Wedding photographs released ... with bride’s mother back in the royal fold
Newlyweds swap gowns for Victoriana glamour at festival-themed party, as official photographs show bride’s mother at the Duke of Edinburgh’s side
Weddings traditionally bring families together, and in Sarah, Duchess of York’s case, it finally marked the thawing of royal relations that have been frosty for more than 20 years. The Duchess, once considered an outcast after her toe-sucking antics brought shame on the monarchy in the Nineties, was welcomed back into the royal fold as she posed alongside the Duke of Edinburgh for Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s official wedding photographs.
Until yesterday, the 97-year-old Duke and his former daughter-in-law are not believed to have spoken since the Yorks divorced in 1996.
The images, taken by Alex Bramall, a fashion photographer, shows the Duke smiling as the Duchess, who he once described as “odd and pointless”, poses at his side in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle.
The photograph, also featuring the Queen, the groom’s family and eight slightly nonplussed bridesmaids and pageboys, was released alongside three others taken at the castle and at the private evening reception at Royal Lodge, the home that the Duke and Duchess of York still share.
The newlyweds’ young attendants look much happier in a second picture, with all but Mia Tindall, the daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall, smiling for the camera.
A third, black and white image shows the happy couple sharing a kiss during their carriage procession in the Scottish State Coach, while in a fourth, they are pictured in new outfits for the black tie dinner, thought to have been inspired by The Great Gatsby in a nod to Princess Beatrice’s reading from F Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel at Friday’s ceremony at St George’s Chapel. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “The couple are delighted to be able to share these images of their special day.”
A source close to the Duchess of York told The Sunday Telegraph she was “relieved to get through” the ceremony and formal pictures with her former in-laws. “She was terribly nervous. She was so relieved when all the formalities were over.”
The bride’s blush-coloured evening dress was designed by Zac Posen, who was also a guest and was teamed with a wheat-ear shaped hair slide, which was lent to her by the Queen. Originally commissioned by William IV in 1830 for Queen Adelaide, it was passed down to Queen Victoria in 1837, and eventually to the Queen in 1952.
The Princess, who is named after Victoria’s granddaughter, Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, insisted on a Victoriana theme for yesterday’s festival-inspired second afternoon of celebrations, complete with Ferris wheel and coconut shy. Food trucks served everything from pulled pork sliders to Cornish fish and chips, rounded off with cup cakes, ice cream and candyfloss as guests partied from 2pm to 2am.
The family’s gardener described it as “one hell of a party”.
Bloody Marys were served to help guests recover from the night before, where Robbie Williams gave an impromptu performance.
The Telegraph can disclose that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex missed Friday night’s tequila-soaked celebrations because they had to finish packing for their 16-day tour of Australia and the Pacific, which starts on Tuesday.
As Dom Perignon flowed until the early hours, Williams leapt on stage
and belted out Angels, She’s the One, Let Me Entertain You and Rock DJ.
Guests welled up as the groom delivered a heartfelt speech to his new wife, describing how “completely in love” he was with his “best friend”.
The Duchess of York appeared to flout her daughter’s social media ban when she appeared in an Instagram post with Patrik Lernberger and Mattias Stafsing, her hairdressers, having swapped her emerald day dress for slinky green silk gown.
Other guests posted pictures that revealed cascading floral displays in autumnal colours, created by Ron Van Helden, the wedding florist, and trees that were bedecked with colourful garlands of LED light ropes.
Zoe De Givenchy, mother of pageboy Louis, shared a snap from the after-party at 1am, declaring the night was “still young”.
The teetotal Duke of York appeared fresh yesterday morning and was seen riding in the Windsor Castle grounds.
The wedding proved to be a winner for ITV, drawing an average of three million viewers and a peak of 3.9 million when it aired in an extended This Morning special, winning an audience share of 46 per cent.
Palace officials said the Queen and the Duke of York paid for the couple’s three parties from their own funds.
It did not take long for some guests to start raising funds of their own with a number of the gift bags given to the 1,200 members of the public began to appear for sale online.
Yesterday the Princess’s bouquet was laid on the Grave of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey.
[The Duchess of York] was terribly nervous. She was so relieved when all of the formalities were over A SOURCE CLOSE TO THE DU CHESS OF YORK