Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank are officially married! The Royal Family – and a slew of high-profile British guests – turned up in their wedding best for a ceremony at St George’s Chapel, Windsor this morning. The bride wore Peter Pilotto, the Duke of York walked her down the aisle, Andrea Boccelli sang Ave Maria, Prince George was a ham and Princess Beatrice gave a reading from The Great Gatsby of all things.
Let’s start with Eugenie. We were pretty certain the designer would be British thanks to remarks Eugenie has made over the last few months, but between Erdem, Burberry and Ralph & Russo, no one thought it would be lesser-known Peter Pilotto. But today’s gown was beautiful with a double v-neck, beautiful folds, a full ballgown skirt and a decent train that fit the backdrop of Windsor Castle.
While good money was on Eugenie wearing the same York tiara that her mother, Sarah, Duchess of York, wore at her own 1986 wedding, the bride in fact chose the emerald Greville tiara on loan from her grandmother, the Queen – once upon a time it belonged to the Queen Mother.
After the ceremony, the bride and groom went on a short carriage ride through the grounds, while this afternoon sees a luncheon and a smaller reception.
There was a question mark around whether the Duke of Edinburgh would attend – now that he’s retired, these tend to be game-time decisions, however the biggest factor at play is his reported dislike for Sarah, Duchess of York. As one reporter noted, today marked the first time the two have been photographed together in 26 years. Somewhat ironically, it was once said that the Prince of Wales had to wait until the Queen Mother passed away to marry the Duchess of Cornwall, while it is now reported that Prince Andrew won’t re-marry his ex-wife until his father passes away.
The bridal party was a who’s who of our toddler royals – Prince George and Princess Charlotte reprised their role as page boy and bridesmaid, respectively.
With them were Savannah and Isla Phillips, the elder of whom seems to be a particular favorite of George’s.
Meanwhile, Maud Windsor, daughter of Lord Frederick Windsor (son of Prince Michael of Kent, himself the younger brother of the Duke of Kent), was there – the same age as George, she actually attends school with him at Thomas’s Battersea. Zara Tindall’s daughter, Mia, was also in the mix with her cousins.
As for our favorite duchesses – the Duchess of Cambridge attended with the Duke wearing a magenta dress by Alexander McQueen and a matching Philip Treacy topper. I love the color – this is more along the lines of what I was hoping for at the Sussex wedding in May, though I suppose that ensemble was more “spring” to this one’s autumnal notes.
The neckline and pleating along the skirt indicate this is a very similar number to her 2017 Trooping the Colour outfit. I wasn’t a big fan of the bubblegum pink color of that dress, but I do appreciate this deeper jewel tone and it all comes together a bit better for me now that we can get a proper look.
As for the Duchess of Sussex, also attending with her husband, she chose a navy blue Givenchy coat, a bespoke Noel Stewart hat and Manolo Blahnik heels. It was very sleek, very Meghan, and I liked that both she and Kate wore pieces from the designers of their own wedding gowns.
Also there was a very pregnant Pippa Matthews, whose baby is due this month. She walked in with her husband, James Matthews, and her brother, James Middleton. Other A-list celebrity guests include David and Victoria Beckham, Poppy & Cara Delevingne, Elle Goulding, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, Cindy Crawford, Karlie Kloss and Eddie Redmayne. Last but not least, two of Harry’s ex-girlfriends were there – Chelsy Davy and Cressida Bonas. Eugenie reportedly invited Harry and Cressida to one another back in 2012.
Finally, let’s focus on Beatrice, who was kitted out in royal blue Roksanda Ilincic and a demure headband by Stephen Jones to play the role of maid of honour. She looked lovely and seemed in good spirits as she watched the ceremony next to her mother and engaged with the extend family.
One notable absence from today’s event is Camilla, who was unfortunately already scheduled to carry out two engagements today. These things are not as easy to re-schedule as we might believe, and these obligations have reportedly on the books since prior to the wedding date being set. It’s unfortunate to miss her today – or rather, for her to miss this – but it gives some insight into how advanced royal scheduling is.
It was a lovely, family event and Eugenie looked beautiful – even more, she looked incredibly happy. I’ll leave it there for now, but may follow up over the weekend as more fodder is released. Happy Friday 🙂
I adore how the little kids interact with each other in public – you can really tell that they are friends. By the looks some of the children give her, I think they look up to Savannah as she’s the eldest – it’s a cute dynamic. I was a little underwhelmed with Beatrice’s outfit – I expected it to be a little more ‘Pippa’ and less ‘Fergie’. I’m not sold on the wedding dress as a whole, but I liked the back view and the length of the train. The floristry was fab and I’m so glad it didn’t rain.
Yes, totally agree on the kids. Now that they’re all a little older and we’ve seen them interacting a few times recently, it’s fun to see certain dynamic emerging. It definitely seems like George enjoys playing with Savannah and looks up to her as the eldest cousin, which is cute to see. And I’m with you on the dress – not every element was a win with me, but I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by how much of it I truly liked that it helped elevate the whole look in my book. For me, I think the standout star was the Greville tiara!
I did like Eugenie’s evening gown – you see her wearing patterns so much (a bit like me!) it is nice to see her in one colour. Aah the tiara! I wrote a post recently about the Queen Mum’s tiaras – and I glossed over the Greville jewels that were bequeathed to her. I wish I could have a play in the Queen’s tiara closet!
Oh, that’s good to know – I will go check that out 🙂