According to cables to American newspapers and the Associated Press, Princess Louise of Wales was married today to the Earl of Fife, the eldest daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales. It rained today in London, and the wedding was a private ceremony that took place in the chapel at Buckingham Palace.
This was the first royal marriage to take place in the chapel. Due to the small size of the chapel, only a limited number of guests could attend.
The bridegroom arrived privately. The Princess of Wales. the Crown Prince of Denmark, the King of Greece, and the Princes Albert Victor and George of Wales gathered in the Bow Library at 11:45 a.m, to await the arrival of Queen Victoria. They were joined by other members of the royal family, including Prince and Princess Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and their son, Count Gleichen, the Duke and Duchess of Teck and Prince Francis of Teck, the Duke of Cambridge, Princess Frederica of Hannover, Baroness Pawel von Rammingen, and Baron Pawel von Rammingen, Prince and Princess Henry of Battenberg, Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lorne, and the Marquess of Lorne and Prince and Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein and their sons, Princes Christian Victor and Albert.
The bridal party, which included the Prince of Wales, Princess Louise, and her two sisters, Victoria and Maud, left Marlborough House for a short drive to Buckingham Palace.
The royal procession to the chapel was able to begin after Queen Victoria, accompanied by the Grand Duke of Hesse and By Rhine, arrived in the Bow Library. The procession made its way to the chapel several royal apartments. Members of the Royal Family sat on both sides of the altar.
The Earl of Fife, dressed in Highland dress and wearing the Duff tartan, and his groomsman, Horace Farquhar, took their position at the altar rail and waited for the bride.
The Prince of Wales and his daughter arrived shortly before noon and were escorted to the Bow library, where the bride was joined by her attendants, including her two sisters, Victoria and Maud, and two first cousins, Princess Helena Victoria and Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein. Princess Victoria Mary of Teck and the Countesses Feodora, Victoria, and Helena Gleichen were also bridesmaids.
Princess Victoria Mary is the only daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Teck. The Duchess of Teck is the former Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge and is one of the Queen's first cousins. The three Gleichen girls are the daughter of Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and his morganatic wife, Laura Seymour. Victor was named for Queen Victoria and is the son of the Queen's older half-sister, Princess Feodora.
The bridal party made its way to the chapel, and the wedding began at noon. Princess Louise wore a "Duchesse dress of white satin with flowering train, trimmed with orange blossoms, wreaths of orange blossoms and a point de gaze veil."
The bridesmaids wore gowns of "bluish pink faille and carried bouquets of pink roses." The bride was given away by her father, the Prince of Wales, and the officiating clergy included the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Dean of Windsor.
The choral service was sung by the choir of the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace. A specially composed anthem by Joseph Barnaby, "Perfect Love," was one of several special features at the wedding. After the benediction, the Queen, who wore a black brocade dress, "kissed the bride and cordially greeted the room."
Queen Victoria appears to be in "excellent health and spirits."
Two wedding breakfasts were held at Buckingham Palace after the ceremony. The Queen, the bride and groom, and the other "royal personages," were at one, and the rest of the guests were at the other reception.
During the breakfast, Queen Victoria announced that she had created Louise's husband, Duke of Fife and Marquess of Fife.
Toasts were given to the bride and groom. After breakfast, the bride and groom, the Princess of Wales, and the bridesmaids returned to Marlborough House. The bride and groom rode in the first carriage. Thousands cheered the bride and her new husband, as their carriage traveled down the Mall.
Later this afternoon, the Princess and the duke of Fife left Marlborough House to travel to Sheen Lodge, the suburban home owned by the new Duke. The newlyweds will spend the first part of their honeymoon here.
When they arrived in Sheen, near Richmond, the newlyweds "were enthusiastically welcomed."
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