The wedding of Prince Albert, Duke of York (later King George VI), and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother) took place on 26 April 1923 at Westminster Abbey.
Courtship and proposals
Prince Albert, Duke of York—"Bertie" to the family—was the second son of King George V. He was second in line to succeed his father, behind his elder brother the Prince of Wales. He initially proposed to Elizabeth in 1921, but she turned him down, being "afraid never, never again to be free to think, speak and act as I feel I really ought to". When he declared he would marry no one else, his mother, Queen Mary, visited Glamis to see for herself the girl her son wanted to marry. She became convinced that Elizabeth was "the one girl who could make Bertie happy", but nevertheless refused to interfere. At the same time, Elizabeth was courted by James Stuart, Albert's equerry, until he left the prince's service for a better-paid job in the American oil business.
In February 1922, Elizabeth was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Albert's sister, Princess Mary, to Viscount Lascelles. The following month, Albert proposed again, but she refused him once more. Eventually, in January 1923, Elizabeth agreed to marry Albert, despite her misgivings about royal life. Albert's freedom in choosing Elizabeth, not a member of a royal family, though the daughter of a peer, was considered a gesture in favour of political modernisation; previously, princes were expected to marry princesses.
Prince Albert, Duke of York, and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon were married on 26 April 1923 in Westminster Abbey. In an unexpected and unprecedented gesture, Elizabeth laid her bouquet at the Tomb of The Unknown Warrior on her way into the Abbey, in memory of her brother Fergus. Ever since, the bouquets of subsequent royal brides have traditionally been laid at the tomb, though after the wedding ceremony rather than before.
Lady Elizabeth was attended by eight bridesmaids:
The Lady Mary Cambridge (26), daughter of the Marquess and Marchioness of Cambridge, niece of Queen Mary and thus a cousin of the groom
The Lady May Cambridge (17), daughter of Princess Alice and the Earl of Athlone, niece of Queen Mary and thus first cousin of the groom
The Lady Mary Thynn (20), daughter of the Marquess and Marchioness of Bath
The Lady Katharine Hamilton (23), daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Abercorn
The Hon Diamond Hardinge (22), daughter of Lord and Lady Hardinge
The Hon Cecilia Bowes-Lyon (11), daughter of Lord and Lady Glamis, niece of the bride
The Hon Mary Elizabeth Elphinstone (11), daughter of Lord and Lady Elphinstone, niece of the bride
Miss Betty Cator (later sister-in-law to the bride, as Hon Mrs Michael Bowes-Lyon)
The newly formed British Broadcasting Company had wanted to record and broadcast the event on radio, but the Chapter vetoed the idea (although the Dean, Herbert Edward Ryle, was in favour). Albert's marriage to a British commoner was considered a modernising gesture.
The King and Queen, the groom's parents
The Prince of Wales, the groom's brother
The Prince Henry, the groom's brother
The Prince George, the groom's brother
Princess Mary, Viscountess Lascelles and Viscount Lascelles, the groom's sister and her husband
The Hon. George Lascelles, the groom's nephew
Queen Alexandra, the groom's paternal grandmother
The Princess Royal, the groom's paternal aunt
The Duchess of Fife and Prince Arthur of Connaught, the groom's first cousin and her husband
Earl of Macduff, the groom's second cousin
Princess Maud of Fife, the groom's cousin
The Princess Victoria, the groom's paternal aunt
The King and Queen of Norway, the groom's paternal aunt and her husband
The Crown Prince of Norway, the groom's cousin
The Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, the groom's paternal granduncle
The Crown Prince of Sweden, widower of the groom's late first cousin once removed
The Duke of Västerbotten, the groom's second cousin
Princess Ingrid of Sweden, the groom's second cousin
The Lady Patricia and Capt Sir Alexander Ramsay, the groom's first cousin, once removed and her husband
Mr Alexander Ramsay of Mar, the groom's second cousin
Prince Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha's family:
The Queen of the Romanians, the groom's first cousin, once removed
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Romania, the groom's second cousin and his second wife
Prince Michael of Romania, the groom's third cousin
Princess Christian, the groom's paternal grandaunt
The Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, the groom's first cousin, once removed
Princess Helena Victoria, the groom's first cousin, once removed
Princess Marie Louise, the groom's first cousin, once removed
The Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, the groom's paternal grandaunt
Princess Henry of Battenberg, the groom's paternal grandaunt
The Marquess of Carisbrooke and Marchioness of Carisbrooke, the groom's first cousin, once removed and his wife
The Queen and King of Spain, the groom's first cousin, once removed and her husband
The Prince of Asturias, the groom's second cousin
Infante Jaime of Spain, the groom's second cousin
Infante Juan of Spain, the groom's second cousin
Infante Gonzalo of Spain, the groom's second cousin
Infanta Beatriz of Spain, the groom's second cousin
Infanta Maria Cristina of Spain, the groom's second cousin
German Empress Victoria, Queen of Prussia's family:
The Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, widower of the groom's late first cousin, once removed
Princess Heinrich XXX Reuss of Köstritz, the groom's second cousin
Prince and Princess Henry of Prussia, the groom's first cousin, once removed and his wife
Prince and Princess Waldemar of Prussia, the groom's second cousin and his wife
The Queen Mother of the Hellenes, the groom's first cousin, once removed
The King and Queen of the Hellenes, the groom's second cousin and his wife
Princess Alexander of Greece and Denmark, widow of the groom's late second cousin
Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, the groom's third cousin
The Hereditary Princess of Hesse, the groom's first cousin, once removed
Prince Wolfgang of Hesse, the groom's second cousin
Grand Duchess Alice of Hesse and by Rhine's family:
The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine, the groom's first cousin once removed
The Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven, the groom's first cousin, once removed
The Marquess of Milford Haven and Marchioness of Milford Haven, the groom's second cousin and his wife
Lord and Lady Louis Mountbatten, the groom's second cousin and his wife
The Queen Dowager of Denmark, widow of the groom's late paternal granduncle
The King and Queen of Denmark, the grom's second cousin and his wife
The Duchess and Duke of Västergötland, the groom's second cousin and her husband
The Queen Dowager of the Hellenes, the groom's grandaunt
The Empress Dowager of All the Russias, the groom's grandaunt
Prince Valdemar of Denmark, the groom's granduncle
Prince and Princess Axel of Denmark, the groom's second cousin and his wife
Princess René of Bourbon-Parma, the groom's second cousin
The Marquess and Marchioness of Cambridge, the groom's maternal uncle and aunt
Earl and Countess of Eltham, the groom's first cousin and his wife
Lord Frederick Cambridge, the groom's first cousin
Lady Mary Cambridge, the groom's first cousin
Lady Helena Gibbs and Mr John Gibbs, the groom's first cousin and her husband
The Earl of Athlone and Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, the groom's maternal uncle and aunt
Viscount Trematon, the groom's first cousin
Lady May Cambridge, the groom's first cousin
The Earl and Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne, the bride's parents
Lord and Lady Glamis, the bride's brother and sister-in-law
Master of Glamis, the bride's nephew
Mr Timothy Bowes-Lyon, the bride's nephew
Miss Cecilia Bowes-Lyon, the bride's niece
Miss Nancy Bowes-Lyon, the bride's niece
Mr and Mrs John Bowes-Lyon, the bride's brother and sister-in-law
Miss Anne Bowes-Lyon, the bride's niece
Miss Nerissa Bowes-Lyon, the bride's niece
Mr Michael Bowes-Lyon, the bride's brother
Mr David Bowes-Lyon, the bride's brother
The Lady and Lord Elphinstone, the bride's sister and brother-law
Master of Elphinstone, the bride's nephew
Mr Andrew Elphinstone, the bride's nephew
Miss Jean Constance Elphinstone, the bride's niece
Lady Rose Leveson-Gower and William Leveson-Gower Esq, the bride's sister and brother-in-law
Mr Granville James Leveson-Gower, the bride's nephew
Miss Mary Cecilia Leveson-Gower, the bride's niece
Mr and Mrs Francis Bowes-Lyon, the bride's paternal uncle and aunt
Miss Muriel Bowes-Lyon, the bride's first cousin
Mr Charles Bowes-Lyon, the bride's first cousin
Mr Geoffrey Bowes-Lyon, the bride's first cousin
Miss Winnifred Bowes-Lyon, the bride's first cousin
Mr Ronald Bowes-Lyon, the bride's first cousin
Miss Doris Bowes-Lyon, the bride's first cousin
Miss Lillian Bowes-Lyon, the bride's first cousin
Mrs Ernest Bowes-Lyon, widow of the bride's late paternal uncle
Mr Hubert Bowes-Lyon, the bride's first cousin
Miss Susan Bowes-Lyon, the bride's first cousin
Miss Dorothea Bowes-Lyon, the bride's first cousin
Miss Joan Bowes-Lyon, the bride's first cousin
Miss Marjorie Bowes-Lyon, the bride's first cousin
Miss Ernestine Bowes-Lyon, the bride's first cousin
Mr and Mrs Patrick Bowes-Lyon, the bride's paternal uncle and aunt
Mr Jean Bowes-Lyon, the bride's first cosuin
Miss Margaret Ann Bowes-Lyon, the bride's first cousin
Mr and Mrs Malcolm Bowes-Lyon, the bride's paternal uncle and aunt
Miss Clodagh Pamela Bowes-Lyon, the bride's first cousin
Lady Constance Blackburn and Mr Robert Francis Blackburn, the bride's paternal aunt and uncle
Mr Phyllis Blackburn, the bride's first cousin
Miss Claudia Blackburn, the bride's first cousin
Lady Maud Agness Bowes-Lyon, the bride's paternal aunt
Miss Ann Violet Cavendish-Bentinck, the bride's maternal aunt
The Dowager Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Princess Julius Ernest of Lippe
The Crown Princess and Crown Prince of Montenegro
The Duke and Duchess of Cumberland and Teviotdale
Elizabeth's wedding dress was made from deep ivory chiffon moire, embroidered with pearls and a silver thread. It was intended to match the traditional Flanders lace provided for the train by Queen Mary. Elizabeth's dress, which was in the fashion of the early 1920s, was designed by Madame Handley-Seymour, dressmaker to Queen Mary.
A strip of Brussels lace, inserted in the dress, was a Strathmore family heirloom. A female ancestor of the bride wore it to a grand ball for "Bonnie Prince Charlie", Charles Edward Stuart.
The silver leaf girdle had a trail of spring green tulle, trailing to the ground; silver and rose thistle fastened it. According to an era news article: "In the trimming the bride has defied all old superstitions about the unluckiness of green."
Unlike more recent dresses, details of this one were publicly revealed in advance of the wedding day. However, the dress was worked on until the last possible opportunity: the day before the wedding, Elizabeth divided her time between the wedding rehearsal and her dressmakers.
Prince Albert wore RAF full dress in the rank of group captain, his senior service rank at the time of his marriage.
Upon their marriage, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was styled Her Royal Highness The Duchess of York. Following a wedding breakfast at Buckingham Palace prepared by chef Gabriel Tschumi, they honeymooned at Polesden Lacey, a manor house in Surrey, and then went to Scotland, where she caught "unromantic" whooping cough.
