An update to the British royal reps to weddings, etc

The usual whiners are at it again, dissing the fact that the Queen did not attend the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria. She sent the Earl and Countess of Wessex. The Prince of Wales declined. He met with French president Sarkozy on Friday, and may have had other plans for the weekend. Attending a foreign royal wedding is not a requirement, nor is it an obligation. The British royals put their British duties first.
First and foremost, there is NO precedent in the British royal house for sending large contingents to foreign royal events. In 1976 at the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria's parents, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Silvia Sommerlath, Queen Elizabeth II sent the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester as her representative.
There were never any plans for Prince William and Prince Harry to attend Victoria's wedding. They are in South Africa to attend the World Cup, as Prince William is the President of the FA. He is also a part of a team that is working toward bringing the World Cup back to England. While in South Africa, which is a Commonwealth Country, Prince William and Prince Harry have also carried out engagements with their respective charities in Lesotho and Botswana. Official duties come before a foreign royal wedding.
In other words, Prince William and Prince Harry are on official business as British royals.
The British Sovereign will put her official duties ahead of a social event, such as a foreign royal wedding. Britain takes precedence. Queen Elizabeth II rarely ever leaves the UK for private trips. Even her holidays are spent at home. The Commonwealth is also important. The British Foreign Office has a role to play in deciding how an invitation is accepted. The other royal houses are neither offended or upset by British representation. It is unlikely that the King of Sweden was upset by the presence of the Earl and Countess of Wessex. He knew the British sovereign would be sending a representative. Hardly a surprise considering the precendent of more than 100 years of British royal attendance at foreign royal events.
Familiy ties are no longer stressed. Monarchs are no longer needed to negotiate treaties and keep Europe at peace. The Nordic monarchs keep in touch and their children have grown up together. Queen Margrethe and King Carl XVI Gustaf are first cousins. King Albert of the Belgians and King Harald V of Norway are also first cousins.
Queen Elizabeth II has seen more of the United States than she has seen of most European countries. Apart from a summer cruise to Denmark in the 1960s and a private trip to France, the Queen has made only official visits to the European continent. She devotes more time to the Commonwealth, which is understandable.
The Foreign Office does not need to see a huge British turnout at other royal events, and there is certainly precedence for the decision to send one rep. Queen Elizabeth II was not originally scheduled to attend King Baudouin's funeral, but on advisement from the Foreign Office, she went to the funeral. She was on her annual summer vacation at the time, and there was criticism in the media about this. Thus, the FO recommended that the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh attend the funeral.

British sovereigns have not attended royal weddings and most other royal events, including funerals, since World War I. That's right. World War I.
King George V and Queen Mary were last British sovereigns to attend a continental royal wedding. On May 24, 1913, George and Mary were in Berlin to attend the wedding of Princess Victoria Luise of Prussia, daughter of Kaiser Wilhelm II, and Prince Ernst August of Cumberland, also known as Prince Ernst August of Hanover. This was also the last time that George met with his two first cousins, Nicholas II of Russia and Kaiser Wilhelm II. The groom, Prince Ernst August, also was George's first cousin, as their mothers were sisters. George and Mary's attendance at this wedding was an exception, rather than the norm, for British sovereigns and foreign royal events.

The first World War changed the British royal family's perception of their continental cousins. Not only did George V change his name and abandon the German titles, he and Queen Mary agreed that their children could marry into the British aristocracy. There would be no attempt to arrange or encourage dynastic alliances with Europe's surviving monarchies. The ties with their European cousins were not as important as before the war. The role of the monarch also changed as the King was no longer seen as a diplomat to aid the government.
Queen Victoria attended the weddings of several of her German grandchildren, but due to her advancing age and limited travel means, she was not present for major royal events in the final years of her reign. She did visit the south of France in the winter in the 1890s, and these trips also included visits to the family in Germany.
The only way to travel was by train,but the British royals also need to take the royal yacht across the Channel to catch the train. There were no airplanes for a quick trip to Paris.
Victoria Luise's wedding was the first to be treated as an international event. Royal weddings were largely private, family events, and not state occasions, even for the heir's marriage. British royal weddings were largely celebrated privately, at St. George's Chapel, or the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace.
King Edward VII may not have been completely enamoured of his wife's family celebrations in Denmark and Germany, but he maintained good relations with the extended family. Yet, he did not attend weddings and funerals. He did not go to Madrid in May 1906, when his niece, Princess Ena of Battenbeg, married King Alfonso XIII of Spain, and he sent the Prince and Princess of Wales to represent him.
Nor did he did not attend the funeral of his father-in-law, King Christian IX on February 18, 1906, although, of course, Queen Alexandra did attend.
When Princess Alice of Battenberg married Prince Andrew of Greece in October 1903 in Darmstadt, the only members of the British royal family to attend the wedding were Queen Alexandra and Princess Victoria. Alice was the king's great-niece, and Prince Andrew was Queen Alexandra's nephew. On the night of the wedding, King Edward VII and the Prince of Wales dined together at Balmoral. The Princess of Wales was at Ballter with the children.
In 1912, George V did not attend the funeral of his first cousin, King Frederik VIII of Denmark. When George V's aunt, Empress Marie of Russia died in 1928, he sent the Duke of York as his representative at the funeral.
With very few exceptions, including Victoria Luise's wedding, the British sovereign has sent a representative to a foreign royal wedding or a funeral. George V certainly did not attend foreign royal events after World War I. I do not think that George V visited the Continent after World War I. George VI and Elizabeth made a State visit to France in 1938, followed by visits to Canada and the United States a year later. He visited troops in Normandy after D-Day, and also traveled to Italy and Belgium to meet with British troops, but after the end of the second World War, the only overseas visit that George VI made was the trip to South Africa in 1947.
The Duke of York -- the future George VI -- represented the King at numerous royal events in the 1920s and early 1930s.
As King, George VI made very few visits to the European Continent, and never attended a foreign royal event after his accession to the throne. In 1947, he sent the Duke of Beaufort, who was married to Queen Mary's niece, to represent him at the funerals of King Christian X of Denmark and King George II of the Hellenes. The Duke of Gloucester was still in Australia, and, thus, George V had no other male royal to send. It would have been unusual for the King to have sent Princess Elizabeth to represent him, even though she was the heiress presumptive.
King George V and Queen Elizabeth continued to distant themselves from the European royals. When Crown Princess Juliana of the Netherlands married in January 1937, only two members of a reigning royal family to attend were the Duke of Kent, who represented his brother, and Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone.
Princess Alice and Queen Wilhelmina were first cousins.
British sovereigns have not attended the weddings of reigning sovereigns and their heirs or the funerals of sovereigns for nearly 100 years with the exception of King Baudouin's funeral in 1993.
When Baudouin died, Queen Elizabeth II was on holiday -- although the British sovereign is never really on holiday -- in Scotland. The first reports indicated that the Queen would send a representative to Baudouin's funeral, but due to the fact that she was on vacation, the Foreign Office may have recommended that she attend the funeral rather than face criticism for not attending. Thus, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh flew to Brussels for the funeral, but returned to Scotland shortly afterward.

The British sovereign has usually sent a male member of the family to weddings and funerals, although Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, represented the Queen at several events, including Crown Princess Margrethe of Denmark's wedding in 1967.
Queen Elizabeth II did not attend the wedding of her first cousin, Prince Richard of Gloucester, now the Duke of Gloucester, when he wed Birgitte van Deurs in 1972.
It is unlikely that this view will change when Charles succeeds to the throne. He is closer in age to most of the European sovereigns than to their heirs. There are still ties between Prince Philip's children and some of their paternal cousins, but these ties, too, will have lessened with William's generation.
Prince William's contact with the other European heirs is truly limited. He prefers to visit Africa, and not the European continent.
The heirs to Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain have forged friendships. They are godparents to each others' children.
The Prince of Wales is the godfather of Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece and Pavlos' daughter, Maria-Olympia. The Greek Royal family live in London, so this relationship is not a surprise.
The Princess Royal's godchildren, include the Crown Prince of Norway. She attended his baptism and confirmation, but she was not present for his wedding. The Earl and Countess of Wessex count Prince Joachim of Denmark as on one of their friends, and Prince Joachim asked Prince Edward to be a godfather to his eldest son, Prince Nikolai of Denmark.
The British sovereign's prerogative to send a representative to European royal weddings and funerals will continue. This has been the tradition for more than 100 years, and it is unlikely to change. Queen Victoria did not attend the wedding of her second son, Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, to Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna as the wedding took place in St. Petersburg. The Prince of Wales represented his mother. Queen Victoria attended only two Continental weddings: the marriages of her granddaughter, Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine to Prince Louis of Battenberg and her grandchildren, Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse and By Rhine. She did not attend the weddings of Victoria Melita's two sisters, Marie, and Alexandra. Nor did she attend the wedding of her first child, the future Kaiser Wilhelm II, who married in 1881.

Belgium

1909 King Leopold II funeral Duke of Connaught
1927 Crown Prince Leopold wedding: Prince Henry
1934 King Albert I funeral: The Prince of Wales
1935 Queen Astrid funeral: Duke of York
1953 Princess Josephine Charlotte wedding: Princess Margaret (but due to Queen Mary's death, was unable to attend. Geoffrey Allchin, the British Minister attended instead.)
1959 Prince Albert wedding: none
1960 King Baudouin wedding: Princess Margaret and Mr. Antony Armstrong-Jones
1983 King Leopold III funeral: the British Ambassador
1993 King Baudouin funeral: Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh

DENMARK

1878 Princess Thyra wedding to Duke of Cumberland: Sir Charles represented Queen Victoria, Lord Colville represented the Prince of Wales, Colonel Teesdale represented the Princess of Wales, & Captain Mildmay represented the Duke of Cambridge. (The Royal Family was in mourning for Princess Alice, who died a week earlier.)
1898 Queen Louise Funeral: the Princess of Wales (her daughter)
1906 Christian IX Funeral: Queen Alexandra
1912 Frederik VIII Funeral: Queen Alexandra (sister) and Prince Arthur of Connaught
1926 Queen Louise Funeral: Prince Arthur of Connaught
1935 Crown Prince Frederik Wedding: Prince and Princess Arthur of Connaught and Lady Patricia Ramsay. Prince Arthur was the official representative. He was the bride's uncle.
1947 Christian X Funeral: Duke of Beaufort
1950 Queen Alexandrine funeral: no one (Alexandrine's request for a very simple funeral)
1967 Crown Princess Margrethe wedding: Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent
1968 Princess Benedikte wedding: Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother
1972 Frederik IX funeral: Duke of Edinburgh
2004 Crown Prince Frederik wedding: The Earl and Countess of Wessex

Germany

1878 Princess Charlotte wedding: Duke of Connaught
1881 Crown Prince Wilhelm wedding: The Prince of Wales, Duke of Edinburgh
1892 Princess Margarete wedding: Duke of York; Duke and Duchess of Connaught
190 Crown Prince Wilhelm wedding: Prince Arthur of Connaught. Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein attended
1913 Wedding of Princess Victoria Luise King George V and Queen Mary

Greece

1889 King Constantine I wedding: Prince of Wales (with Princess and 4 children)
1912 Funeral of George I None
1938 Wedding of Prince Paul - Duke and Duchess of Kent
1947 Funeral of George II Duke of Beaufort
1964 Funeral of King Paul Duke of Edinburgh, who represented the Queen, and Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent
1964 Marriage of King Constantine. Duke of Edinburgh. The Prince of Wales and Prince Michael of Kent were two of the crown bearers. Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent also attended, as did Princess Anne.


Hanover

1900 Princess Marie Wedding to Max of Baden: Sir Horace Rumbold, British Ambassador in Vienna represented Queen Victoria
1904 Princess Alexandra wedding: Duke and Duchess of Teck
1923 Duke of Cumberland funeral: no one
1933 Duchess of Cumberland funeral: Sir Eric Phipps, British Ambassador in Vienna
1987 Prince Ernst August funeral: Prince Edward

Hesse and By Rhine

1878 Princess Alice funeral: The Prince of Wales, accompanied by Prince Leopold & Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein
1884 Princess Victoria wedding: Queen Victoria, Prince & Princess of Wales
1892 Grand Duke Ludwig IV funeral: Duke of Edinburgh
Italy

1930 Crown Prince Umberto wedding: the Duke of York

Luxembourg

1981 Hereditary Grand Duke Henri wedding: - The Duke of Edinburgh
1985 Grand Duchess Charlotte funeral: Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester
2005 Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte's funeral Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Monaco

1956 Prince Rainier wedding: none
1982 Princess Grace Funeral: The Princess of Wales
2005 Prince Rainier funeral: Duke of York

Netherlands

1890 Willem III Funeral: Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar, representing Victoria
1934 Queen Emma funeral: no official representation, although Lady May Abel Smith attended.
1934 Prince Hendrik Funeral: British Ambassador
1937 Princess Juliana wedding: Duke of Kent and Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone
1962 Princess Wilhelmina funeral: Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone
1966 Crown Princess Beatrix's wedding: Princess Alexandra (a witness)
2002 Crown Prince Willem-Alexander wedding: Prince of Wales and the Earl and Countess of Wessex
2002 Prince Claus funeral: the Prince of Wales
2004 Princess Juliana funeral: Duke of Edinburgh
2004 Prince Bernhard funeral: Duke of Edinburgh

Norway

1929 Crown Prince Olav wedding: Duke (best man) and Duchess of York
1938 Queen Maud Funeral: Duke of Kent
1953 Princess Ragnhild wedding: Princess Margaret
1954 Crown Princess Martha funeral: the Duke of Gloucester
1957 King Haakon VII funeral: The Duke of Gloucester
1961 Princess Astrid: Princess Margaret
1968 Crown Prince Harald wedding: Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (but did not go due to Princess Marina's funeral
1991 King Olav funeral: The Prince of Wales
2001 Crown Prince Haakon wedding: The Prince of Wales, The Earl and Countess of Wessex

Portugal

1908 King Carlos & Crown Prince Luiz funeral: Prince Arthur of Connaught
1913 King Manoel wedding: the Prince of Wales

Romania

1921 Prince Carol and Princess Helen wedding: None
1921 Princess Elisabeth and King George of the Hellenes wedding: None
1927 King Ferdinand: None although the Duke of York represented the King at the Memorial Service at the Greek Cathedral of St. Sophia in London, wihch was held on the same day as the funeral.

1938 Queen Marie Funeral: Duke of Kent
1948 King Michael Wedding in Athens: None

Russia

1866 Tsarevitch Alexander to Dagmar of Denmark: Prince of Wales (brother-in-law of bride)
1884 Grand Duke Serge wedding to Elisabeth of Hesse: Duchess of Edinburgh
1894 Alexander III funeral: The Prince of Wales
1894 Nicholas II & Alix of Hesse: The Prince of Wales (with the Princess)

Spain

1906 King Alfonso XIII wedding: the Prince and Princess of Wales
1962 Juan Carlos and Sophia of Greece wedding: Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, Princess Alexandra (bridesmaid) and Prince Michael of Kent, and Lord Mountbatten
1969 Queen Victoria Eugenia funeral: the Duke of Kent (for the Queen)and Lord Mountbatten (for the Queen Mother)
1993 Count of Barcelona funeral: Prince of Wales
2004 Wedding of the Prince of Asturias Prince of Wales

Sweden

1907 King Oscar II Funeral: none
1920 Crown Princess Margaret: the Earl of Onslow (most members of the Royal, including the king and Queen and Prince Albert and Princess Mary, attended a memorial service at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace on the same day.)
1950 King Gustav V Funeral: Duke of Gloucester
1965 Queen Louise Funeral: Princess Royal, representing the Queen and Lady Pamela Hicks, representing Lord Mountbatten. The Duke of Edinburgh, who was Louise's nephew, was on an official trip and did not return for her funeral
1973 King Gustaf VI Adolf funeral: The Duke of Edinburgh. He was joined by Lord Mountbatten and the Princess of Hesse. Lord Windlesham represented Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone.
1976 King Carl XVI Gustaf wedding: The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
2010 Crown Princess Victoria wedding: the Earl and Countess of Wessex


Yugoslavia

1922 King Alexander and Princess Marie of Roumania wedding: The Duke and Duchess of York
1934 King Alexander funeral the Duke of Kent


This list shows foreign royal weddings and funerals. Several "foreign" royal marriages took place in London with British sovereigns in attendance: the marriages of Princess Margaret of Connaught, Lady Louise Mountbatten, King Peter II of Yugoslavia and Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece.