A History of Royal Weddings in the UK
The recent royal wedding led to a renewed interest in the royal family and their love stories. As Prince William was getting ready for his marriage to Catherine Middleton, royal memorabilia was flying off the shelves in stores all over the world. But, this wasn’t the first time the world has been entranced by royal romance. Over the years, people have witnessed many royal weddings, and each one captivated the public in its own right. And, with every occasion, people demanded royal wedding memorabilia to commemorate it.
The first royal wedding that took the world by storm took place in 1937 when King Edward VIII gave up the throne to marry Wallis Simpson, who was a twice-divorced socialite from America. Chances are that no royal memorabilia was made to celebrate their relationship because most people disapproved of the shocking decision.
On November 20th, 1947, Princess Elizabeth married Prince Philip in Westminster Abbey. The royal pair first met when Prince Philip’s cousin, Princess Marina of Greece, married the Duke of Kent, who happened to be Princess Elizabeth’s uncle.
Princess Margaret, the Queen’s sister, married Antony Armstrong-Jones, who later became the Duke of Snowdon, on May 06, 1960. Unfortunately, they were divorced 18 years later in 1978.
On November 14, 1973, Princess Anne, the Queen’s only daughter, married Captain Mark Phillips. The union didn’t survive, and the couple divorced in 1992. But, Princess Anne did not stay single for long. That same year, she married Commander Timothy Laurence in Scotland. The most famous wedding prior to the recent betrothal of Prince William and Catherine Middleton took place on July 29, 1981 when Prince Charles got married to Lady Diana Spencer. Princess Diana became so popular all over the world that her royal memorabilia is still sold to hundreds of people every year. Unfortunately, the marriage broke down due to rumors of adultery.
On July 23, 1986, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York married Sarah Ferguson, a publishing executive. The marriage ended 8 years later when scandalous photos of the duchess revealed that she was being unfaithful to her husband.
On June 19, 1999, Prince Edward married Sophie Rhys-Jones. Prince Edward is the only one of king’s children who has not been divorced.
Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles on April 9, 2005. They were joined by a civil ceremony in Windsor’s Guildhall.
Of course, the most famous royal wedding in recent history is that of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. People all over the world planned wedding-watching parties, copied Miss Middleton’s fashion style, and rushed to purchase royal memorabilia. The marriage was a result of 8-year romance after William and Kate first met at university. The long-awaited ceremony took place on April 29, 2011.
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