Royal Wedding: A Historic Event And Its Impact

Royal weddings have been making history for centuries. From Queen Victoria's choice of a white wedding dress in 1840 to the first televised royal wedding in 1960, these occasions have long been a source of fascination for people around the world. While the public involvement and celebrations at royal weddings have evolved, many traditions have remained the same, such as the use of Welsh gold in wedding rings and the carrying of a sprig of myrtle in the bridal bouquet. The weddings of senior members of royal families are often seen as important occasions of state, attracting significant national and international attention. In recent times, the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018, and that of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011, are notable examples of how royal weddings continue to capture the public imagination and make history.

Queen Victoria's wedding dress and flowers set the standard for generations of brides

Queen Victoria's wedding to Prince Albert in 1840 was a highly publicised affair, with the bride paraded through the streets in a national celebration. The wedding dress she chose to wear on this occasion set a trend for generations of brides to come.

Queen Victoria wore a white wedding dress made from heavy silk satin, with a deep flounce of Honiton lace. She was one of the first women to wear white for their wedding, and her choice of gown has been credited with starting the tradition of white weddings and white bridal gowns. The lace on the dress was designed by William Dyce, and mounted on a white satin dress made by Mary Bettans. The dress was constructed with English Spitalfields silk, and the lace was handmade in Honiton and Beer, in Devon. In this way, Victoria demonstrated her support for English industries, particularly the cottage industry for lace.

The dress was also adorned with orange blossoms, a symbol of fertility, and Victoria wore a wreath of the flowers on her head, instead of a tiara. The flowers also trimmed her veil, which was four yards long and 0.75 yards wide. The veil was so precious to Victoria that she was buried with it over her face when she died.

The popularity of Victoria's wedding dress was also due to the widespread media coverage of the royal wedding. The gown was featured in magazines, and its style was picked up by fashion publications, spreading its influence across the Western world.

In addition to influencing the colour and style of wedding dresses, Queen Victoria also set a precedent for bridal accessories. On her wedding day, she wore a wreath of myrtle and orange blossoms, and her choice of flowers popularised the custom of wearing orange blossoms for weddings in Britain.

Princess Margaret's wedding was the first British royal wedding to be televised

Princess Margaret's wedding to Antony Armstrong-Jones on 6 May 1960 was the first British royal wedding to be televised. It was also the first royal TV event since Queen Elizabeth II's coronation eight years earlier. The wedding was watched by over 20 million people in the UK, with viewers in Australia, Canada, and the USA bringing the total viewing figures to 300 million.

The BBC provided comprehensive coverage of the wedding, using all but one of their outside broadcast units—the other was held back to cover the FA Cup Final. Richard Dimbleby provided commentary from his position high above the nave of Westminster Abbey, cutting to Jean Metcalfe at Clarence House for the first glimpse of the Princess. Anne Edwards reported on the guests' outfits as they arrived, Brian Johnston was with the crowds in Horse Guards, and Wynford Vaughan Thomas was outside Buckingham Palace to witness the married couple appear on the balcony.

The decision to televise the wedding contributed to the rise of the international royal wedding craze, allowing people worldwide to get an inside look at the service from the comfort of their homes. Since then, every subsequent British royal wedding has been televised, continuing to attract large numbers of viewers.

Princess Anne's wedding set a colour TV record with 500 million viewers

Princess Anne's wedding to Captain Mark Phillips on 14 November 1973 was a historic occasion for several reasons. Firstly, it was the first royal wedding to be broadcast in colour, offering viewers a more realistic viewing experience. This contributed to the international fascination with royal weddings, making them a must-watch event worldwide.

The wedding attracted an estimated global audience of 500 million viewers, setting a record for the most-watched programme on a single channel in the UK at the time. In the UK alone, 27.6 million people tuned in to witness the ceremony at Westminster Abbey. The public's enthusiasm for the event was evident, with large crowds gathering on the streets and even a special bank holiday declared.

The occasion also marked the first time a child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was married. Princess Anne, their only daughter, and King Charles III's sister, captured the world's attention as she exchanged vows with her fiancé, now her ex-husband.

The impact of Princess Anne's wedding on the public's engagement with royal nuptials cannot be overstated. It set a new standard for royal weddings, with every subsequent ceremony being televised in colour and attracting a vast international audience. The wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles in 1981, for example, was viewed by 750 million people across 74 countries.

Royal weddings have been used to strengthen alliances and forge ties with neighbouring countries

Royal weddings have long been steeped in tradition and have historically been used to strengthen alliances and forge ties with neighbouring countries. In the past, royal weddings were more about dynasty and diplomacy than love, and were often used to strengthen alliances between the monarch and the leading nobles or forge ties with neighbouring rulers.

A notable example of this is the marriage of Margaret, the second child and eldest daughter of Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence, to Alexander III, King of Scots, in 1251. Margaret was just 11 years old at the time, and the wedding was a major diplomatic occasion that helped to maintain good relations between the two kingdoms. The wedding was planned and prepared extensively, with about 130 different orders relating to the event recorded in the records of Henry III's reign. The chronicler Matthew Paris described the event as having a huge number of magnates, knights, and clergy from both England and Scotland, all gathered to celebrate the important nuptials.

Another example of a royal wedding that strengthened alliances is the marriage of Elizabeth Stuart, the only surviving daughter of James VI and I, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, to Frederick V, Elector Palatine, in 1613. This union helped to forge ties between England and the Electorate of the Palatinate.

While royal weddings have traditionally been used to strengthen political alliances, they have also been a source of national celebration and joy. For instance, the wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1840 was a grand affair that set new trends in wedding fashion and traditions. Victoria's choice of a white silk wedding dress and a wreath of orange blossom instead of a tiara became the standard for generations of Victorian brides.

In more recent times, the public engagement with royal weddings has evolved with the advent of television. The first British royal wedding to be televised was that of Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960. Subsequently, Princess Anne and Mark Phillips' wedding in 1973 was the first to be broadcast in colour, attracting an estimated 500 million viewers worldwide and setting a record for the most-watched program on a single channel in the UK. The royal wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles in 1981 further contributed to the international craze for royal weddings, with 750 million viewers across 74 countries.

The wedding of King Henry I in 1100 was the first royal wedding at Westminster Abbey

The wedding of King Henry I and Matilda of Scotland, which took place on 11 November 1100, was the first royal wedding to be held at Westminster Abbey. The ceremony marked the first time a member of the royal family married at Westminster Abbey, setting a precedent for many royal weddings to come.

King Henry I, also known as Henry Beauclerc, was the fourth son of William the Conqueror. He became King of England in 1100 after his brother, William II, died in a hunting accident. Henry seized the opportunity to ascend the throne, pledging to reverse his brother's unpopular policies.

Henry's marriage to Matilda, the daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland, was politically strategic. Matilda's Anglo-Saxon royal blood, which the Norman dynasty lacked, strengthened Henry's claim to the throne. Additionally, her brother's support offered the prospect of improved relations between England and Scotland. However, there was a complication regarding Matilda's status as she had spent time in a convent and may have taken vows to become a nun. A special church council was convened to determine her eligibility for marriage, ultimately concluding that she had not taken nun's vows.

The wedding of King Henry I and Matilda of Scotland was a significant event in English royal history, establishing Westminster Abbey as a favoured venue for subsequent royal nuptials.

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