While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are on their tour of Australia, Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga and New Zealand attending the Invictus games as its Patron, we are lucky enough to have placed on display to the public at Windsor Castle (until the 6th January 2019) the dress worn by Megan Markle, the frock coat uniform worn by Prince Harry and the outfits worn by their Royal Highnesses, Prince George as pageboy and Princess Charlotte as bridesmaid.
Situated in the Grand reception room of Windsor Castle, the photos give an idea of the joyous occasion with the patterns and designs giving an indication of the great thought that went into the Givenchy dress worn by Megan Markle. The five meter long veil which is embroidered with the fifty three flowers of the commonwealth, included are the flowers ‘Wintersweet’ which grows in the gardens of Kensington Palace and the California poppy which is the state flower of Megan’s place of birth.
The bandeau tiara which held the veil in place is also on display. Loaned from Her Majesty the Queen, it is a platinum and diamond tiara, originally made for Her Majesty’s Grandmother Queen Mary in 1932 to accommodate the County of Lincoln Broach. The broach was a gift from the County of Lincoln when she married Prince George, Duke of York (later to become George V) in 1893. It is made up of eleven different sections with the ‘County of Lincoln Broach’ being at its centre. The platinum and diamond tiara were specifically made to fit the broach, which is made up of ten diamonds.
In 1952 the nation had three living queens, Queen Mary (the queen’s grandmother), Queen Elizabeth (the Queens mother) and Queen Elizabeth II.
The Frock coat uniform is made by the Saville row tailors Dege & Skinner and is that of the Household Cavalry; the Blues and Royals who along with the Lifeguards have been the monarchs guardians since 1660.
In this centenary year marking the end of the first world war and women getting the vote, the exhibition of this royal wedding dress and uniform marks another chapter in the history of the British Royal family. The dress, Frock coat, the pageboy and bridesmaids’ outfits are on display behind a glass case.
St Georges Chapel in Windsor has many memorials and chapels including that of George V and Queen Mary and is believed to be one of the most beautiful place of prayer in the country.
Inside Windsor’s’ great park there is Frogmore House, it was the former home of Charlotte, Queen Consort to George III, it is also a mausoleum, holding the remains of Queen Victoria and her beloved Prince Albert which can be seen from the “Long Walk”.
Windsor is an hour from central London and fifteen minutes from Runnymede, which is the foundation for many law systems throughout the world it is what the 1791 United States Bill of Rights and in 1948 the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights is based on. Runnymede also has the Kennedy memorial which is inscribed with words from his inaugural address in 1961.
The question now is when will Princess Eugene’s wedding dress come on display?
Blog by Moses
