In a Princess, out a Lady

Both images  Marlene A Eilers Koenig Collection

February 27, 1919

HRH Princess Patricia of Connaught was married today to Commander the Hon. Alexander Ramsay at Westminster Abbey, The wedding took place at noon and was the first royal wedding in Britain since the end of the war. "No other social event since the outbreak of the war has created such public interest," wrote the New York Times' reporter.

Crowds were out early, lining the streets from St. James's Palace to the Abbey. The throngs "waited patiently for a glimpse" of the popular princess, who had been a "public favorite" since childhood.

Queen Amelie of Portugal was the first of the Royal guests to arrive at the Abbey.   She was followed by Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, the bride's first cousin, who was accompanied by her husband, the Earl of Athlone, and her mother, the Duchess of Albany.

All of the royal guests were seated the Abbey's sacrarium.  The Earl and Countess of Medina were seated on the south side, along with King Manoel and Queen Augusta Victoria of Portugal, "who was completely clad in a long coat of chinchilla," the Prince of Wales, Princess Victoria, and Queen Alexandra.  Prince and Princess Arthur of Connaught, "the latter wearing silver fox, were seated on the north side with the Crown Princess of Sweden wearing a "champagne-coloured georgette, embroidered in silk in a combination of champagne and cherry colour."  She was accompanied by the Crown Prince of Sweden.  The Princess Royal, Princess Helena, and Princess Beatrice were all seated in the north side as well and were joined by Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, Princess Marie Louise, the Marquess and Marchioness of Cambridge,  Admiral the Marquess of Milford Haven and the Marchioness of Milford Haven.

King George and Queen Mary arrived shortly before the bride.  In an obvious compliment to the groom, the King wore the uniform of the Admiral of the Fleet, while the Queen was dressed in a gown of a "pale shade of silver-grey crepe broché, artistically draped and embroidered in silk beads and silk."

 Princess Patricia "looked radiant in her beautiful gown, which was Venetian in effect."

The Archbishop of Canterbury performed the wedding ceremony and was assisted by the Dean of Westminster. Princess Patricia entered the abbey by west door, "which is used only on occasions of importance." She wore a gown of "white brocaded panne over silver lace, the outer gown being caught up with the silver lovers' knots." Her bouquet was a gift from the Princess Patricia Canadian regiment and was tied with the regimental colors.

The bridal procession began with a choir singing "Praise, My Soul the King of Heaven." The bride was escorted down the aisle by her father, the Duke of Connaught. They were followed by the pages, the  Earl of Macduff (the bride's nephew), and the Hon Simon Ramsay,  bearing the bride's train. The bride's attendants were the Lady Jean Ramsay, Princess Ingrid of Sweden, Lady May Cambridge, Princess Maud, Princess Mary, and the Ladies Helena and Victoria Cambridge.

Princess Patricia was given away by her father. During the service several hymns were sung: the Sixty-Seventh Psalm, "O, Perfect Love" and "Who is Like unto Thee O Lord."

At the princess' request, the Abbey was not decorated. She asked, "that no attempt be made to supplement with flowers the classic beauty of the ancient edifice."

The Times described the princess' dress in detail.  It was "made of white broché panne on an under-dress of silver lace, over which the panne was caught up with the silver true-lovers' knots, fringed with silver acorns, there were long white chiffon sleeves, and the bodice was draped across a vest of silver lace.  A Venetian girdle of silver embroidery hung in long ends at the side, and was finished with lovers' knots and acorns, while a cluster of white heather and myrtle."

As the bride was of royal birth, she wore the veil off her face.  The veil was held in place by a "wreath of myrtle leaves and small buds."

All told, more than 3000 guests were in the Abbey for the wedding. The newly married couple were driven back to the Duke of Connaught's residence in an open Semi-State Landau, which was drawn by four horses and escorted by scarlet-coated outriders.

The princess entered the Abbey as HRH Princess Patricia of Connaught. At her own request, she chose to renounce her royal rank and style when she married and when she left the Abbey, she was styled as The Lady Patricia Ramsay.
As Noble Frankland noted in his biography of the Duke of Connaught's, Patricia's decision "made no difference to the regard in which she was held both within and without the Royal Family."

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Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, a first cousin of the bride, wrote in her memoirs that Patricia was "tall and beautiful, a talented painter and tireless war worker. She looked radiantly lovely in a Venetian-style gown of white broché with a Venetian girdle of silver embroidery....As I looked at her it was hard to believe that she was the same girl playmate with whom I had romped in my childhood, when we used to wear three-button-length skirts, straw "boater" hats, high-button boots or black heavy shoes with straps."

The "family luncheon party" was held at St. James's Palace.  When the newlyweds "drove away the crowd in the Mall was so dense that their open car was held up and it was some time before the police could clear a path for themselves," Princess Alice wrote.

thanks to Robert Golden

There were "roars of cheering" when Lady Patricia and Commander Ramsey left the Abbey.  The 50 guests at the wedding luncheon included all of "available members of the Royal Family and the family of the bridegroom."   King George V proposed a toast to the bride and groom.  After the reception, Lady Patricia was driven to Clarence House to "change into her travelling dress."  All of the members of both families were outside the main exit of St. James'sPalace to watch the departure of the bride and groom.

Commander and Lady Patricia Ramsay left by car at 3 p.m.  The car's hood was turned back to they could be seen "by many thousands of people" who were on the Mall.  The people cheered loudly and waved handkerchiefs and "shouted goodwill greetings."   The large police force found it impossible "to keep back the crowd."

Court mourning for the death of Prince John, the youngest son of King George and Queen Mary, was lifted for the wedding.

[Although after her marriage, Princess Patricia had the precedence before the marchionesses of England, she wore the robe and the coronet of a Princess of the Blood at the coronations of George VI and Elizabeth II.]

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