The wedding of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip was one of the royal weddings that took place when the entire nation was getting better from the Second World War. The longest-serving wedding happened on 20th November 1947 after the couple met each other in 1934 at the wedding of Prince George and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. The couple got married in Westminster Abbey just five months after getting engaged in 1947. Though the royal wedding grabbed everyone’s attention, there were a bunch of women known as bridesmaids who made sure that everything went well for the bride. So, here’s everything we have gathered for you about the eight bridesmaids of Queen Elizabeth II.
Diana Bowes-Lyon
Diana Bowes-Lyon was born on 14th December 1923 and was the daughter of John Bowes Lyon. John Bowes Lyon was the youngest brother of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother which makes Diana the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. At the time of Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding, Diana was just 23 years old. She was amongst the eight bridesmaids who wore the ivory gowns along with floral headpieces, which were designed by Flora Ballard and Warner & Sons. On 24th February 1960, Diana Bowes-Lyon got married to Peter Gordon Colin Somervell and also had one daughter. However, she passed away on 20th May, 1986.
Princess Alexandra, The Honorable Lady Ogilvy
Princess Alexandra was the youngest bridesmaid who was present at the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. She is the single daughter of Prince George and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. This makes her the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. She was amongst the bridesmaids who wore ivory dresses along with voluminous tulle skirts. At the time of her birth, Princess Alexandra was 6th in the line for the British throne but now is 57th in the succession line. In 1963, Princess Alexandra got married to Angus Ogilvy at Westminster Abbey and had two kids, James and Marina.
Lady Elizabeth Lambart
Lady Elizabeth Lambart was one of the eight bridesmaids who accompanied Queen Elizabeth II when she was walking down the aisle. She was the daughter of Federick Rudolph Lambart, 10th Earl of Cavan who served as a commander in the First World War and was also a friend of King George V. In 1949, Lady Elizabeth Lambart married publisher Mark Longman and had three children: Emma, Jane, and Caroline. The Norman Hartnell ivory dress worn by Elizabeth Lambart at the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II has recently been sold for $48,420. The news was announced in a statement by Christie’s specialist, Benedict Winter. Also, Lambart was a childhood friend of Queen Elizabeth II and grew up in the British royal family. She died at the age of 92 on 8th December 2016.
Lady Caroline Montagu Douglas Scott
Lady Caroline Montagu Douglas Scott was one of the eight bridesmaids who wore the delicately designed ivory gown at the royal wedding of Queen Elizabeth II. She was born in 1927 and was 20 years old at the time. Lady Caroline was the daughter of Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, the 8th Duke of Buccleuch and the 10th Duke of Queensberry. She got married in 1951 to Ian Gilmour at the Westminster Abbey and had five children in total. Further, Lady Caroline Montagu Douglas Scott passed away in 2004.
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
Princess Margaret was the youngest daughter of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and King George VI, which makes her the only younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II. In 1960, she got married to Antony Armstrong-Jones and gave birth to two kids, Sarah and David. The divorce of the couple was finalized in 1976. Princess Margaret wore the same dress that the other bridesmaids wore at the wedding of Queen Elizabeth, which had scoop necklines along with satin floral headpieces in the hair. However, after suffering a stroke, Princess Margaret passed away in 2002 at the age of 71.
Margaret Rhodes
Margaret Rhodes was born on 9th June 1925 to Lady Mary Bowes-Lyon, who was the elder sister of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Also, she was the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret. In the 1950s, she got married to Denys Gravenor Rhodes and had four children: Annabel, Victoria, Simon, and Michael. She was amongst the eight bridesmaids who wore the embellished ivory dress at the royal wedding of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. The dress was designed in part by Flora Ballard and was woven by Warner & Sons. However, at the age of 91, Margaret Rhodes passed away on 25th November 2016 due to an illness.
Lady Pamela Hicks
Lady Pamela Hicks is the younger daughter of Louis Mountbatten and Edwina Mountbatten, and from her father’s side, she is the first cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Lady Pamela served as one of the eight bridesmaids at the royal wedding of her third cousin, Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Philip. At the time of the wedding, Lady Pamela Hicks was just 18 years old and also served as the Queen’s lady-in-waiting. In 1960, she got married to designer David Nightingale Hicks and had three children together, namely, Edwina, Ashley, and India. However, David passed away in 1998 due to lung cancer.
Lady Mary Cambridge
Lady Mary Cambridge is the second cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, who was born to George Cambridge, 2nd Marquess of Cambridge. She was one of the eight bridesmaids who wore the same ivory dresses at the wedding of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II, which was held at Westminster Abbey. The gown of the bridesmaid had a ruched bodice and a voluminous tulle skirt which was embellished with flowers. In 1951, Lady Mary got married to the son of Sir Norman Henry Pownall Whitley, Peter Whitley. They had two children after their marriage, namely, Sarah and Charles. However, in December 1999, Lady Mary passed away when she was in her 70s.
