The Duke of Kent and Princess Marina were married first in an
Anglican service according to the
Book of Common Prayer conducted by
Cosmo Gordon Lang,
Archbishop of Canterbury, assisted by
William Foxley Norris,
Dean of Westminster. A second
Greek Orthodox service was performed by Germanos Strenopoulos,
Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain, in the Private Chapel at
Buckingham Palace.
Attendants The Duke of Kent was supported by his two eldest brothers, the
Prince of Wales and the
Duke of York. Princess Marina was attended by eight bridesmaids: •
Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark, a cousin of the bride •
Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark, a cousin of the bride •
Princess Eugénie of Greece and Denmark, a cousin of the bride •
Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia, a cousin of the bride •
Princess Juliana of the Netherlands, first half-cousin once removed of the bride •
Lady Iris Mountbatten, a paternal cousin once removed of the groom •
Princess Elizabeth of York, a niece of the groom •
Lady Mary Cambridge, a maternal cousin once removed of the groom
Attire Marina's wedding dress was designed by
Edward Molyneux, who had worked with her previously. The dress was made from white silk and silver
lamé brocade, with a raised
English rose design. The dress's simplicity was praised in
Vogue: "the sum of that simple perfection which distinguishes her whole Molyneux trousseau, and which only a fine personal taste could have achieved." Marina wore an ermine cape, given to her by the King, over her dress en route to the Abbey and on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. The Duke of Kent wore
ceremonial day dress of the
Royal Navy with the insignia of the
Order of the Garter,
Order of St Michael and St George and the
Royal Victorian Order.
Music Prior to the service, works by
Bach,
Handel and
Elgar were played on the organ. During the arrival of the groom,
Trumpet Tune and Airs by
Henry Purcell was played. The bride walked down the aisle to
Sir Hubert Parry's bridal march from
The Birds. Hymns sung during the service include "
Praise, my soul, the King of heaven."
Ernest Bullock composed a new
anthem specially for the wedding. The ceremony finished with
Felix Mendelssohn's "
Wedding March"
Guests Relatives of the groom •
The King and
Queen, ''the groom's parents'' •
The Prince of Wales, ''the groom's brother'' •
The Duke and
Duchess of York, ''the groom's brother and sister-in-law'' •
Princess Elizabeth of York, ''the groom's niece'' •
Princess Margaret of York, ''the groom's niece'' •
The Princess Royal and the
Earl of Harewood, ''the groom's sister and brother-in-law'' •
The Duke of Gloucester, ''the groom's brother'' •
The Princess Victoria, ''the groom's paternal aunt'' •
The Queen and
King of Norway, ''the groom's paternal aunt and uncle'' •
Princess Helena Victoria, ''the groom's paternal first cousin once removed'' •
The Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, ''the groom's paternal great-uncle'' •
Prince and
Princess Arthur of Connaught, ''the groom's paternal first cousin once removed and paternal first cousin'' •
The Earl of Athlone and
Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, ''the groom's maternal uncle and aunt (also paternal first cousin once removed)'' •
The Princess Beatrice, ''the groom's paternal great-aunt'' •
The Marquess of Carisbrooke's family: •
Lady Iris Mountbatten, ''the groom's paternal second cousin'' •
Lady Mary Cambridge, ''the groom's maternal first cousin once removed''
Relatives of the bride •
Prince and
Princess Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, ''the bride's parents'' •
Princess and
Prince Paul of Yugoslavia, ''the bride's sister and brother-in-law'' •
Prince Nicholas of Yugoslavia,
the bride’s nephew •
Princess Elizabeth, Countess of Törring-Jettenbach and the Count of Törring-Jettenbach, ''the bride's sister and brother-in-law'' •
King George II of the Hellenes, ''the bride's paternal first cousin'' •
Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark, ''the bride's paternal first cousin'' •
Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark, ''the bride's paternal first cousin'' •
Prince and
Princess George of Greece and Denmark, ''the bride's paternal uncle and aunt'' •
Prince Peter of Greece and Denmark, ''the bride's paternal first cousin'' •
Princess Eugénie of Greece and Denmark, ''the bride's paternal first cousin'' •
The Hereditary Grand Duchess and
Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine,
the bride’s paternal first cousin and her husband, the groom’s paternal second cousin •
Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, ''the bride's paternal first cousin'' •
Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark, ''the bride's paternal uncle'' •
Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich and
Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna of Russia, ''the bride's maternal uncle and aunt (also the groom's paternal first cousin once removed)'' •
Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia, ''the bride's maternal first cousin'' •
Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia,
the bride’s maternal first cousin •
Princess Catherine Alexandrovna Yurievskaya, ''the bride's maternal half-grandaunt''
Foreign royal guests • The
King and
Queen of Denmark and Iceland, ''the bride and groom's mutual first cousin once removed, and his wife, the bride's maternal first cousin once removed'' •
Prince Valdemar of Denmark, ''the bride and groom's mutual granduncle'' • The
Count of Flanders, ''the groom's paternal third cousin once removed'' •
Princess Juliana of the Netherlands, ''the bride's maternal half-first cousin once removed'' • The
Duke of Östergötland,
the bride and groom’s mutual paternal second cousin •
Infante Juan of Spain,
the groom’s paternal second cousin Other notable guests • The Rt Hon.
Ramsay MacDonald, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom • The Rt Hon.
Stanley Baldwin, Lord President of the Council • The Rt Hon.
David Lloyd George, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom •
Ernest and
Wallis Simpson Gifts King George V presented his new daughter-in-law with a 36-stone diamond collet necklace which she wore on her wedding day. From
Queen Mary, Princess Marina received a historic diamond and sapphire
parure which had belonged to the
Duchess of Cambridge. The
City of London gave Princess Marina a diamond fringe tiara.
Princess Nicholas gave her daughter a large diamond bow brooch. The
Royal School of Needlework made a quilt for Princess Marina and the Duke of Kent. The gifts were displayed at
St James's Palace.
Reception A reception was held afterwards in the State Rooms of
Buckingham Palace. Music at the reception was provided by the
Royal Artillery Band. The couple received congratulations from various world leaders, including
Adolf Hitler.
Coverage It was the first British royal wedding to be broadcast live on the
radio. ==Honeymoon==