Wedding of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips

Anne first met her future husband Mark Phillips at a party for horse lovers in 1968.{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1989/09/01/princess-anne-to-separate-from-husband/|title=Princess Anne To Separate From Husband|publisher=Chicago Tribune|first=R. C.|last=Longworth|date=1 September 1989|access-date=13 May 2018|archive-date=14 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180514065632/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-09-01/news/8901090513_1_princess-royal-princess-anne-royal-marriage|url-status=live}} Both were competitive equestrians, with Anne winning the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 1971 after her victory at that year's European Eventing Championships,{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/peter-corrigan-bravo-for-jonny-but-beeb-need-new-act-576575.html|title=Bravo for Jonny but Beeb need new act|last=Corrigan|first=Peter|date=14 December 2003|work=The Independent|access-date=24 February 2009}} and Phillips winning a gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1972. Their engagement was announced on 29 May 1973.{{cite web | title = Princess Anne's wedding | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/events/princess_annes_wedding| publisher = BBC News | access-date = 13 May 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://us.hellomagazine.com/brides/201107275839/iconic-weddings-princess-anne-mark-phillips/|title=Iconic weddings: Princess Anne and Mark Phillips|publisher=Hello!|date=27 July 2011|access-date=14 May 2018}} Phillips presented Anne with a Garrard engagement ring made from sapphire and diamond.{{cite web|url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com.au/celebrity/british-royal-engagement-rings-15117|title=A Very Thorough History Of British Royal Engagement Rings|publisher=Harper's Bazaar Australia|first=Mahalia|last=Chang|date=27 November 2017|access-date=15 May 2018}}

File:Combined Coat of Arms of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips.svg

The wedding day, which was on the twenty-fifth birthday of her older brother, Charles, Prince of Wales was declared a special bank holiday and a global estimated audience of 500 million watched the Westminster Abbey ceremony, with large crowds lining the streets on the wedding day.{{cite news |title=Royal Wedding Souvenir Issue |work=Daily Express |issue=22830 |publisher=Beaverbrook Newspapers |date=15 November 1973}}{{cite web|url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/parliamentwork/offices-and-ceremonies/collections/parliamentary-collections-royal-weddings/princess-annes-wedding-/|title=Photograph of procession for Princess Anne's wedding|publisher=UK Parliament|access-date=14 May 2018}} In the UK, 27.6 million people tuned in to watch the event.{{cite web |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/mostwatched/1970s.html |title=Features | Britain's Most Watched TV | 1970s |publisher=British Film Institute (BFI) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051122221511/http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/mostwatched/1970s.html |archive-date=22 November 2005 |accessdate=7 July 2016}} Although Phillips was technically a lieutenant in the Army at the time of the marriage, he was also an acting Captain and was styled as such.{{cite web|last1=Morgan|first1=Gwen|title=A Royal Wedding Album|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1973/11/15/page/92/article/a-royal-wedding-album|publisher=Chicago Tribune 15 November 1973|access-date=4 March 2016|quote=The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Michael Ramsey, blesses Princess Ann and Capt. Mark Phillips....}}{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/14/newsid_2519000/2519003.stm|publisher=BBC|date=14 November 1973|access-date=12 February 2015|title=1973: Crowds cheer marriage of Princess Anne}} Princess Anne was accompanied to the ceremony in the Glass State Coach by her father, the Duke of Edinburgh. The Queen, The Queen Mother, The Prince of Wales, and Prince Andrew arrived in the Scottish State Coach. The ceremony featured many ceremonial aspects, including use of the state carriages and roles for the Household Cavalry, Irish Guards, and Coldstream Guards.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/nov/13/monarchy.features11|title=This week in 1973: The marriage of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips|work=The Guardian|first=Lindsay|last=Mackie|date=12 November 2006|access-date=14 May 2018}} A tall, iced wedding cake with silver tiers was prepared for the ceremony.{{cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/photos/2011/03/royal-wedding-cake-slide-show-201103|title=Tiers of Joy: Royal Wedding Cakes|publisher=Vanity Fair|first=Sarah|last=Ball|date=March 2011|access-date=15 May 2018}} Tiers of the cake were formed in the shape of a hexagon, and "a statue of a female jockey leaping a fence" was placed on top of it as a tribute to Anne's career as an equestrian.{{cite web|url=https://www.royal.uk/royal-wedding-cakes-history|title=The Royal Wedding Cakes of History|publisher=The Royal Family|date=1 May 2018|access-date=9 October 2018}}

The service was a traditional royal wedding conducted by Michael Ramsey, the Archbishop of Canterbury. In keeping with tradition, Anne's wedding ring was crafted from Welsh gold.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2014/oct/12/from-the-observer-archive-14-october-1973-royal-wedding-fever|title=From the Observer archive, 14 October 1973: royal wedding fever|work=The Guardian|first=John|last=Crosby|date=11 October 2014|access-date=14 May 2018}} The tradition of using Welsh gold within the wedding rings of the Royal Family dates back to 1923. Following the service, the couple then returned to Buckingham Palace for the traditional balcony appearance and a wedding lunch. At night, they stayed at White House Lodge in Richmond Park before going on their honeymoon on board the Royal Yacht Britannia, travelling the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The wedding ceremony was positively received by the public who gathered in the streets to celebrate the occasion. The BBC gained the rights to broadcast the event.

Anne wore an "embroidered Tudor-style wedding dress, with a high collar and medieval -influenced sleeves". The dress was high-necked and high-waisted.{{cite web|url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/wedding/bridal-fashion/g1498/iconic-royal-wedding-gowns/?slide=23|title=The Most Iconic Royal Wedding Gowns of All Time (slide 23)|publisher=Harper's Bazaar|date=13 April 2018|access-date=15 May 2018}} It was designed by Maureen Baker, the chief designer for Susan Small.{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/people/royal-wedding-dresses-years/princess-anne-wedding-dress/|title=The most beautiful royal wedding dresses of all time, from Princess Diana to Grace Kelly|publisher=The Daily Telegraph|date=11 March 2018|access-date=14 May 2018}}{{cite web|url=http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/life/weddings/royal-wedding-dresses-iconic-168159|title=The most iconic Royal wedding dresses (slide 18)|publisher=Marie Claire UK|date=27 April 2018|access-date=14 May 2018}} Anne wore a pair of diamond cluster earrings and her hair was "slightly parted up-do, with beehive volume." The Queen Mary Fringe Tiara secured her veil.{{cite web|url=https://www.townandcountrymag.com/the-scene/weddings/g17805394/royal-wedding-tiaras-throughout-history/?slide=14|title=The 22 Most Gorgeous Royal Wedding Tiara Moments of All Time (slide 14)|publisher=Town & Country|first=Maggie|last=Maloney|date=26 March 2018|access-date=14 May 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://us.hellomagazine.com/royalty/12017120625180/british-royal-family-wedding-tiaras/5|title=British royal wedding tiaras: See the jewels worn by princess brides|publisher=Hello!|date=15 March 2018|access-date=14 May 2018}} Moyses Stevens prepared a bouquet of white roses which was presented at the door of Westminster Abbey.{{cite news |author= |title=Bouquet of white roses |url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003740/19731114/001/0001 |newspaper=Cambridge Daily News |location=England |date=14 November 1973 |access-date=14 April 2025 |via = British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }}

Phillips wore the full dress uniform of his regiment, the Queen's Dragoon Guards.{{cite book|title=Postcolonial Whiteness: A Critical Reader on Race and Empire|pages=49|editor-first=Alfred|editor-last=Lopez|publisher=State University of New York Press|location=Albany, NY, USA|year=2005|isbn=0791463613}}

Capt. Eric Grounds served as the groom's best man. Princess Anne's bridesmaid was her nine-year-old cousin, Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, the daughter of Princess Margaret, while her page boy was her nine-year-old brother, Prince Edward.{{cite web|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1973/11/15/page/92/article/a-royal-wedding-album|title=November 15, 1973 - A royal wedding album|publisher=Chicago Tribune|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706211607/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1973/11/15/page/92/article/a-royal-wedding-album|archive-date=6 July 2015}}

1,500 guests attended the wedding, including:

• The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, the bride's parents
• The Prince of Wales, the bride's brother
• The Prince Andrew, the bride's brother
• The Prince Edward, the bride's brother
• Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the bride's maternal grandmother
• The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon and The Earl of Snowdon, the bride's maternal aunt and uncle
• Viscount Linley, the bride's first cousin
• Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, the bride's first cousin
• The Duchess of Gloucester, the bride's maternal great-aunt by marriage
• Prince and Princess Richard of Gloucester, the bride's first cousin once removed and his wife
• The Duke and Duchess of Kent, the bride's first cousin once removed and his wife
• Earl of St Andrews, the bride's second cousin
• Lady Helen Windsor, the bride's second cousin
• Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Mrs Angus Ogilvy and The Hon. Angus Ogilvy, the bride's first cousin once removed and her husband
• James Ogilvy, the bride's second cousin
• Marina Ogilvy, the bride's second cousin
• Prince Michael of Kent, the bride's first cousin once removed
• Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, the bride's first cousin thrice removed (and maternal great-great-aunt by marriage)

• ''The late Princess Alice of Greece and Denmark's family
• The Dowager Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, the bride's paternal aunt
• The Prince and Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, the bride's first cousin and his wife
• The late Dowager Margravine of Baden's family
• Princess and Prince Tomislav of Yugoslavia, the bride's paternal first cousin and third cousin once removed
• The Margrave and Margravine of Baden, the bride's paternal first cousin and his wife
• Prince and Princess Ludwig of Baden, the bride's paternal first cousin and his wife
• Princess and Prince George William of Hanover, the bride's paternal aunt and uncle
• The Earl Mountbatten of Burma, the bride's paternal great-uncle
• The Lady and Lord Brabourne, the bride's paternal first cousin once removed and her husband
• The Princess of Hesse and by Rhine, widow of the bride's paternal first cousin twice removed

• King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes, the bride's second cousin and third cousin
• {{flagicon|Monaco}} The Prince and Princess of Monaco, the bride's fifth cousin and his wife
• {{flagicon|Netherlands}} Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus of the Netherlands, the bride's fifth cousin and her husband (representing the Queen of the Netherlands)
• {{flagicon|Norway}} The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway, the bride's second cousin once removed and his wife (representing the King of Norway)
• The Prince and Princess of Spain, the bride's third cousin once removed and second cousin
• Crown Prince and Crown Princess Alexander of Yugoslavia, the bride's second cousin once removed and his wife

• The Duke of Northumberland, Lord Steward of the Household
• The Lord Maclean, Lord Chamberlain of the Household
• The Duke of Beaufort, Master of the Horse (also husband of the bride's first cousin twice removed)

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.westminster-abbey.org/media/5455/princess-anne-wedding-1973.pdf Order of Service for the wedding]

{{British Royal Weddings}}

Anne, Princess Royal, and Mark Phillips

Category:1973 in London

Category:Anne, Princess Royal

Anne, Princess Royal, and Mark Phillips

Category:November 1973 in the United Kingdom

Anne, Princess Royal, and Mark Phillips

Category:1970s in the City of Westminster