On 26 April it will be 100 years since King Charles's III’s grandparents, King George VI and his wife Elizabeth, tied the knot. Theirs was one of the happiest of royal unions, and the couple became parents to Britain's iconic late Queen, Elizabeth II. But, due to the bride refusing her future husband’s proposal three times before finally accepting, the wedding almost didn’t happen!
Prince Albert, who became known as King George VI in 1936 when his older brother Edward abdicated, first met Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at a dance held by Lord and Lady Farquhar in London's Mayfair in 1920.
The Prince was captivated by the beautiful debutante, the Earl of Strathmore’s ninth child, who had spent much of her childhood at the spectacular Glamis Castle in Scotland, and first proposed to her in 1921. But Elizabeth refused, worried about the consequences of joining the royal family. She reportedly said that she was “afraid never, never again to be free to think, speak and act as I feel I really ought”.
But Prince Albert, nicknamed Bertie, didn’t give up. He unsuccessfully popped the question a second time at his sister Princess Mary’s wedding, and apparently on one more occasion too. Elizabeth finally accepted his proposal in January 1923, much to the future King’s delight.
The couple tied the knot on 26 April 1923. As the second son, Prince Albert never expected to become King, and so the wedding celebrations were relatively low-key compared to the extravagant nuptials of future monarchs. That said, there were 1,800 guests present at Westminster Abbey for the ceremony, which started two lovely royal wedding customs.
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Elizabeth was the first Windsor to wear a wedding band made out of Welsh gold. The nugget used amazingly also made four later wedding rings: Queen Elizabeth II’s in 1947, Prince Margaret’s in 1960, the Princess Royal’s in 1973 and Diana, Princess of Wales’s, in 1981. Keeping with tradition, Kate Middleton’s ring was also made from Welsh gold, as were Harry and Meghan's.
And when the bride decided to place her wedding bouquet at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as she left the Abbey to honour her brother Fergus, who lost his life in the First World War, she began a poignant ritual that has been followed by royal brides ever since.
After the nuptials, the couple were happily married for over 25 years, welcoming the future Queen Elizabeth II in 1926, and a second daughter Margaret in 1930. King George VI sadly passed away in 1952 aged just 56 from lung cancer. He was survived by his wife who, as Queen Mother, continued to be adored by the British public until her death at the ripe old age of 101 in 2002.
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