Famous guests, a fabulous dress, and millions watching from home. So what
made Prince Edward and Sophie's royal wedding so unconventional?
Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones knew that they didn't want their wedding to
follow in the same pomp and circumstance footsteps of, say, then-Prince Charles
and Diana Spencer's wedding — so instead of inviting everyone to a state occasion,
Edward and Sophie held a relatively private event in front of 550 guests.
As the BBC notes, however, their wedding was the biggest event the town of Windsor
had seen since King George VI's 1952 funeral — but by royal wedding standards,
Edward and Sophie's big day was on the smaller side.
"Thousands of people have been waiting here for hours for that
tantalizing glimpse of the bride, and they haven't got long to wait."
Instead of inviting dignitaries, international politicians, and statesmen, Edward and Sophie
kept the guest list for the June 1999 event relatively confined to friends and family,
snubbing then-Prime Minister Tony Blair and other politicians. The
guest list did include celebs like Andrew Lloyd Webber and John Cleese,
among other well-known figures, but as for politicians, they had to sit this one out.
When Edward and Sophie tied the knot, they had a special request — no hats were to be worn. Hats,
of course, are a royal staple and often mark a sense of propriety and ceremony,
but given that the couple wanted their wedding to be more low-key,
they requested that the guests come hat-free. As noted by the BBC,
Edward and Sophie further requested a "more relaxed tone of dress." Leave the ball gowns
at home alongside the hats, they said, because an afternoon wedding doesn't need all the fluff.
Not everyone heeded the couple's wishes, including Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen
Mother — but we guess if you have the title "queen," you can do whatever you want. As
noted by the BBC at the time, Elizabeth wore a headdress — a sort of hat-adjacent look — and
the Queen Mother wore a full-on hat with feathers to go with her ensemble for the day.
Princess Margaret and Princess Anne followed Elizabeth's look and opted for headdresses,
but the usual stuffiness of a royal wedding was certainly not on display overall.
Edward and Sophie made it clear from the get-go that their wedding
would not follow in the stuffy footsteps of tradition. Edward — joined by his brothers,
Prince Charles and Prince Andrew — shunned the limousine that would've typically driven
the groom to the chapel and walked the 20-minute stroll to St. George's Church.
They lucked out on the weather, too — it had been raining, and the chances
of storms on the day was a "major concern in the morning." But the sun came out on time,
and Edward greeted well-wishers as he made his way to the ceremony. Though they couldn't
technically be in his wedding party — as the royals follow the tradition that bridesmaids
and page boys all be children — Andrew and Charles were Edward's "supporters" on the day,
essentially taking on the role as the "best men," the New York Times noted during their coverage.
Notable on the day in question was that Edward's two best men — both divorced — were not joined by
any significant other. Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, did not receive an invitation despite
being on fairly friendly terms with the prince and the other royals, and Camilla Parker Bowles
— Charles' "companion," as she was referred to in 1999 — wasn't included in the day's festivities.
"I am told by reliable sources that she did indeed get an invitation, but decided not to attend."
When Sophie first came on the scene,
many people drew parallels between her and the late Diana Spencer. But Prince
Edward and Sophie presented a much different front than their royal couple predecessors.
When interviewed about his then-fiancée, Edward told cameras that his love for
Sophie was "the most important thing of all." As the New York Times pointed out,
critics were quick to compare his statement to Charles' comment when
asked relatively the same question during his engagement interview with Diana.
"And I suppose, 'in love'?"
"Of course."
"Whatever 'in love' means."
The differences between Sophie and Diana's royal love stories continued on the day of
the wedding. Sophie included the word "obey" when making her vows to Edward: she vowed to "love,
cherish, and obey" her husband, a phrase that Diana famously omitted from her wedding day.
"To love, cherish, and obey …"
A wedding can certainly make even the most confident among us nervous, but Edward and Sophie
seemed to take the day in stride. As noted by the BBC, Edward appeared "relaxed and confident" as
he waited for Sophie to walk up the aisle, and both of them "faultlessly delivered their vows."
Edward even reportedly gave his wife-to-be a little wink, giving royal watchers a sense
of the couple's playfulness and levity. But every wedding day has a little bit of a fumble,
and Edward and Sophie struggled a bit to get her wedding band on her finger.
As noted by the Guardian, the "awkward moment" arrived when
the bride and groom realized that Sophie's wedding ring was just a little too tight,
but they managed to get it on and take the little fumble in stride.
The wedding day — especially a royal wedding — is all about the dress,
and Sophie did not disappoint. As detailed by Hello!, Sophie opted for a gorgeous silk organza
dress for her big day. Unlike Diana Spencer and Sarah Ferguson, who opted for puffy sleeves
and big ball gowns for their weddings, Sophie's sleek, V-neck dress was chic and sophisticated,
radiating the power of a professional woman marrying for love — not duty.
"Stunning! Absolutely stunning."
"She looked lovely."
The dress was adorned with more than 325,000 crystal beads and pearls,
trimming the neckline and sleeves without following a specific design
or "motif" like previous royal brides. Topping off the full bridal look,
the Countess of Wessex wore a full-length veil of silk tulle and crystal detailing.
As for jewels, Sophie was granted permission to wear a stunning diamond tiara from Queen
Elizabeth's private jewelry collection. For the day in question, the Crown Jeweler redesigned the
headpiece for Sophie specifically. She paired the tiara with pearl drop earrings and a black
and white strand of pearls around her neck, which were given to her by Prince Edward.
Edward showed up to the wedding in gray pinstripe trousers, a blue shirt with a white collar,
a yellow waistcoat, and a tie with little cats all over it. As noted by the BBC, Sophie gifted Edward
the 18-carat hunter pocket watch he was spotted in. Though they had to remain apart for a chunk
of the day before the ceremony, it's lovely to think that Edward and Sophie partook in the sweet
tradition of gifting each other small tokens they could incorporate during their wedding.
There's nothing better than a wedding with good food and a good atmosphere,
and Prince Edward and Sophie ensured their guests had a good time. As noted by Express,
wedding guests enjoyed canapes at the Waterloo Chamber and Grand Reception Room after the
ceremony was over and later enjoyed a — wait for it — buffet-style dinner at the reception.
When we think royal, we think silver service and everything handed out on a platter — not for
Edward and Sophie. They brought yet another layer of relatability to their big day; by all accounts,
it was a hit. A guest told the BBC in the aftermath of the wedding and reception,
"The queen was constantly wandering through and chatting to people. It was one of the
friendliest weddings I have ever been to. It was a really friendly, family wedding."
Adding that she had also attended Diana Spencer and then-Prince Charles' wedding,
the insider noted that Edward and Sophie's day
was "far less formal," and the couple even opted out of toasts and speeches.
Rounding out the evening, Sophie and Edward cut into their daffodil and
tennis racket-themed wedding cake, both nods to Sophie's heritage and
how the couple met — on the tennis court — as the Irish Times detailed.
Believe it or not, Prince William was digitally altered in Edward and Sophie's official wedding
photos. It was 1999, but such technology allowed photographer Geoffrey Shakerley to
alter the pictures as the prince was said to not "look happy enough" on the day.
As noted by the BBC, Shakerley said that William was "not looking his best" in one of
the official photos from the day, so he swapped out his face from another picture in which he
was grinning. The photographer later reflected on the job, saying that it came at Edward's request:
"Prince Edward said he didn't think Prince William looked absolutely his best,
so digitally we were able to put in another picture of Prince William from
one of the other shots where he is smiling and laughing."
Reproductions of the photo were not allowed after the wedding, as per the Bagshot Park Charity,
as the organization run by the royal couple wanted to donate all the money made from the
wedding's coverage. Such reproductions then would mean less money — or at least that's
how charity trustee Henry Boyd-Carpenter justified the face swap, telling the BBC,
"If the photo were to be put out on the Internet,
it would be a free for all, and the charity would not benefit at all."
When Diana Spencer married then-Prince Charles, she became Diana, Princess of Wales. When
Kate Middleton married Prince William, she was given the Duchess of Cambridge title,
and so on. When Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones tied the knot, Edward was
bestowed the Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn titles, making Sophie the Countess of Wessex.
Such titles have stuck throughout their time as royals, and they have
since given the titles of lady and Viscount Severn to their children,
Louise and James, though they have denied HRH designations for both their kids.
There is a bit of a dilemma with titles, however, regarding Edward. As noted by the BBC at the time
of the wedding, Edward was said to be given the Duke of Edinburgh title — held by his father,
Prince Philip, at the time — after the death of both his mother and father.
Philip passed in 2021 and Queen Elizabeth in 2022, and many thought the Edinburgh title would
be rightfully handed to Edward, but no such luck. King Charles essentially owns the title
and can bestow it to anyone he likes — there is, as you may have guessed, a title holdout.
So what is Charles' endgame? Some have predicted that the king will give the
Edinburgh title to Princess Charlotte, his granddaughter, while others see the
title grab as nothing more than the result of petty jealousy between the brothers.