Wedding of Princess Alexandra and Angus Ogilvy

The wedding of Princess Alexandra of Kent and The Honourable Angus Ogilvy took place on Wednesday, 24 April 1963 at Westminster Abbey. Princess Alexandra was the only daughter and second child of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, while Ogilvy was the second son and fifth child of the 12th Earl of Airlie and Lady Alexandra Coke.

Wedding of Princess Alexandra and Angus Ogilvy
Princess Alexandra and Angus Ogilvy outside Westminster Abbey after their wedding
Date24 April 1963 (24 April 1963)
VenueWestminster Abbey
LocationLondon, England
Participants

The wedding was a traditional Anglican wedding service according to the Book of Common Prayer. Eric Abbott, Dean of Westminster, presided at the service, and Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of Canterbury, conducted the marriage. Notable figures in attendance included many members of other royal families, national figures and members of the bride's and groom's families. A reception was held afterwards at St James's Palace.

The wedding was watched by an estimated television audience of 200 million people.[1]

Engagement

Princess Alexandra of Kent, granddaughter of King George V, first met businessman Angus Ogilvy, son of the 12th Earl of Airlie, at a ball at Luton Hoo, the Bedfordshire home of her cousin, Lady Zia Wernher. Ogilvy's grandmother, Mabell, Countess of Airlie, had been a friend and Lady of the Bedchamber to Alexandra's grandmother, Queen Mary. Throughout their eight-year courtship, the pair often met at Cluniemore, the Perthshire home of Lady Zia's daughter, Myra Butter.[2]

Princess Marina announced the engagement of her daughter Princess Alexandra of Kent to The Hon. Angus Ogilvy on 19 November 1962 at Kensington Palace.[3] Ogilvy presented Alexandra with an engagement ring made of a cabochon sapphire set in gold and surrounded by diamonds on both sides.[4] The Queen gave her consent to the union on 19 December 1962.[5]

On 22 April, two nights before the wedding, the Queen hosted a white-tie ball for 2000 guests at Windsor Castle.[6] Ogilvy had a set of diamond and turquoise flowers the Princess had worn throughout her youth turned into a larger tiara and presented it along with a coordinating pair of earrings and copy of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Necklace from the jeweller Collingwood to his bride.[7]

Wedding
Princess Alexandra arrives at Westminster Abbey on the arm of her brother, The Duke of Kent

The wedding was held on Wednesday, 24 April 1963 at 12:00 BST at Westminster Abbey. Alexandra became the 12th member of the royal family to be married in the Abbey.

The traditional Anglican wedding service was conducted according to the Book of Common Prayer by The Very Rev. Eric Abbott, Dean of Westminster, and The Most Rev. and Rt Hon. Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of Canterbury.[8]

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 Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frederic 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 Handel were sung. The newlywed couple recessed to Charles-Marie Widor's "Toccata" from Symphony for Organ No. 5 and William Walton's Crown Imperial.[8]

Clothing

The bride wore a wedding dress of Valenciennes lace, with matching veil and train, designed by John Cavanagh.[9] 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 late 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 train of her wedding dress was twenty feet long.[10]

The Queen wore an 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.[11]

Attendants

The royal couple had seven bridal attendants. The Hon. David Ogilvy, son of Lord Ogilvy, thus the groom's nephew, and Simon Hay, son of courtiers Lady Margaret and Sir Alan Hay and great-grandson of the 6th Marquess of Hertford, were page boys. Princess Alexandra was attended by five bridesmaids: Princess Anne, daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, thus the bride's paternal first cousin once removed and maternal second cousin; Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria, granddaughter of Princess Elizabeth of Greece and Denmark, thus the bride's maternal first cousin once removed; The Hon. Doune Ogilvy, daughter of Lord Ogilvy, thus the groom's niece; Georgina Butter, daughter of Myra Butter, thus the bride's maternal fourth cousin and also her goddaughter; and Emma Tennant, daughter of Lady Margaret and Iain Tennant, thus the groom's niece.

Ogilvy's best man was the Hon. Peregrine Fairfax, second son of the 12th Lord Fairfax of Cameron.[12][13]

Guests
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at the wedding

Princess Alexandra and Angus Ogvily were married in front of a congregation of 2000 guests. Notable guests in attendance included:[14]

British royal family

Ogilvy family
  • 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 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 Master of Ogilvy, the groom's nephew
    • The Hon. James and Mrs Ogilvy, the groom's brother and sister-in-law

Other royal guests

Other notable guests

Aftermath

After the ceremony, Alexandra and Angus left the Abbey in the glass coach for the reception at St James's Palace. The couple honeymooned on the Balmoral estate. They had two children, James (born 1964) and Marina (born 1966). They remained married until Ogilvy's death on 26 December 2004 at the age of 76.

References
  1. Panton, Kenneth J. (2011). Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy. Scarecrow Press, Inc. ISBN 978-0-8108-5779-7.
  2. "Lady Butter, close friend of the Queen and Prince Philip and founder of the Pushkin Prize in honour of her ancestor, the poet Alexander – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  3. Goodey, Emma (13 January 2016). "Princess Alexandra". The Royal Family. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  4. "A VERY THOROUGH HISTORY OF BRITISH ROYAL ENGAGEMENT RINGS". Harpersbazaar.com.au. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  5. "No. 42864". The London Gazette. 21 December 1962. p. 9981.
  6. Sampson, Annabel (11 February 2020). "Chic in excelsis, Princess Alexandra's glamorous life". Tatler. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  7. Kiehna, Lauren (22 December 2018). "The Ogilvy Tiara". The Court Jeweller. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  8. "The Royal Wedding of HRH Princess Alexandra and Angus Ogilvy" (PDF). Westminster-abbey.org. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  9. Cathcart, Helen (1967). Princess Alexandra. London: W. H. Allen & Co.
  10. "Royal Spring Wedding". britishpathe.com. British Pathe. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  11. "Wedding of Princess Alexandra and the Hon. Angus Ogilvy". Rct.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  12. "Royal Spring Wedding of Princess Alexandra (1963) - British Pathé". YouTube. 13 April 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  13. Halleman, Caroline; Schubak, Adam (12 October 2018). "Royal Children in British Weddings Through the Years". TOWN&COUNTRY. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  14. "Selected Originals - Royal Spring Wedding - Technicolor (1963)". YouTube. British Pathé. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
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