The Queen's Bridesmaids: How Many Did She Have?

Queen Elizabeth II had eight bridesmaids when she married Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1947. The bridesmaids included her sister, Princess Margaret, her cousins Margaret Rhodes, Diana Bowes-Lyon and Princess Alexandra of Kent, lady-in-waiting Pamela Hicks, second cousin Lady Mary Cambridge and friends Lady Caroline Montagu Douglas Scott and Lady Elizabeth Longman.

Who were Queen Elizabeth's bridesmaids?

Queen Elizabeth II had eight bridesmaids when she married Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1947. They were:

• Princess Margaret: The bride's younger sister, born in August 1930. She married Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960 and had two children. Princess Margaret died in 2002.
• Princess Alexandra of Kent: The bride's first cousin, born on Christmas Day in 1936. She was the youngest bridesmaid at the wedding, aged 10. She married Angus Ogilvy in 1963 and had two children. Princess Alexandra continues to carry out royal duties.
• Margaret Rhodes (also known as Margaret Elphinston): The bride's first cousin and childhood friend, born in 1925. She married Denys Gravenor Rhodes in 1950 and had four children. She served as 'Woman of the Bedchamber' to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother from 1991 until 2002. Margaret Rhodes died in 2016, aged 91.
• Diana Bowes-Lyon: The bride's first cousin, born in 1923. She was 23 at the time of the wedding. She married Peter Somervell in 1960 and had one child. Diana died in 1986.
• Lady Caroline Montagu-Douglas-Scott: Daughter of the 8th Duke of Buccleuch, born in November 1927. She was 20 at the time of the wedding. She married Sir Ian Gilmour in 1951 and had five children. Lady Caroline died in 2004.
• Lady Mary Cambridge: The bride's second cousin, born in September 1924. She was 23 at the time of the wedding. She married Peter Whitley in 1951 and had two children. Lady Mary died in 1999, aged 75.
• Lady Elizabeth Lambart (also known as Lady Elizabeth Longman): A childhood friend of the bride, born in October 1924. Her mother was a lady-in-waiting to Princess Mary, the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary. Lady Elizabeth married Mark Longman in 1949 and had three children. She died in 2016, aged 92.
• Lady Pamela Hicks (then Pamela Mountbatten): A lady-in-waiting to the bride, and the youngest daughter of the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma. She was 18 at the time of the wedding and had flown in from India, where she was living at the time. She is one of only two of the bridesmaids still alive today. She married David Hicks in 1960 and had three children. Her daughter, India Hicks, was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.

How old was Princess Alexandra when she was a bridesmaid?

Princess Alexandra Helen Elizabeth Olga Christabel, born on 25 December 1936, was 10 years old when she was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip in 1947. Princess Alexandra is the only daughter of the late Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. She has two brothers: Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and Prince Michael of Kent.

Princess Alexandra was the youngest bridesmaid at the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip. She was one of eight bridesmaids, including Princess Margaret, the younger sister of Princess Elizabeth.

Who were the other young women with Princess Elizabeth?

Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II, had eight bridesmaids at her wedding to Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The other young women who attended the then-princess were:

• HRH Princess Margaret: Princess Elizabeth's younger sister, born in August 1930. Princess Margaret married society photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960. The couple had two children: David (born in 1961) and Sarah (born in 1964). They divorced in 1978. Princess Margaret died in February 2002.
• HRH Princess Alexandra of Kent: The daughter of the Duke of Kent and first cousin of Princess Elizabeth. Princess Alexandra was the youngest bridesmaid at the wedding, aged 10. She married Angus Ogilvy in 1963, and the couple had two children: James and Marina.
• Lady Caroline Montagu-Douglas-Scott: Born in November 1927, Lady Caroline was the daughter of the 8th Duke of Buccleuch. She was 20 at the time of the wedding. She married Sir Ian Gilmour in July 1951, and they had five children together. Lady Caroline died in October 2004.
• Diana Bowes-Lyon: Princess Elizabeth's first cousin, born in 1923. Diana was 23 at the time of the wedding. She married Peter Somervell in February 1960 and had one child. Diana died in May 1986.
• Lady Elizabeth Lambart: A childhood friend of Princess Elizabeth, born in October 1924. Lady Elizabeth was the daughter of the 10th Earl of Cavan, who was a friend of King George V and served as a Commander during the First World War. Lady Elizabeth's mother was a lady-in-waiting to Princess Mary, the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary. She married Mark Longman in 1949 and had three children. Lady Elizabeth died in December 2016, aged 92.
• The Hon. Margaret Elphinstone: A first cousin and childhood friend of Princess Elizabeth, born in 1925. Margaret's mother was Lady Mary Bowes Lyon, sister of the Princess's mother, Queen Elizabeth. Margaret married Denys Gravenor Rhodes in 1950 and had four children. She later served as 'Woman of the Bedchamber' to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, from 1991 until 2002. Margaret Rhodes died in November 2016, aged 91.
• Lady Mary Cambridge: The second cousin of Princess Elizabeth, born in September 1924. Lady Mary was the only child of the 2nd Marquess of Cambridge and was 23 at the time of the wedding. She married Peter Whitley in 1951, and they had two children: Sarah and Charles. Lady Mary died in December 1999, aged 75.

What did the bridesmaids wear?

For her wedding to Prince Philip in 1947, Queen Elizabeth II had eight bridesmaids, including her sister, Princess Margaret, her first cousins Margaret Elphinston and Diana Bowes-Lyon, Lady Caroline Montagu-Douglas-Scott, Lady Mary Cambridge, and Lady Elizabeth Lambart.

The bridesmaids wore "off-the-shoulder" dresses in white, a colour that was popularised by Queen Victoria when she married Prince Albert in 1841. The dresses were fashionable for the time, and each bridesmaid was adorned with a brooch in the shape of an eagle, made of turquoise and pearls—a gift from the Queen. The eagle was Prince Albert's crest.

The choice to dress bridesmaids in identical gowns is likely influenced by Court etiquette and Royal weddings of the past. In ancient times, bridesmaids dressed like the bride to protect her from being identified and kidnapped by rival clans and hooligans. In more recent times, it is a way to show "no room for any of them to try and outdo each other, let alone the bride, through the use of grander fabric, grander jewellery."

How many bridesmaids did Princess Elizabeth have?

Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II, had eight bridesmaids at her wedding to Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1947. The bridesmaids were:

• HRH The Princess Margaret, the bride's younger sister.
• HRH Princess Alexandra of Kent, the bride's first cousin.
• Lady Caroline Montagu-Douglas-Scott, the daughter of the 8th Duke of Buccleuch.
• Lady Mary Cambridge, the second cousin of the bride.
• The Hon. Pamela Mountbatten, a first cousin of the groom and a lady-in-waiting to the bride.
• The Hon. Margaret Elphinstone, the bride's first cousin and childhood friend.
• Diana Bowes-Lyon, the bride's first cousin.
• Lady Elizabeth Lambart, a childhood friend of the bride.

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