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A ROYAL WEDDING
Victoria, Princess Royal, married Prince Frederick William of Prussia at the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace, on Monday, 25 January 1858.
A ROYAL ENGAGEMENT
Frederick had first met the Princess Royal at the Great Exhibition but a match between them had been in the thoughts of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert for a number of years.
The engagement was announced on 17 May 1856 but the news was not met with enthusiasm from the British public who were still holding a grudge against the Prussians for their neutral stance during the Crimean War and saw the Hohenzollerns as a miserable bunch.
THE WEDDING
The ceremony took place on 25 January 1858 in the Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace, which sparked outrage in Prussia as the prince’s countrymen felt a future king should be married in Berlin.
The service was conducted by a very nervous John Bird Sumner, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who apparently skipped over several parts of the service. The newlyweds left the Chapel to the sound of The Wedding March by Mendelssohn which would thereafter be a popular choice at weddings.
WEDDING DRESS
The Princess Royal followed the tradition started by her mother and had her dress made from fabrics manufactured at Spitalsfields. The bridal gown was made of white moire antique embroidered with rose, shamrock, and thistle emblems in gold thread, while the three lace flounces were edged with orange blossom and myrtle.
The white moire antique train was trimmed with rows of Honiton lace and wreaths similar to those on the flounces of the dress. The bride also wore a diamond necklace, diamonds earrings and a diamond brooch. Pinned to her left sleeve was the Order of Louise, a Prussian order of chivalry, and the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert.
THE BRIDESMAIDS
The white tulle dresses of the bridesmaids were designed by the Princess Royal herself and were trimmed with bouquets of pink roses and white heather.
The bridesmaids were the unmarried daughters of peers as was the tradition.
THE HONEYMOON
After a short honeymoon at Windsor Castle, Vicky and Fritz left for Berlin and the departure was a sorrowful one for everyone. Vicky was her father’s favourite child and he felt the loss keenly.
Vicky and Fritz initially moved into an old wing of the Berlin Royal Palace, however it was not fit for habitation and they then moved to the Crown Prince’s Palace in Berlin. They spent the summers at the New Palace in Potsdam which they both loved.