Lord Freddie Windsor and Actress Sophie Winkleman’s Royal Wedding
On September 12, Lord Frederick Windsor, the 31st in line to the throne, said “I do” to an actress who once wore a crown as the mature version of Queen Susan the Gentle in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Sophie Winkleman.
The religious ceremony took place at 5pm in the Chapel Royal of Hampton Court Palace that in 1543 echoed with the vows of King Henry VIII and Catherine Parr. The approach to the Chapel Royal was decorated with candles and trees covered in white fabric butterflies, while the chapel was filled with white and pale pink roses and handmade jasmine garlands, to Mozart’s Laudate Dominum.
The presence of royals and VIPs required to a huge police presence, with metal detectors set up at the palace gates and regular patrols around the perimeter. The bride, 29, arrived five minutes early, at the end of a motorcade led by Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and their daughter, Lady Gabriella. Dramatically, it was escorted by a police helicopter which hovered conspicuously overhead as Sophie paused to smile and wave at passers-by.
Sophie clutched a bouquet of ivory-petaled roses and dazzled in a white silk duchesse gown by Anna-Roza Bistroff, a Russian couturier recommended by the Kents who have strong links to the former Soviet state. The tight corset bodice and voluptuous skirt, complete with 10ft train and teamed with a lace bolero, couldn’t have been more fitting for a palace long associated with Henry VIII and his six wives.
According to the BBC, hymns sung included “Be Thou My Vision”, “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind” and “I Vow To Thee My Country”, which was performed at the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.
Sophie, best known for her role as Big Suze in the Channel 4 comedy Peep Show, had six bridesmaids: Matilda Thykier, daughter of Claudia Winkleman; Lady Helen and Tim Taylor’s daughter Eloise; Ben and Kate Goldsmith’s daughter Iris; Count and Countess Peter Szapary’s daughter Tatiana; Dominic and Shoonagh Hubble’s daughter Matilda; and India, the daughter of Nicholas and Stephanie Balfour. The beautiful bridesmaids were dressed in white silk organza gowns, also by Roza Couture. The groom, who is an investment banker, was dressed by royal designer Hardy Amies. He opted for 15 ushers, enough for the Old Etonian to make up his own rugby team.
Lady Gabriella Windsor, Lord Freddie’s sister, gave a bible reading from the “Song of Solomon”. Jane Asher then read a poem called “The Meeting”, while the third reading, by Rupert Evans, was Christina Rossetti’s “A Birthday”.
The new Mrs Windsor said the hour-long service in the Chapel Royal, conducted by the Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, had been emotional and added: “I wept throughout the whole thing.”
Then, about 400 guests, including members of the royal family and celebrities from the worlds of television and film, attended the evening ceremony. Guests for the wedding include Princess Eugenie and singer Bryan Adams. Senior members of the royal family did not attend, but the Duchess of Cornwall’s daughter Laura was there with friends. Other guests included journalist Eve Pollard and her daughter Claudia Winkleman, the bride’s half-sister. They were joined by interior designer Nicky Haslam, writer Julian Fellowes, Evening Standard editor Geordie Greig and heiress Sabrina Guinness. The Queen and the Prince of Wales did not attend due to other commitments, but they’ve send a substantial gift.
The mother of the groom, nicknamed “Princess Pushy” for her ability to get her own way, masterminded the entire event, down to the punctuation on the invitations. She looked stupendous in a daringly low-cut dark blue satin gown and matching wrap.
But no honeymoon for the newly-weds. The couple flew to Los Angeles the day after their wedding for Lady Windsor to start work on her latest television project, a new comedy.
