Children in the Wedding

Amidst the pageantry of a royal wedding, a small group of children almost always takes center stage after the bride and groom. This troupe of tiny attendants takes the place of adult bridesmaids and groomsmen. For more about this tradition, view my guest blog at Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel Blog.

Here's a look at children at royal weddings from the past.

2010

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden included several of her royal godchildren and young relatives in her Stockholm wedding. The boys were dressed in sailor suits while the girls's dresses reflected the simple, clean lines of Victoria's gown. The youngsters included(from left to right) were Prince Christian of Denmark, Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, her cousins Leopold Sommerlath and Ian de Geer, the groom's nieces Vera and Hedwig Blom, and Princess Catharina Amalia of the Netherlands, along with three other girls.

2005

When the Dutch Queen's nephew Prince Pieter Christiann married Anita van Eijk, the little ones in their party were dressed in pale yellow with light green trim. The girls were the classic smocked dress of generations of little girls, but the ruffles on the boys' shirts echoed a more distant past.

2003

Claire Coombs decided to have only three girls and no boys at her marriage to Prince Laurent, youngest son of the King of Belgium. The lovely lasses were simple white dresses with pale sashes and wreathes of flowers on their heads. They were (from left) family friend Clothilde de Meulenaere, Claire's niece Emma Grant and Prince Laurent's niece Princess Luisa Maria.

1981

Most people still think of the wedding of Charles Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer when they think of royal weddings, even thought it was nearly 30 years ago. Charles' brothers, Prince Andrew in his naval uniform and Prince Edward in a gray morning suit acted as his 'supporters.' The younger boys, in suits inspired by military uniforms, were blonde-haired royal cousin Lord Nicholas Windsor and friend of the family Edward van Cutsem. The girls ranged from four-year-old Clementine Hambro, a great-granddaughter of Winston Churchill to 16-year-old royal cousin Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, daughter of Princess Margaret. The other girls were family friends Catherine Cameron and Sarah Jane Gaselee as well as the now famous designer India Hicks, a cousin of the prince on his father's side. The girls' puffy dresses in ivory satin were designed by David and Elizabeth Emmanuel to match Diana's iconic fairytale princess gown.

1975

Here's Lady Sarah Armstong-Jones (now Chatto) several years earlier in a society wedding where her big brother, David Viscount Linley (center), wore a red kilt.

1960

At Sarah and David's mother's wedding, Princess Margaret choose her niece Princess Anne (who celebrates her sixtieth birthday this week) as her chief bridesmaid. Anne, then 10 years old, is standing on the bride's right. All eight young bridesmaids wore long white dresses with elaborate floral headbands.

1947

Princess (now Queen) Elizabeth selected more mature bridesmaids when she married the Duke of Edinburgh. Among them was her beautiful 16-year-old sister Princess Margaret (on the groom's right) and the youngest bridesmaid was 10-year-old Princess Alexandra of Kent. The two kilt-clad pageboys were royal cousins Prince William of Gloucester and Prince Michael of Kent, both about five years old.

1893

Jumping back a couple of generations to the wedding of the Elizabeth and Margaret's grandparents, the future King George V and Queen Mary, the 10 young bridesmaids were all princesses--sisters and cousins of the groom. They included the future Queen Maud of Norway (standing on the far right) and the Duke of Edinburgh's mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg (seated on the far left).

This Week in Princesses

Many princesses were still scarce as their summer vacations continued, but a few did manage to make appearances both public and private in view of the cameras.

AUGUST 7, 2010

Queen Sofia of Spain, who spent all of last week at the Copa del Rey sailing competition, wrapped up the event by helping the Rey, King Juan Carlos, present the prizes on Saturday.

Alright, Prince Charles is not a princes, but you must admit he wore a daring hemline at the Mey Highland Games in Scotland.


AUGUST 8, 2010

Three queens (and one King) of style were pictured together when U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama spent some time with KKIng Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia and Princess Letizia during her girls-only Spanish vacation with daughter Sasha and an old friend. The visit sparked some controversy for being too expensive and glitzy for the president's wife until it was revealed that she had agreed to accompany her friend because she couldn't be there when her friend's father died early this year. Who can resist the adorable Sasha?


AUGUST 10, 2010

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The always colorful Queen Margrethe II took a little boat ride with her pregnant daughter-in-law, Crown Princess Mary. The expected twins will be grandchild number six and seven for the queen and her husband, Prince Henrik.


AUGUST 12, 2010

If you were out shopping in Palma de Mallorca, you might have noticed a large family group visiting the shops and snacking on ice cream. Queen Sofia of Spain took her daughters, Infantas Elena (seen here) and Cristina and their kids out for the day. Sofia's two older granddaughters were with them: Elena's dark-haired Victoria Federica and Cristina's blonde-haired Irene.

Photographers desperately seeking pictures of Crown Princess Mary of Denmark's baby bump found some satisfaction from the low-belted blouse she wore to the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair.

In chilly ole England, the Princess Royal looked sunny as she reviewed the graduation parade at the Army Foundation College. She will be 60 on August 15.

This Week in Princesses

With so many princesses in the news lately, I've decided to add a new feature to the Princess Palace: a photo round-up of the week that was.

JUNE 5, 2010

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark replaces her shoe after getting it stuck in a crack during an official visit to Washington, D.C. That's not the Secret Service in the background--behind those dark shades is her husband Crown Prince Frederick.

JUNE 7, 2010

I haven't seen Princess Stephanie of Monaco wearing headphones like this since she tried to be a pop singer in the 1980s. Does anyone remember "Hurricane"?

"Gee, your hair smells terrific!" Felipe Prince of the Asturias can't seem to get close enough to his wife Letizia. Nearly every public outing includes a snapshot like this.

JUNE 9, 2010

Trousers in a church? Letizia Princess of the Asturias frequently wears pants, but they are usually paired with stylish high heels and beautiful jackets. This ensemble seems a bit less than divine.

Camilla Duchess of Cornwall might want to invest in some spiffier reading glasses when she needs to deliver a speech. These just don't sparkle like her bedazzled tunic does.

JUNE 10, 2010

The a more glamorous, but less well-known Camilla (Princess of the Bourbon Two Sicilies) looks gorgeous in her floral gown next to her husband, Prince Carlo. She is Italian, but she attended NYU.

Princess Beatrice of York seems surprised to see a camera focusing on her as she and her boyfriend Dave Clark watch Andy Roddick play a little tennis.

Infanta Elena of Spain is wrapped up tightly against those cool June breezes. Just what is the temperature in Spain this time of year?

JUNE 11, 2010

Here's a close-up of the super high heels Letizia Princess of the Asturias wore to an anti-child labor event in Madrid. Even with the extra inches she often adds to her shoes, the petite former news reporter is still dwarfed by her NBA-worthy husband.

JUNE 12, 2010

Letizia Princess of the Asturias shares another private moment with her handsome husband, the future King of Spain, during the celebrations marking Spain's 25th anniversary as a member of the EU.

Anne The Princess Royal looking very militant during her mother's official birthday celebration, Trooping the Colour. Although Anne did not serve in the military, she holds several honorary appointments and often wears uniforms on military occasions.

Other female royals dressed more ladylike for the parade and the afternoon balcony appearance.

Meanwhile, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway proved that even princesses have bad hair days during an official one-day visit to Germany with her husband.