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Wedding of The Princess Margaret and Hon. Antony Armstrong-Jones
Date6 May 1960
VenueWestminster Abbey
LocationLondon, England
ParticipantsThe Princess Margaret
Antony Armstrong-Jones

The wedding of The Princess Margaret and Hon. Antony Armstrong-Jones took place on 6 May 1960 at Westminster Abbey in London. The bride was the younger sister of the reigning British monarch, Elizabeth II, and the groom was a successful society photographer.

Background and engagement

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The bride, The Princess Margaret, was the second daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. The groom was the son of Major Ronald Armstrong-Jones and Anne Messel; his mother later remarried to the 6th Earl of Rosse.

The engagement announcement was made on 26 February 1960.[1] The announcement came less than a week after the birth of The Queen's third child, The Prince Andrew. Though the couple had become engaged in October 1959, The Queen had asked her sister to wait until after the birth to make the announcement.

The engagement ring Princess Margaret received from Armstrong-Jones was custom-designed to look like a rose,[2] "a ruby set like a rosebud with a diamond marguerite",[3] to reflect the Princess's given names, Margaret Rose.[4]

Ceremony

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The wedding was the first royal wedding to be televised.[1][5] Princess Margaret arrived, from Clarence House, at Westminster Abbey in the Glass Coach, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, who gave her away, standing in for her father, the late King George VI.[4][6]

Bridal party

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The groom's best man was Dr Roger Gilliatt, a neurologist.[4] He was the husband of the groom’s good friend writer Penelope Gilliatt, and the son of The Queen’s gynecologist, Sir William Gilliatt. Allegedly, Armstrong-Jones had originally asked Jeremy Fry to be his best man; however, after Fry was convicted of "importuning for immoral purposes" after allegedly approaching a man for sex, Fry stepped down as best man[7][8] and Gilliatt was chosen, instead.

There were eight bridesmaids chosen, led by the bride's niece, The Princess Anne:

  • The Princess Anne,[4] age 9 – daughter of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh
  • Miss Marilyn Wills,[4] age 12 – goddaughter of Princess Margaret and daughter of Major and The Hon. Mrs John Wills
  • Miss Annabel Rhodes, age 8 – daughter of Mr and The Hon. Mrs Denys Rhodes
  • The Lady Virginia FitzRoy, age 6 – daughter of Earl and Countess of Euston
  • Miss Sarah Lowther, age 6 – daughter of Mr and Mrs John Lowther
  • The Hon. Catherine Vesey, age 6 – daughter of The Viscount and Viscountess de Vesci
  • The Lady Rose Nevill, age 9 – daughter of The Marquess and Marchioness of Abergavenny
  • The Lady Angela Nevill, age 12 – daughter of Lord Rupert and Lady Anne Nevill

Wedding attire

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Bride

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Main article: Wedding dress of Princess Margaret

The Princess's wedding dress was designed by Norman Hartnell, who had also designed the wedding dress of her sister, The Queen, years earlier.[4] The dress was made of silk and organza with rouleau piping. The veil was satin-bound silk tulle, which Princess Margaret wore with the Poltimore tiara,[4] which she had purchased shortly before the wedding.

Bridal attendants

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The dresses worn by the bridesmaids were replicas of Princess Margaret's first evening dress, which was a favorite of her late father, King George VI.

Groom and best man

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As a civilian, and not a member of the Armes forces, the groom appeared in morning dress.[4]

The Queen and Queen Mother

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Like the bride, The Queen and Queen Mother also wore Norman Hartnell gowns. The Queen wore turquoise with a two strand pearl necklace, and the True Lover’s Knot Brooch. The Queen Mother wore light yellow, with her Greville Peardrop Earrings and Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Parure Necklace. Prince Charles wore a kilt.

Wedding service

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The ceremony, which began at 11:30,[9] was officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Geoffrey Fisher,[4] who was assisted by the Bishop of London, Henry Montgomery Campbell; and the Dean of Westminster, Eric Symes Abbott.[6] Fisher had also officiated at the wedding of The Queen (then Princess Elizabeth) and The Duke of Edinburgh.

The service began with the procession of The Queen, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, The Prince Charles, and members of the clergy.

The Princess Margaret soon arrived, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh.

Music

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Prior to the beginning of the ceremony and the procession of the bride, a number of pieces were played on the organ: "Fantasia in G Major" by Johann Sebastian Bach, "Overture to Arminius" by George Frideric Handel, "Chaconne" by Henry Purcell, "Flourish For an Occasion" and "Saraband--Processional" by William Harris, and Fanfares by Arthur Bliss.[9]

The procession of the bride began with the hymn "Christ is made the sure Foundation", by Henry Purcell.[9]

Psalm CXXI (Plainsong, with Fauxbourdons by William McKie) was played as the couple followed the Archbishop to the alter after his blessing.[9]

An anthem by Franz Schubert was sung following the blessing of the Dean.[9] After the Dean's scripture reading the hymn "Immortal, invisible, God only wise"[9][10] was sung by the congregation.

After the Archbishop dismissed the congregation, but before the signing of the registers, a rendition of "Amen" by Orlando Gibbons was sung, followed by a fanfare and the National Anthem.[9]

During the signing of the registers, Anthems by William Byrd and Gustav Theodore Holst were sung.[9]

The couple, along with their attendants, the clergy, and the Royal Family, left the Abbey to Henry Purcell’s "Trumpet Tune and Airs".[9][10]

While the congregation waited to be directed out of the Abbey, pieces were played on the organ: "Alla Marcia" by John Ireland, "Symphony in F" by William Boyce, "Festal Flourish" by Gordon Jacob, and "Toccata in F" by Johann Sebastian Bach.[9]

Wedding ring

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In keeping with a tradition begun by the bride's mother in 1923, and continued by the bride's sister in 1947, Princess Margaret's wedding band was made of Welsh gold.[11] The ring was made from a nugget of Welsh gold from the Clogau St David's mine, near Dolgellau;[12] this nugget had been given to the then Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, and used to make her wedding ring and subsequently the wedding rings of both of her daughters.[11] The same nugget was later used to create the wedding rings of Princess Anne and Lady Diana Spencer.[11]

Title

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While no title was given upon their marriage, Antony Armstrong-Jones was eventually created Earl of Snowdon in 1961, shortly before the birth of the couple's first child, David.

Guests

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Relatives of the bride

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House of Windsor

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Bowes-Lyon family

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  • The Hon. Mrs Jean Wills (born The Hon. Jean Elphinstone) and Mr John Wills, the bride's first cousin and her husband
    • Miss Marilyn Wills, the bride's first cousin, once removed
  • The Hon. Mr and Mrs Andrew Elphinstone, the bride's first cousin and his wife
  • The Hon. Mrs Margaret Rhodes and Mr Denys Rhodes, the bride's first cousin and her husband
    • Miss Annabel Rhodes, the bride's first cousin, once removed

Mountbatten family

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Relatives of the groom

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  • Mr and Mrs Ronald Armstrong-Jones, the groom's father and stepmother
  • The Countess of Rosse, the groom's mother
    • The Viscountess and Viscount de Vesci, the groom's sister and her husband
      • The Hon. Catherine Vesey, the groom's niece
  • Ms Carol Akhurst, the groom's former stepmother

Foreign royalty

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Politicians and diplomats

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Commonwealth of Nations

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As the wedding coincided with the 1960 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference, the wedding became a Commonwealth event.

Other guests

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Absentees

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Most of the royalty in Europe at the time thought it inappropriate for the daughter of a king to marry a commoner. As a result, many of the members of foreign royal families were said to have boycotted the wedding. The Princess's godmother, The Queen of Denmark, was among the few foreign royals in attendance.

This was in contrast to the 1963 wedding of Princess Margaret's cousin Princess Alexandra of Kent, whose wedding was attended by over 50 members of foreign royal houses.

Family celebrations

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The carriage brought the newly married couple back to Buckingham Palace, where they and their family assembled on the balcony to wave to the excited crowd.

The official wedding portraits were taken by Sir Cecil Beaton.

The wedding breakfast was held at the Palace with 120 guests in attendance.[6] The Duke of Edinburgh gave a speech welcoming Armstrong-Jones to the Royal Family.[6]

The wedding cake was a three-tiered hexagonal confection made by J. Lyons and Company Ltd at its Cadby Hall location in Hammersmith.[13] The cake stood 5-feet tall, with its tiers being separated by column stands.[13] The cake's design took inspiration from French architecture, in particular Louis XVI style and Neoclassicism. Each layer was adorned with trellises, and each side decorated by round reliefs.[13] Among the decorations were the princess's coat of arms, the couple's joint monogram, and an English rose.[13]

The wedding bouquet was a smaller version of the orchid bouquet the bride's sister, The Queen (then Princess Elizabeth), carried on her wedding day in 1947.[14] The bouquet was designed by Constance Spry,[15] who had been in charge of the flowers at The Queen's wedding.[15]

Honeymoon

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Following their wedding breakfast, the Princess and her new husband drove from Buckingham Palace to Battle Bridge Pier on the River Thames, where they boarded the Royal Yacht Britannia to begin their six-week honeymoon in the Caribbean.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b Oliphant, Vickiie (27 December 2017). "Princess Margaret's wedding: Inside the lavish ceremony brought to life on The Crown". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  2. ^ Wells, Mary Shannon. "The Most Breathtaking Royal Engagement Rings". Southern Living. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  3. ^ "Flashback Friday: British Engagement Rings, Part 2". The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Frost, Katie (2017-12-10). "Looking Back at Princess Margaret's Wedding Day". Town & Country. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  5. ^ a b "BBC - History - Princess Margaret's wedding (pictures, video, fact & news)". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d Aquino, Gabriel (8 March 2018). "Royal Weddings: The wedding of Princess Margaret and the Earl of Snowdon". royalcentral.co.uk. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  7. ^ Reporter, Andrew Alderson, Chief (31 May 2008). "Lord Snowdon, his women, and his love child". ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 6 August 2019.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ "GREAT BRITAIN: The Second Best Man". Time. 1960-04-18. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Princess Margaret Wedding Order of Service". www.westminster-abbey.org. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  10. ^ a b Roberts, Laura (18 November 2010). "Royal wedding: Westminster Abbey's historic moments". www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  11. ^ a b c "Royal Jewel Rewind: Queen Elizabeth II's Wedding Jewelery". www.thecourtjeweller,com. 20 November 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference 70Facts was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ a b c d Galarza, Daniela (18 May 2018). "A Brief History of British Royal Wedding Cakes". www.eater.com. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  14. ^ Connolly, Shane (23 April 2013). "Brides in bloom: the story of royal wedding flowers". www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  15. ^ a b "Royal wedding flowers and high society bouquets through the ages". www.telegraph.co.uk. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
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