Four Kings and Three Queens were among the guests at the wartime Wedding of King Peter II of Yugoslavia and Princess Alexandra of Greece at the Yugoslavian Embassy in London on this day in 1944, 80 years ago, in the midst of the Second World War.
King Peter II of Yugoslavia, son of King Alexander II of Yugoslavia and Princess Marie of Romania, married Princess Alexandra of Greece, the posthumous daughter of King Alexander of Greece and Princess Aspasia, in exile in London during the Second World War. Queen Alexandra wrote of her Wedding Day:
Newspapers had posted cameramen and reporters around Claridge’s. “And outside the Embassy there are hundreds of them,” declared Cabbage, and I fully believed her, for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth would be among the first of the crowned heads to arrive. Then there would be Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, King Haakon of Norway, King George of Greece, the Duke of Gloucester, the Duchess of Kent, Mr. Anthony Eden and many other people who would provide newsworthy photographs for the press.
“Well, bouquet or no, you look absolutely lovely, ma’am, and that’s a fact,” said Cabbage sweetly. Uncle Georgie, the King of Greece, who was going to give me away, came to fetch me then, and Peter’s thirteen-year-old brother, Prince Andrea, solemnly came to lift the short train of my bridal gown. I went into the big drawing room which was now a church.
The room had been consecrated for our wedding]by Archpriest Ristanovich of the Serbian Orthodox Church and Archbishop Germanos of the Greek Orthodox Church. These two high dignitaries of our churches, together with the Dean of Westminster, awaited me now in front of the golden altar and cross which had been brought from the Serbian Church.
Uncle Georgie squeezed my hand reassuringly as he felt me tremble a little, making our way towards them. My mind was in a jumble. The moment I had longed for was here; I was going to be married to Peter; yet instead of the wild happiness I had expected, my knees were faltering, I was sure I would have no voice when I came to make my vows, and I could not remember any detail of the ceremony which I had rehearsed so carefully.
So much was I concentrating on all this that I had not realised that here I was, curtseying to the King and Queen, and now standing beside Pete, with Uncle Bertie on his right and Uncle Georgie on my left-and the service had begun.
I remember the Archpriest tying our hands together with a wide silken scarf; the Archbishop whispering, as he placed the heavy crown upon my head; “I hope I’m putting it on all right.” I had warned him at the rehearsal on no account to damage my head-dress. Then, wearing those cumbersome crowns, Peter and I began our solemn procession thrice around the altar, followed by Uncle Bertie and Uncle Georgie.
Suddenly I spied the towel on the floor. Minding the balance of my crown and the drag of my short train, I took a huge stride forward. There was a little stamp as my white-slippered foot reached the towel-and a black-shod foot was there too, right beside it. Peter had been watching for the towel, but he was not aware that I had been told of the legend also. He was sure of victory-so he was defeated in that.
Now, according to the soothsayers, there would be no “boss” in our family-it would be a completely equal partnership, and I permitted myself a little smile, which Peter told me afterwards he had seen out of the corner of his eye. And then we were married, and suddenly it was time to receive the congratulations of our guests.
I went to Uncle Bertie and Aunt Elizabeth and kissed them both, receiving their affectionate good wishes: I nearly hugged Marina. She looked so sweet in her pale pink and beige silk frock, with a charming little hat of ostrich feathers and sable furs about her shoulders.
The reception went on for nearly two hours and, contrary to custom, Peter and I stayed in the roles of host and hostess till all our guests had left. It was by now 6:30 P.M., and both Pete and I were exhausted. We seemed to have shaken hands at least a thousand times, and our faces were stiff and creased from smiling.
The Royal Guests were led by King George VI (the godfather of the groom and the Best Man) and Queen Elizabeth, who presented the bride with a pair of Diamond Girandole Earrings, as Queen Alexandra recalled:
My fingers fumbled and shook as I broke the royal seal on the inner packet. Again a gold-edged, small leather case tantalised me but still I tried to guess what was inside.
“Oh, Sandra, open it,” begged Mummie, unable to bear my delay any longer. I opened it to see the red and blue flashing star points of diamonds–diamond earrings, each a beautiful solitaire with a cascading drop pendant of smaller perfect stones. They were “
To Sandra, with my best wishes and love, Aunt Elizabeth.” “Put them on, darling.” It was Peter now, anxious to see them. Reverently I lifted the lovely things from their velvet and fastened them to my ears. Their pendants flashed and glowed as I moved my head. They were the loveliest jewels I had ever had. And I was touched beyond words, not only by their magnificence, but even more by the fact that Aunt Elizabeth had noticed that I usually wore drop carings, and that I did not have my ears pierced. These fastened with small screws, and she had obviously taken great care to give me something of the style and design I most liked.
“Oh,” I said to Mummie and Peter, “I must wear these on my wedding day.”
King George II of Greece (uncle of the bride)
Uncle Georgie, the King of Greece, gave us a round gold box.
Princess Aspasia of Greece (mother of the bride)
King Haakon VII of Norway (cousin of the bride)
King Haakon of Norway (who always liked terming himself “your removed cousin” because we had once introduced him as our cousin once removed) had sent a big silver coffee tray.
Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands
Prince Bernhard and Princess Juliana of the Netherlands had given us all our cutlery in silver. And in addition, Bernhard, one of Peter’s closest friends, had insisted on providing all the champagne for our wwedding reception.
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent (cousin of the bride)
King Peter wore the Uniform of a Colonel of the Royal Yugoslav Air Force while Queen Alexandra wore the Wedding Dress of Lady Mary Lygon, Princess Romanovsky-Pavlovsky with her Diamond Girandole Earrings.
Mummie said “but if you could concentrate just for one moment, you’d realise that you haven’t even got a frock yet, and you certainly don’t have the time, let alone the clothing coupons, to get one made.”
Peter then shattered both of us. “I’ve got a frock for her,” he said proudly. We gazed at him. “Oh yes,” said Peter, preening himself with satisfaction at his cleverness, “she’s going to wear Mamie’s.”
This was indeed a solution. Peter’s cousin, Prince Vsevelod of Russia, and Mamie Ligham had been married just before the war and Mamie had worn a beautiful gown of pale oyster satin.
The moment she had heard of our wedding she had said to Pete, “Sandra must have my wedding dress. We’re exactly the same height and it will only need taking in,” and Pete had accepted the offer at once.
Marina had been equally sweet, and had announced she was going to lend me a wedding veil, a lovely one of the finest lace. So now I had a frock and a veil, but still there were shoes and lingerie to get.
Anything more for my trousseau would be impossible. Already we had borrowed clothing coupons and also been given many, but even so they would not provide a going-away ensemble or even a new frock.
I had difficulty in finding a pair, too, because I was insistent that they must have low heels. I am slightly taller than Peter and on my wedding day I was very sensitive over that extra inch of my height.
“I’m not going to look as though I’m towering over him,” I protested when Mummie and Marina assured me that I was exaggerating the difference in our heights.
For the same reason I refused to wear a tiara to hold my veil in place. I said it would make me look taller. So I had a small, quite plain skullcap made, edged with orange blossoms, and that secured the veil. This was more convenient than a tiara in any case, as during the ceremony crowns were to be placed on our heads.
King Peter and Queen Alexandra had one son, Crown Prince Alexander, but did not return to Yugoslavia in their lifetimes, dying in 1970 and 1993 respectively, with their bodies only returning to Yugoslavia for their reburials after their son’s return to Belgrade.
