Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, Marries Katharine Worsley, June 1961

On the 8th June 1961, Miss Katharine Lucy Worsley married Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent in York Minster. It was the first royal wedding to take place there for over six hundred years when King Edward III had married in 1328. The bride, who had been born in 1933, was the only daughter of the late Sir William Worsley of Hovingham Hall. The couple had met in 1956 whilst Edward was stationed with the Royal Scots Greys at their barracks in Catterick, Yorkshire. Their engagement was announced on the 8th March 1961. (Offical engagement picture image) The wedding was attended by all the senior members of the family (image) as well as some foreign royalty including Crown Prince Harald of Norway, Crown Prince Constantine of Greece, Crown Princess Margrethe of Denmark, Princess Sophia of Greece and Don Juan Carlos of Spain. image

The bride chose John Cavanagh of Mayfair to make her wedding dress. Cavanagh was Princess Marina’s favourite designer and she persuaded her future daughter-in-law to give him the task of creating the wedding dress. The dress was made of a shimmering white silk gauze with a pearlized motif. image The details on the dress were kept simple with a stand away collar and as series of buttons on the long fitted sleeves. The tight bodice fell into a full bell-shaped skirt with a long train. image The bride’s tulle veil was held in place with a small diamond tiara. image Katharine also wore a simple pearl necklace and earrings. The bride carried a small rose bouquet. image The dress out on display in London. image

The bride was attended by eight bridesmaids including Princess Anne and three pageboys. The bridesmaids wore long white organdie dresses trimmed with yellow ribbon and they carried posies of roses to match the rosebuds which were in their hair. image The reception was held at the bride’s family home of Hovingham Hall where the official pictures were taken. image

The couple have three children, George, Earl of St Andrews born in 1962, Lady Helen Windsor (now Taylor) born in 1964 and Lord Nicholas Windsor born in 1970. image The Duchess also had a stillborn child in 1977. The couple also have 8 grandchildren – Edward Lord Downpatrick, Lady Marina-Charlotte Windsor, Lady Amelia Windsor, Columbus Taylor, Cassius Taylor, Eloise Taylor, Estella Taylor and Albert Windsor. Today, the Duchess is rarely seen in public and only attends a small number of family functions. She converted to Roman Catholicism in 1994 and now prefers to be known simply as Katharine Kent.

More information and pictures of the wedding can be found at this thread.

Filed under The United Kingdom
Tagged The Duchess of Kent, The Duke of Kent, Wedding Anniversary.