Wedding of Princess Mary and Henry Lascelles

Mary and Lascelles's relationship began after meeting at the Grand National and at a house party in 1921. After being invited to stay with the royal family at Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House, he proposed to her on 20 November 1921 at York Cottage. ==Wedding==

Their wedding was held at Westminster Abbey, and attracted large crowds along the route between the abbey and Buckingham Palace. It was the first wedding of the child of a monarch to be held at Westminster Abbey since Margaret of England married John II, Duke of Brabant. Many spent the night on the streets despite the cold weather to catch a glimpse of the couple on the wedding day. Men wounded in the First World War were provided with special accommodations to view the procession. The Prince of Wales was not present at the ceremony (he was conducting a visit to India). Queen Alexandra arrived first, followed by Queen Mary and her sons, and ultimately the King and his daughter Mary. The Gold used for making the wedding ring came from a mine in Wales. Vandyk took the formal photographs and Frank O. Salisbury was commissioned by the King to paint a picture of the ceremony at the abbey which took years to complete. Music Psalm 67 was sung to music by T. Tertius Noble. Attire Mary's wedding dress was designed by Messrs. Reville, Ltd. The dress was constructed of cloth of silver, with an ivory silk train. It combined "youthful simplicity with royal splendour". It was designed to reflect "Britain's position as ruler of a vast empire; emblematic lotus-flower motifs embroidered in India featured alongside a domestic, yet equally symbolic, trellis work of roses in pearls and crystal beads." In terms of jewellery, Mary wore a diamond and pearl brooch, a gift from the bridegroom; on her bodice she wore the brooch given to her by the Royal Scots. She wore an ermine stole over her dress en route to the Abbey. The bridesmaids all wore cloth of silver over ivory satin and identical brooches with the initials M and H given to them by Lascelles. Their veils were secured by silver bands. Guests had a private viewing of the gifts received by the couple at Buckingham Palace before they were exhibited at St James's Palace. Coverage The abbey authorities set up a camera to capture pictures of the couple as they left, with proceeds from selling them going to the abbey's Restoration Fund. Pictures of the wedding were also shown at cinema halls. Westminster Hospital also put up a small stand to show pictures of the wedding and added £2,000 to its fund. ==Aftermath==

After the wedding, the couple proceeded back to Buckingham Palace. The carriage carrying the bride and the groom stopped at The Cenotaph, where Mary handed a bouquet of flowers to a Grenadier guard who placed it at the memorial's foot as crowds stood silent. In the afternoon the couple left for Paddington station and boarded a train to Weston Park, the ancestral seat of the groom's maternal family. They then travelled to Italy and France, where they stayed at the home of the 8th Earl of Granard in Paris. Mary was later quoted to have said: "It is a great happiness to me that I am to remain in my native land." ==References==