St James's Palace to begin their honeymoon in Scotland.

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