Princess Adeline, Duchess of Clarence

Chapter Sixty-Six: The Wedding of Beatrice and Edoardo

17th of July 2020 - Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor

It had come as a surprise when Beatrice had asked that Simon and Adeline attend her wedding after it had been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the couple had been forced to revise their wedding plans. 

In accordance with the government advice, they were holding a smaller ceremony for the sake of older family members who may be at risk and concerns that the groom's extended family may not be able to leave Italy for the ceremony. 

It had been a headache for Beatrice, who'd already had to amend her wedding plans because of everything that was going on with her father. 

It had been Adeline that Beatrice had turned to during this time, unable to face her own sister during this time with Eugenie constantly compared the toned wedding to the wedding that she'd had that had been shown on television. 

With only 20 people allowed to attend the wedding, it had come as a surprise that Adeline and Simon had been amongst those that Beatrice and Edo wanted with them when they got married. 

Adeline had opted to rewear an older dress for the occasion, the blue dress that she had worn to Tom Parker Bowles wedding; it felt fitting considering Beatrice's wedding dress. 

The bride wore a "Peau De Soie taffeta" vintage dress in shades of ivory by Norman Hartnell that belonged to the Queen and was "trimmed with duchess satin and encrusted with diamante". 

The dress was modified by Angela Kelly and Stewart Parvin to fit the bride for this occasion. 

The Queen Mary Fringe Tiara secured her veil. 

The bride wore champagne-coloured satin Valentino shoes, which she had previously worn to the 2011 wedding of her cousin, the Duke of Cambridge. 

Her bouquet consisted of "trailing jasmine, pale pink and cream sweet peas, royal porcelain ivory spray roses, pink O'Hara garden roses, pink wax flower, baby pink astilbe, and sprigs of myrtle". 

After the wedding the bridal bouquet was placed on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey, following royal tradition that began with the Queen Mother. 

The groom's son, Wolfie, served as the best man and page boy and the bride's sister, Princess Eugenie, was matron of honour. 

The bride proceeded down the aisle escorted by her father, the Duke of York.

Taking their seats, Adeline and Simon couldn't help but note how strange this wedding felt compared to the others that they had attended; everyone wearing masks for the occasion and there was a solemn mood in the air. 

The Sub-Dean of the Chapel Royal, Paul Wright, and the Honorary Chaplain to the Queen, Martin Poll, officiated as the couple made their marriage vows, and a special wedding license was prepared by the Archbishop of Canterbury. 

As laid out by government guidelines, no hymns were sung at the ceremony, however, a selection of music was played and "the National Anthem was played but not sung". 

Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare and "i carry your heart with me(i carry it in" by E. E. Cummings were read by the couple's mothers and a reading of 1 Corinthians 13 was also made. 

Simon took Adeline's hand as they watched the ceremony play out, it was rare that royal weddings were so private and no doubt this would be the last one that they would see for many years. 

Louise and James were still young, they wouldn't be married anytime soon as far as any of them knew so Beatrice would be the last of the grandchildren of the monarch to wed for a while.