The wedding of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia

"The Marriage of the Duke of Connaught, 13th March 1879," oil on canvas by Sydney Prior Hall. Royal Collection Trust.

On March 13, 1879, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, married Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia. The engagement was initially received with hesitation by no other than Queen Victoria herself.  She was not satisfied with Louise Margaret. She thought she was plain and boring with her broken teeth. Worst, she disapproved of the unhappy marriage and separation of Louise Margaret’s parents. It was clear that Victoria did not want her son to be associated with any scandal that might happen.

Their marriage, nevertheless, pushed through. The lavish ceremony which took place at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle on March 13, 1879, was well-attended by members of the British, Prussian and other European royal families.

All the mourning rituals for Princess Alice, who died in December 1878, were set aside on the wedding day, except for Queen Victoria and her ladies-in-waiting who wore black for the occasion.  The town of Windsor, already on festive mood, was decorated for the day and illuminated at night.

The bride, Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia. Image from Royal Collection Trust. 

For her wedding dress, Princess Louise Margaret wore  one that reflected her heritage. While designed with the usual white satin and decorated with traditional myrtle leaves, the dress was made in Silesia. According to the British Royal Family’s website, “the lace for the train (which was four metres long) and veil was from point d'Alençon lace (rather than Honiton), although the usual orange blossom and myrtle was still represented.”

The myrtle-leaves stood as the emblem of Prussia. The four-meter-long  train was surmounted by a lace flounce that was one meter wide and fixed with a sprig of myrtle. The veil was made of point d'Alençon lace  and represented orange blossoms, roses, and myrtle-leaves intertwined. It was about three meters square.

Five diamond stars, which were given by Prince Arthur to the bride, served to hold the veil on her hair. She carried a bouquet of white flowers as she marched on the aisle.  The bridesmaids, meanwhile, put on dresses of white satin duchess faille and mousseline de soie and embroidered with wild rosebuds and foliage, which represented England, Scotland, Ireland and Germany.

"Prince Arthur of Connaught", oil on canvas by George Koberwein. Royal Collection Trust 

Temporary galleries were installed north and south of the naive for the spectators. Platforms were also built for the press, choristers and musicians, while a high dais was constructed before the altar inside St. George’s chapel for the couple.

The New York Times reported that "broad alterations of blue and white bunting in festoons line the passage by which the queen will enter; then comes a crimson-bordered pathway with ornamentations of blue and gold-fringed with bullion.  Inside Windsor castle, the grand staircase and state entrance of were decorated "with flowers, palms, ferns and shrubs.” The queen's private apartments were adorned with flowers.

Food flooded on the night before the wedding and during the wedding breakfast, a gathering of royalty feasting upon "a gorgeous spectacle,” with "magnificent buffet" on the table and food was served on gold plate.

Noticeably missing during the wedding was Prince Leopold, Queen Victoria's youngest son, who was ill at Darmstadt and could not travel to Windsor. In his stead, Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, stood in as the groom's second supporter.

The couple received expensive gifts and Queen Victoria's gifts "consisted of a magnificent diamond tiara, the brilliants hanging down in sparkling peaks from a central wreath of brilliants of pure." The Prince and Princess of Wales, meanwhile, gave a "ring set with the stone known as cat's eye." Princess Louise Margaret, on the other hand, received "costly and tasteful presents." From the Prussian Society of Matrons and Maidens she received "a large basket in gold bronze, lined with purple velvet and supported by three golden claws upon a massive metal frame."