Life of Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen — Volume 1Tytler, Sarah
History
Life of Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen — Volume 1
Tytler, Sarah
Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, 1819-1901
The Queen's procession began with drums and trumpets, and continued with
pursuivants, heralds, pages, equeries, and the different officers of the
Household till it reached the members of the Royal Family. These ranged
from the farthest removed in relationship, Princess Sophia of Gloucester,
through the Queen's young cousins in the Cambridge family, with much
admiration bestowed on the beautiful child, Princess Mary, and the
exceedingly attractive young girl, Princess Augusta, to another and a
venerable Princess Augusta--one of the elder daughters of George III., an
aged lady upwards of seventy, who then made her final appearance in public.
Doubtless she had been among the company who were present at the last royal
marriage in St. James's, on the night of the 8th of April, 1795, forty-five
years before, a marriage so widely removed in every particular from this
happy wedding. The two royal Dukes of Cambridge and Sussex walked next, the
Lord Chamberlain and Vice-Chamberlain, with Lord Melbourne between, bearing
the Sword of State before the Queen.
Her Majesty's train was carried by twelve unmarried ladies, her
bridesmaids. Five of these, Lady Fanny Cowper, Lady Mary Grimston, Lady
Adelaide Paget, Lady Caroline Gordon Lennox, and Lady Catherine Stanhope,
had been among her Majesty's train-bearers at the coronation. Of the three
other fair train-bearers on that occasion, one at least, Lady Anne
Wentworth Fitzwilliam, was already a wedded wife. The remaining seven
bridesmaids were Lady Elizabeth West, Lady Eleanor Paget, Lady Elizabeth
Howard, Lady Ida Hay, Lady Jane Bouverie, Lady Mary Howard, and Lady Sarah
Villiers. These noble maidens were in white satin like their royal
mistress, but for her orange blossoms they wore white roses. Still more
than on their former appearance together, the high-bred English loveliness
of the party attracted universal admiration.
The Master of the Horse and the Mistress of the Robes, the Ladies of the
Bedchamber, Maids of Honour, and Women of the Bedchamber followed, closed
in by Yeomen of the Guard and Gentlemen-at-Arms.
In the chapel there had been a crowd of English nobility and foreign
ambassadors awaiting the arrival of Prince Albert, when at twenty minutes
past twelve he walked up the aisle, carrying a prayer-book covered with
green velvet. He advanced, bowing to each side, followed by his supporters
to the altar-rail, before which stood four chairs of State, provided for
the Queen, the Prince, and, to right and left of them, Queen Adelaide and
the Duchess of Kent. The Queen-dowager was in her place, wearing a dress of
purple velvet and ermine; the bridegroom kissed her hand and entered into
conversation with her, while his father and brother took their seats near
him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account