Marriage of the Prince of Wales — a
description of the ceremony.
The marriage of the Prince of Wales occupies about twelve of the London Times.
It took place 10th ult., in St. George's Chapel Windsor.
groom's cavalcade left Windsor Castle past eleven o'clock precisely, in the morning took the road towards St. George's Chapel. twenty-four carriages, and consisted members of the royal family of England, of Denmark, who accompanied the bride England, the Count of Flanders, and the great of State of England. The precession was more modest. It was in four carriages, and was made up of his Highness the Duke of Cambridge, Prince , of Denmark the Danish Minister in London and the Ladies and gentlemen in attendance bride. The procession moved from Windsor Castle at half past 12 in the afternoon.
The was in a blezo of nobility and tingle representative of the gones of the Dhuleep Singh, the descendant of the of Lahere, is resplendent in cloth of gold , with collar of pearls and sheen of yellow and it is strange to see him here among the fair-barred Horsemen and Teutons, adventures had never led them the world's circumference of the land has made her own.
of the procession of the Queen's guests, in marched Princes Howard of Sexe Weimar, bought in the British ranks at Ickermenn, was by Col. Seymour who stood near at hand in press of men. They all passed into chapel-- of Danish and Pengsian, and and German green and blue, picked out English scarlet; and as the lest of them away into the darkening glow of the inner holding the strains of "God Save the Queen" maded yet louder and nearer, and the cheers of the people sounded louder still.
Queen Victoria were the simplest and plainest of woods — a widow's cap, a black silk dress, with white collar and cuffs, and black gloves. The colors which appear upon her are the star of the Order of the Garter and its blue riband, narrowed to the width her Majesty usually wears, across her left shoulder. She looks well in health, out thinner and elder, with the permanent trance of deep grief and cars stamped up every lineament of her features. She stands at the window of the royal pew, a little withdrawn from general base, and only to be seen at all by those on the opposite side of the choir glancing quietly into the interior, while the Duke of Seze Coburgerpsaks, and apparently expiries to her the arrangements going on below for the great ceremony which has drawn her forth from her mourning and seclusion. After a few minutes she rests herself a little way from the window, and the Duke retires, the Hon, Mrs., R. Bruce, clad, like the Queen, in deep mourning, taking his place.
The Princess Royal was there looking as young, as amiable, and as timid as when with slow steps, she herself was led to the altar at the Chapel Royal, but this time leading by the hand a fine little boy, who, all unawed-by the stately pomp around, dragged on his mother's arm as he looked behind him at the pageant, and with difficulty brought his little feet to surmount the three steps of the haut pas.
On the sister of the bride, the lovely Princess Dagmar of Denmark, followed by her Royal mother, leading in each hand the Princess Thyra and Prince Waldmar all looks are concerned as with stately step they slowly pass no the centre. The Princess Christian is richly yet simply dressed and only a feather and a few flowers are mixed with the thick clusters of her auburn hair. All as they reach the dais turn and mare a deep and reverend obedience source to her Majesty, and then pass on to the greats on the south of the altar.
The bridegroom and bride here entered the chapel. The bride groom came first. His Royal Highness, whose man of the Garter concealed his uniform so far that only the gold striped overall and spurs can be seen to give an indication that he wears his uniform below, bears himself as one who has a light heart and princely dignity.
At last, with great clangor of trumpets which at first are muffed into a rich indistinctness behind the curtains, the long-looked for procession of the bride enters, and the Prince giving one look to satisfy himself of the fact of the arrival, keeps his eyes fixed upon the Queen, and never turns his head again till his affianced stands beside him.
The hush was now so deep and breathless that even the restless glitter of the jewels that twinkled everywhere seemed almost to break it, and despite the stately etiquette which had hitherto regulated every word and gesture, all now ben and eagerly forward as the hum and rustle in the have beyond showed the young bride to be drawing near. In another moment she had entered, and stood.
‘ In gloss of satin and glimmer of pearls,
Queen lily and rose in one,
’
the fairest and almost the youngest of all her lovely train that bloomed in fair array behind her. Though not agitated, she appeared nervous, and the soft, delicate bloom of color which ordinarily imparts a look of joyous happiness to her expressive features had all but disappeared, as, head bent down, but glancing her eyes occasionally from side to side, she moved slowly up towards the altar.
On these occasion, we believe, the prise of the bride ranks in general estimation as only second in importance to the celebration of the ceremony itself, which is to be regretted, for a lady address, like a lady's beauty, can only be described by its effect. It is embroidered white silk, trimmed with silver, which can just be discerned in rich designs glittering between the snowy folds. The traditional white is not, however departed from, though over all she wears a slight buddies with open sleaves of white silk, embroidered with silver, and which felling tight, sets off her tapering waist and faultless symmetry of form to absolute perfection. Her gorgeous train of white and silver is borne by eight young ladies, between the ages of fifteen and twenty, the very choice and flower of the fair scions of our most ancient houses.
Slowly the bride reaches the haut pas, and as she stops to bow to the Queen some of her fair attendants, who are apparently even more nervous than herself, attempt to kneel, but finding their mistake, rise quickly and move on as if they did not mean it. Then, and then only, does the Prince turn, as if to receive her, but checks himself as he seen them all bowing to the Queen, and for the first and only time he seems irresolute as to what he ought to do. The long been scrutiny seems to have disturbed his composure at last, though only for a second, and the anthem ceases, and all retire a little apart, while the bride and bridegroom are left standing in the middle of the haut pas, the latter alone, the former, of course closely surrounded by her attendant bridesmaids, so closely, indeed, that in that gorgeous mass of scarlet and purple and gold they were the only group on which the eye could turn with a feeling like rest from the surrounding glitter.
Handel's march from "Joseph" had been played at entering, but all music had ceased as the party stood around the altar, till its strains broke out with the solemn words of the chorale.
The exquisitely soft music of this chant at once solemn and sorrowful, was composed by the late Prince Consort. It may have been this, or the associations and life-long memories called up by the seem beneath her, but certain it is that as the hymn commenced her Majesty drew back from the window of her pew, and after an effort to conceal her emotion, gave way to her tears and almost sobbed; nor did she throughout the rest of the ceremony entirely recover her composure.
The bridal party saw nothing of this; the bride's face was turned from the pew, and the Queen was withdrawn too far from the front for the Prince to see her though his looks were often turned in that direction.
As the solemn chant ended the prelates advanced to the communion rails, and the Primate, in a rich, clear voice, which was heard throughout every part of the building, choir or nave, commenced the service with the usual formulary. "Dearly be loved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God and in the face of this congregation to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony." There is a solemn pause after that dreadful adjuration, in which they are charged to answer if there was any impediment to their marriage, and then, after a moment, the Primate passed on to
"Wilt thou, Albert Edward, have this woman to thy wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony! Wilt thou love her comfort her honor and keep her in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both she I live? "
To this the Prince rather bowed than responded, his utterance was so indistinct. To the same question.
"Wilt thou, Alexandra Caroline Maria, have this man to thy wedded husband?" the reply was just audible, but nothing more though, as usual, every bar was strained to catch it.
But to the words, "I take thee Alexandra, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth"--the Prince repeated clearly word for word after his Grace, though new, again when it was the turn of the young bride, the could be heard only to answer almost inaudibly, and her checks were suffused with a crimson flush, and she seemed very nervous.
To the question. "Who giveth this woman to be married to this man?" the royal father of the bride only bowed and moved towards the Princess who was removing her glove hurriedly. Then the Primate joined their hands, and in a clear soft voice, firmly and deliberately repeated the words.
"With this ring I thee wed, wish my body I thee worship and with all my worthy goods I thee endow; in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost! Amen!"
All then knelt down, while the prayer commencing "O. Kernel God, Creator and Preserver of all mankind Giver of all spiritual grace, the Author of everlasting life, send "Thy blessing upon these Thy servants, this man and this woman, whom we bless in Thy name," was solemnly repeated, and then they rose, while the Primate joined their
hands and said the final words, "Those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder!"
With these words, which in law completed the marriage ceremony, the service was continued to the sixty-seventh Psalm, the solemn strains of which came like a relief what seemed almost the overwrought feelings of all within the choir as the words went pealing softly through both nave and aisle.
The Primate, raising his voice, solemnly pronounced the benediction, during which the Queen who had been more deeply affected, knelt and buried her face in her handkerchief.
The bride and bridegroom then joined hands and, turning to the Queen, gave more a nod of kindly friendship the a bow of state, which the Queen returned in kind. In another minute the Queen, giving a similar greeting to the Princess, quitted the closet, and the whole pageant went pouring in a gorgeous stream or flood of colors of waving plumes and flaming jewels out of the choir.
The Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales returned from St. George's chapel to the castle at twenty five minutes past one o'clock, slighting at the grand entrance, where they were met by her Majesty the Queen.
The royal party were conducted to the Green Drawing and White Room, where the attestation of the marriage took place by the royal guests, the Church dignitaries, the Lord Chancellor, and other Ministers of the Crown, and the Danish Minister, Meade Bill.
A dejeuner was served in the dining-room to the royal guests, and in St. George's Hall a dejeuner was served to the diplomatic corps, the ladies in waiting, and to the very numerous company present at the ceremony of the marriage in the choir of the chapel, amounting to about four hundred persons.
The wedding cake on the royal table was divided into three compartments; the middle, of octagonally form, contained a square altar in the with a armpit at each angle, holding a piece of wedding cake.
The second wedding cake was placed in the middle of the table in St. George's Hall. It weighed about eighty pounds, and formed an octagon covered with white satin, such side displaying alternately medallions of the Prince of Wales the arms of Great Britain, medallions of the Princess Alexandra, and the arms of Denmark. The cornice was formed of large pearls. The cake was decorated with orange blossom and jasmine, and the top was surmounted by a vase filled with a jasmine bouquet.
The Princess Mary of Cambridge wore a train of illas silver moire, trimmed with white Honiton lace. Petticoat of white satin, with Honiton lace tunic and bands of lilac velvet. Diadem of diamonds Stomacher, necklace, and earrings of diamonds.--Head dress, white feathers and tulle veil.
The Duchess of Cambridge wore a violet velvet train trimmed with ermine Petticoat of violet satin, trimmed with black lace, covered with a tunic of Honiton lace, a tiaras of pearls and diamonds; necklace and stomacher to match.
The Princess Helena wore a train of white silk, with bouquets of the rose, shamrock, and thistle, tied with silver cord, manufactured by Lewis and Allenby, trimmed with tulle and bouquets of lilac, white and lilac Petticoat of white tulle over white lace, striped with ribbons of rose, shamrock, and thistle, bouquet of lilac. Head dress, wreath of lilac, white feathers, and blonds lappets; diamond ornaments.
Princess Louise and Princess Bestrice, dress of white tulle over white Glace, striped with ribbons of rose, shamrock, and thistle, tied with silver cord; trimmed with bouquets of lilac. Head dress, wreaths of lilacs, (white and lilac;) pearl ornaments.
Her Imperial Highness the Duchess of Besant wore a train of blue moire antique embroidered with gold.
