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Copyright: AP
On Saturday, 19 June 1999, HRH Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones were married at 5pm at St. George's Chapel, Windsor. Following the wedding there was a reception at Windsor Castle.

The Wedding Service was conducted by the Right Reverend Peter Nott, Bishop of Norwich.

On this page you will find a collection of press releases, articles in the Times and the Telegraph and other information about the wedding! Most of the information on this page is taken from press releases from Buckingham Palace.

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Click on the links below to jump to the appropriate sections:

Timetable of the wedding day
Details of the wedding service
Wedding reception details
The rings
Bridesmaids, Pages, Supporters
Books about Edward and Sophie
Buckingham Palace Press Releases
What the papers said
Links

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1.30pm: Members of the public with tickets admitted to Windsor Castle precincts.
3.30pm: Doors of St George's Chapel open for guests.
4.30pm: Members of the British and other royal families begin to arrive at the chapel.
4.40pm: Members of the Rhys-Jones family arrive at the chapel.
4.45pm: Prince Edward and his party are met at the West Door by the dean of the chapel and escorted to the Bray Chapel.
4.50pm: The Queen and Prince Philip arrive at the West Door, to be met by the dean and chapter.
4.55pm: The bridesmaids and pages arrive at the West Door.
5pm: Sophie Rhys-Jones and her father arrive at the West Door. The wedding service commences.
5.45pm: The service finishes and the bridal party leaves by the West Door. They pose outside the chapel for photographs.
5.55pm: The bride and groom leave the chapel in an open Ascot landau carriage and pass through the castle precincts before travelling along Windsor High Street and Park Street and returning via the Home Park.
6pm: The reception begins at the State Apartments.
6.10pm: The bride and groom return to the castle.

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A specially written fanfare was played by the royal marines when Sophie and her father arrived at St George's Chapel.

During the bride's procession to the altar, the Marche Heroique by Sir Herbert Brewer was played.

Then the hymn Ye Holy Angels Bright was sung.

After the ceremony Love Divine, All Loves Excelling was sung, followed by the lesson, which was Lesson, the First Letter of John, chapter 4, verses 7-11.

Following the prayers the Latin anthem Where There Is Charity And Love, There Is God was sung by the choir.

For the final hymn, the royal couple chose Let All The World In Every Corner Sing, My God and King. After this hymn the register was signed.

The choir then sang The Spirit Of The Lord Is Upon Me, the Prologue to the Oratorio The Apostles, opus 39, by Sir Edward Elgar, followed by The Amen Chorus from Messiah by George Frederick Handel.

The congregation all stood to sing the National Anthem, before the bride and groom walked to the West Steps.

For this, they were accompanied by the Toccata from the Fifth Symphony by Charles Marie Widor and the Coronation March - Crown Imperial by Sir William Walton.

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The reception for the 550 guests at the wedding of Prince Edward and Miss Sophie Rhys-Jones was held in the State Apartments of Windsor Castle. Among the rooms used were The Grand Reception Room, the Waterloo Chamber and St George's Hall.

The food for the evening was being prepared jointly by the Royal Kitchens and London-based caterers Rhubarb Food Design. A selection of hot and cold canapes was followed by a self-service buffet dinner, for which guests were seated.

The menu was prepared by Royal Chef Lionel Mann and included coulibiac (smoked haddock baked with rice and mushrooms in pastry), beef stroganoff, and a selection of vegetables and salads, with fresh raspberries for dessert.

The customary cutting of the wedding cake, and the toasts, preceded dinner. The toasts were made by the bride's father, the groom and the supporters.

The wedding cake was made by Linda Fripp of Upper Crusts Country Kitchen in Salisbury, Wiltshire.

Music during the evening was provided by a string quartet from the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and a brass ensemble from the London Mozart Players, both organisations of which Prince Edward is patron, and the band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines.

In keeping with Royal tradition, the gold for the wedding rings of Prince Edward and Miss Rhys-Jones has come from Wales. The rings have been made to a traditional design by the Crown Jeweller, Mr David Thomas, of royal jewellers Asprey & Garrard.

On this occasion the gold has come from The Prince Edward mine in Trawnsfynydd, Gwynedd, N Wales.

The Prince Edward Mine was originally known as Moel Croesau, which translates from the Welsh as Welcome Hill. In the early twentieth century gold from the mine was used to make the regalia for the investiture of The Prince of Wales, which led to the change of name. The 22ct gold used for the wedding rings was discovered during recent exploration activities by Cambrian Goldfields Ltd, and refined by Marple Laboratories, Birmingham. Previous Royal wedding rings were made of gold from the Clogau St David's mine in Bontddu, N Wales.

Mr Thomas became Crown Jeweller in 1991, succeeding Mr William Summers. The title of Crown Jeweller was created by Queen Victoria in 1843. It is a personal appointment from the Sovereign and carries with it a personal Royal Warrant. The Crown Jeweller is responsible for the care and maintenance of the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London, and also the private jewellery of The Queen and other members of the Royal Family.

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Miss Sophie Rhys-Jones was attended by two pageboys and two bridesmaids at her marriage to The Prince Edward at St George's Chapel, Windsor on Saturday 19 June.

The pageboys were Master Felix Sowerbutts, aged seven and Master Harry Warburton, aged six. The bridesmaids were Miss Camilla Hadden, aged eight and Miss Olivia Taylor, aged five.

Master Warburton and Miss Hadden are Prince Edward's Godchildren. Master Sowerbutts and Miss Taylor are the children of old friends of Miss Rhys-Jones.

Prince Edward's two supporters were The Prince of Wales and The Duke of York.

Master Felix John Loxley Sowerbutts - Pageboy. Born 31 August 1991, Master Sowerbutts is the son of Julian and Lucinda Sowerbutts of Gloucestershire. He has two brothers, Finn, six and Rufus, four and a sister Ruby, aged four months. He attends Beaudesert Park School, Minchinhampton. Favourite colour - blue; favourite animal - dog; favourite television programme - EastEnders; favourite football team - Chelsea.

Master Harry James Warburton - Pageboy. Born 25 March 1993, Master Warburton has one brother, Edward, aged four, and is the son of Richard and Sarah Warburton of Oxfordshire. Sarah Warburton is Assistant Private Secretary to Prince Edward and has co-ordinated the plans for the wedding. Master Warburton attends Cranford House School, Moulsford. Favourites: colour - blue; animals - dogs and horses; television programme - Blue Peter; football team - Manchester United.

Miss Camilla Margaret Hadden - Bridesmaid. Miss Hadden, who was born on 8 March 1991, is the daughter of Abel and Belinda Hadden who live in London. She has one brother, Leo, aged 15 and two sisters, Chloe, 13 and Madeleine, 11. She attends Kensington Prep School, London. Favourites: colour - blue and yellow; animal - giraffe; television programme - Really Wild Show; football team - Chelsea.

Miss Olivia Jane Celeste Taylor - Bridesmaid. Miss Taylor was born on 30 January 1994. She is the daughter of Ian and Lindy Taylor of Barnes, south west London and has one brother, two-year- old Edward. She attends Prospect House School, Putney Hill. Favourites: colour - pink; animal - cat; television programme - Really Wild Show; football team - Liverpool.

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Prince Edward : A biography
Ingrid Seward
hardback
Prince Edward : A Biography
Ingrid Seward
paperback
Prince Edward : A Life in the Spotlight
Paul James, Peter Joyce
audio cassette
Sophie's Kiss : The True Love Story of Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones
Garth Gibbs, Sean Smith

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Please Note: These links may stop working after a while. If so, go to the main site and do a search in the archives.
 

19-06-99 TITLE OF HRH THE PRINCE EDWARD
14-06-99 WEDDING RECEPTION DETAILS - PRINCE EDWARD & SOPHIE RHYS-JONES
09-06-99 ROYAL WEDDING - HRH THE PRINCE EDWARD AND MISS SOPHIE RHYS-JONES
08-06-99 ROYAL WEDDING SERVICE - OUTLINE DETAILS
04-06-99 FURTHER WEDDING INSTRUCTIONS
09-03-99 TIMING OF THE WEDDING OF PRINCE EDWARD AND SOPHIE RHYS-JONES
25-01-99 MARRIAGE - HRH THE PRINCE EDWARD & MISS SOPHIE RHYS-JONES
06-01-99 ENGAGEMENT OF PRINCE EDWARD TO MISS SOPHIE RHYS-JONES

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Please Note: These links may stop working after a while. If so, go to the main site and do a search in the archives.
 

22-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: How they made glum Prince smile
22-06-99 The Times: Royal wedding's invisible secret
22-06-99 The Times: Newlyweds stay well out of sight
22-06-99 The Times: Eastenders has bigger audience
21-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: A royal wedding celebration
21-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: The day in pictures
21-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: The guest list
21-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: Honeymoon for royals is a few days at Balmoral
21-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: Titles are a blend of the old and the new
21-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: Night the house of Windsor let down its defences
21-06-99 The Times: Scottish retreat for royal couple
21-06-99 The Times: It was a really friendly, a very family affair


St George's Chapel, where Prince Edward and Sophie will marry
Copyright: Unknown

20-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: To have and to hold: Sophie marries her Prince

20-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: An informal, family occasion - watched by 200 million people around the world
20-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: A clever marriage of modern and medieval
20-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: With this ring, I thee wed - just
20-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: the little girl who married a Prince
20-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: Duke's title given new life
20-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: Wessex domain revives 1066 and all that
20-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: Frail Margaret makes 'supreme effort' for wedding
20-06-99 The Sunday Times: Sophie joins royals as Edward's Wessex girl
20-06-99 The Sunday Times: Chapel was chosen after abbey dispute
20-06-99 The Sunday Times: The Queen choses new title with care
20-06-99 The Sunday Times: Return of the Windsors
20-06-99 The Sunday Times: Show business friends swell guest list
20-06-99 The Sunday Times: A sporting romance
20-06-99 The Sunday Times: Royalty looks for a new kind of magic
20-06-99 The Sunday Times: The people's wedding
20-06-99 The Sunday Times: Television pays the royal price for the privilege
20-06-99 The Sunday Times: Stylish dress blends ancient and modern
20-06-99 The Sunday Times: A GBP 15m home for two must earn its keep
19-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: Queen may overturn tradition to make Sophie a Princess
19-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: Public can have view of run-up to event
19-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: A question of titles for Prince Edward and his bride
19-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: Royal ceremony without the spectacle
19-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: Motion takes plunge 'for better or worse'
19-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: Four children to break tradition
19-06-99 The Times: Sophie turns Cinderella for shoes to wed her Prince
19-06-99 The Times: Wedding finds the poetry in motion
19-06-99 The Times: Poignant, but not too flowery
19-06-99 The Times: What is a people-river?
19-06-99 The Times: Epithalamium
19-06-99 The Times: The very model of a modern media marriaga
19-06-99 The Times: Prince Edward
19-06-99 The Times: Here comes the bride
19-06-99 The Times: All quiet at the altar
19-06-99 The Times: Where elephants roam
19-06-99 The Times: From village girl to Princess
19-06-99 The Times: I'm getting married in the evening
19-06-99 The Times: The bishop of Norwich
18-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: Duchess 'sad' at wedding snub
18-06-99 The Times: Don't obey, Sophie
15-06-99 The Times: Sober challenge for royal guests
15-06-99 The Times: Role reversal for Prince's best men
14-06-99 The Times: Sophie keeps at bay Diana image
14-06-99 The Times: Sophie opts for supporting role
14-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: A big week for Mr Motion
14-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: House of Windsor's new brand of marriage
14-06-00 Electronic Telegraph: Royal couple ring the changes
13-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: Sophie: My first meeting with the in-laws was scary
11-06-99 Electronic Telegraph: Prince gets new badge for his wedding
11-06-99 The Times: Badge for Prince
10-06-99 The Times: Sophie's dictionary
09-06-99 The Times: Sophie's choice is to obey her Prince
14-04-99 The Times: Sophie's choice for a royal wedding dress
13-04-99 The Times: Surprise choice for royal wedding dress
12-04-99 The Times: Sophie dithers over her vow of obedience
11-04-99 The Sunday Times: Sophie will vow to obey Edward
06-04-99 Electronic Telegraph: Plan to let the public watch royal wedding
06-04-99 The Times: Public invited to see royal bride arrive
05-04-99 Electronic Telegraph: Edward and Sophie join the family at wedding chapel
14-03-99 The Sunday Times: Edward tells TV to pay up for royal wedding

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BBC: The Royal Wedding ITN's Royal Wedding Website
PA NewsCentre: Royal Wedding The Royal Wedding
CNEWS: A royal wedding Wedding wishes for the royal couple

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This page was last updated on: Friday, 07-Jul-2006 17:18:56 CEST
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