 | |
| Date | 8 June 1961 |
|---|---|
| Venue | York Minster |
| Location | York, England |
| Participants | Prince Edward, Duke of Kent Katharine Worsley |
The wedding of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and Katharine Worsley took place on Thursday, 8 June 1961, at York Minster in York, England. The Duke of Kent is the eldest son of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, while Katharine Worsley was the only daughter and fourth child of landowner Sir William Worsley, 4th Baronet.
The televised ceremony was a traditional Church of England wedding service. Eric Milner-White, Dean of York, presided at the service, and Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of York, conducted the marriage. Notable figures in attendance included many members of other royal families, members of the British government and members of the bride's and groom's families. After the ceremony, the couple returned to the bride's family home, Hovingham Hall, for the reception.
It was the first royal wedding held in York Minster since Edward III married Philippa of Hainault in 1328.[1]
The Duke of Kent met Katherine Worsley, daughter of Sir William Worsley, 4th Baronet, while he was based at Catterick Garrison near the bride's family ancestral home, Hovingham Hall.[2]
The engagement of the Duke of Kent to Katharine Worsley was announced by the groom's mother, Princess Marina, on 8 March 1961 at Kensington Palace. The Duke presented Worsley with an engagement ring made of an oval sapphire with round diamonds on either side.[3] The public reception of the news was positive. The Duke was becoming only the second British prince since the reign of George III to marry an untitled lady.[1]
On 9 March 1961, it was announced that the wedding was set for 8 June of that year at York Minister.[3] The Queen gave her official consent to the match, as was then required by the Royal Marriages Act 1772, on 28 March 1961.[4]
The wedding took place on Thursday, 8 June 1961, at York Minster, the "Westminster Abbey of the North."[5] The service was mostly conducted by Eric Milner-White, Dean of York, with Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of York, who had recently been appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, solemnizing the marriage.[6][7][8]
The groom arrived at the Minister with his supporter, his brother Prince Michael of Kent. Members of the British royal family and foreign royal families entered in a procession and took their seats opposite the bride's family in the lantern in front of the choir screen. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, with the Prince of Wales, were the last to arrive before the bride. Katharine arrived and walked down the aisle with her father, Sir William Worsley.[5][9]
The bride walked down the aisle to the hymn "O Praise Ye the Lord! Sing Praise in the Height" to the tune Laudate Dominum by Sir Hubert Parry. The newlywed couple recessed to Widor's "Toccata" from Symphony for Organ No. 5.[5]
The bride's wedding dress, designed by John Cavanagh on the recommendation of her future mother-in-law, was made of 237 yards of French-made diaphanous white silk gauze. It featured a tight bodice, stiff neckline, and a full skirt with a 15-foot double train.[10] She anchored her white tulle veil with a diamond bandeau tiara which belonged to the bridegroom's late grandmother, Queen Mary.[11]
The Duke wore the uniform of his regiment, the Royal Scots Greys with the riband of the Royal Victorian Order.[9]
The bridegroom was supported by his brother, Prince Michael.[5] The bride was attended by eight bridesmaids and three page boys:
The groom's uncle and godfather, the Duke of Windsor, did not attend.[12] At the wedding, Juan Carlos, Prince of Asturias, became better acquainted with Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark.[13] They would marry the following year and accede to the Spanish throne in 1975.
Notable guests in attendance included:[5][14]
The reception was held at Hovingham Hall. The couple honeymooned at Birkhall on the Balmoral Castle estate.
Before the Duchess died in 2025, the Duke and Duchess of Kent were the longest presently married couple in the royal family. They have three children: George (born 1962), Helen (born 1964) and Nicholas (born 1970); and ten grandchildren. The Duchess had a spontaneous abortion in 1975 owing to rubella and gave birth to a stillborn son, Patrick, in 1977.[16][17] She converted to Roman Catholicism in 1994, but the Duke retained his place in the line of succession because her conversion had taken place after their marriage.
