There are just three days to go until Princess Eugenie ties the knot in the second lavish royal wedding of the year at Windsor Castle, but as the Queen’s granddaughter her big day is set to be steeped in tradition.
It has already been revealed that the daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson will follow in the footsteps of royal couples before her, including the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, by broadcasting her nuptials to fans around the world.
However there are some more obscure, and lesser-known, traditions that the 28-year-old may choose to follow, as the royal family gave a rare insight into the intricate details of some of the most lavish weddings in British royal history.
In an article published on the official royal website on Monday, some of the most common royal traditions were unveiled to the public, with some even dating back to the early 1800s.
Dating back to the wedding of the Queen Mother and King George VI in 1923, it has become tradition for royal brides and grooms to exchange wedding rings made from a specific Welsh gold, from Clogau St David’s mine at Bontddu.
Her Majesty the Queen’s ring, along with those worn by Princess Margaret, Princess Anne and Diana, Princess of Wales, were all made from the same nugget as The Queen Mother’s, of which only a tiny sliver remains.
However, in November 1981, the Royal British Legion presented Queen Elizabeth II with a 36-gramme piece of 21 carat Welsh gold, which is held by the Crown Jewellers and used to manufacture the royal wedding rings of today.
Many Royal Brides across the generations, from Her Majesty The Queen to The Duchess of Cambridge and The Duchess of Sussex, have chosen to carry a sprig of Myrtle in their wedding bouquets.
This tradition dates back to the wedding of Queen Victoria and Albert’s eldest daughter, also Victoria. Myrtle, which represents love, fertility and innocence, has been grown at Osborne House, Queen Victoria’s holiday home on the Isle of Wight, for about 170 years.
One royal wedding tradition that has truly stood the test of time is the laying of the bridal wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, in London’s Westminster Abbey.
First done by the Queen Mother, the symbolic gesture – in remembrance of her own brother, Fergus, who died at the Battle of Loos in 1915 – has been carried out by royal brides ever since, with Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, also laying her wreath at the tomb following her wedding to Prince Harry in May.
Nowadays wedding photos are a common part of the big day, and members of royalty are no different as they pose for official shots, usually between the ceremony and wedding reception.
The first royal couple to pose for official photographs were King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in 1863, as they were the first to get married since the introduction of photography. Back then, monochrome images were often hand coloured to give the appearance of a painting.
When Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in April 1840, instead of a tiara, she wore a wreath of orange blossom, meant to symbolise chastity.
Queen Victoria’s choice of floral emblem and white silk wedding dress became the standard wedding attire for generations of Victorian brides, as many incorporated orange blossom into their own wedding outfits.
This tradition continued into the 20th century too as Queen Elizabeth II’s mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, also chose to wear an orange blossom wreath, which also featured white roses of York, for her marriage to the Duke of York. And, when the Queen married Prince Philip in 1947, an orange blossom design was appliquéd around the hem of her dress.