England's Royal Weddings


Weddings, whether small and intimate affairs or gigantic spectacles, are fun. Public weddings are more fun. And Royal weddings - especially in England - are the most fun of all. Nobody does pomp and circumstance as well as the House of Windsor and 2011 will be the year for celebrating not just one, but two Royal weddings.

Not only did Prince William pop the question to long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton, but Zara Phillips, daughter of the Princess Royal, is also planning to tie the knot.

Given all the attention focussed on two people getting married, I think it would be fun to look a little more closely at Royal weddings past and present while keeping you up to date with the most spectacular royal event of the year: the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

If you'd like to be in England for the event or want to host your own celebration wherever you are, you need to start planning. To help you do just that check out background, details, general info and links to the most useful websites I can find - plus all the forays into English history you've come to expect. Enjoy!






Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

The Prince of Wales' younger son, Prince Harry, married American actress Meghan Markle on Saturday, May 19th 2018. The wedding was held on a fine sunny day in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.

The bride had flower girls and page boys attending her, but no bride's maid, and  started the walk down the isle on her own until she met. Prince Charles. Prince William was his younger brother's best man. The Duchess of Cambridge attended the wedding with Prince George and Princess Charlotte, but baby Prince Louis stayed back home in the nursery.


Prince William and Kate Middleton

Wills marries Kate and you're all invited is how one newspaper headlined the event of the year. And they're not wrong. Everyone in the UK will get an extra bank holiday on April 29th to join in the celebration. Add to that the many overseas visitors we're expecting and it's beginning to sound like one grand party.

The Royal Mews are getting ready to get Kate Middleton to the church in style. And if hullaballoo is your thing and you'd like to find out a little more, then make sure you watch the big event.


Royal Weddings of the Past

For as long as England is a monarchy, the nuptials of members of the Royal family will be a fascinating subject to the English. In modern times, they've become major events, attracting millions of spectators and well-wishers worldwide. But royal nuptials have always been important and in the past, even the fairly recent past, they had the power to change history.

So here I'm looking at some famous (or infamous) Royal weddings of the past, along with proposals, omens, mishaps and other wedding trivia.

  • Proposing marriage - and waiting for the answer - can be a harrowing moment for any man, and probably more so when he's the King of England. So, how do you pop the question when a crown is at stake?
  • Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry Plantagenet: The former Queen of France weds the future King of England
  • Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville: Kings can't marry where they choose. Neither should they embarrass their cousins doing so.
  • Henry VII and Elizabeth of York: Tribulations of a Royal Princess. How to marry the man who destroyed your family.
  • Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn: The marriage that changed England like few events before or since.
  • Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson: The king who gave up his crown for his love.
  • The Duke of York and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon: A determined suitor and a lady who loved proposals.
  • Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer: Pomp and circumstance at its best, this is the wedding many of us remember.
  • Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson: A royal wedding with an endearing exuberance.
  • Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones: A ray of hope and joy and a wedding dress to die for.


Other Useful Websites

A Royal wedding is not just a celebration of two people's love. It's also a great spectacle that many people love to share in. If you're planning to be in England and join the festivities, or if you're trying to organise your own party wherever you are, keep an eye on the Royal Family website, which will keep you up-to-date with all that's happening.


Return from Royal Weddings to the Essentially England homepage to find out more about England's fascinating history.