Duchess of Gloucester avoided royal wedding tradition followed by Queen, Kate and Meghan
THE DUCHESS of Gloucester is celebrating her 50th anniversary today, and on her wedding day in 1972, she avoided a key wedding tradition that generations of royal women have followed.
Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex arrive for wedding in 1999
A new photo has been released today (June 8) to mark the golden wedding anniversary of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester and Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester. The snap prompted an outpouring of tributes to the royal pair on social media.
Related articles
The Queen's official social account also paid tribute to the couple on their big day with a tweet which read: "Happy Golden Wedding Anniversary to The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester!
"To mark 50 years since their wedding day, a new photograph of the couple has been released, taken in the garden of their home at Kensington Palace earlier this week."
In the adorable snap, the Duke of Gloucester was pictured standing with his arm around his wife while the Duchess beamed at the camera.
Birgitte wore a fitting golden yellow shirt dress and a brooch designed by Richard that features an entwined 'R' and 'B'.
READ MORE: William ‘utterly disgusted’ by Meghan’s Oprah claims
Birgitte and Richard are considered stalwart members of the Royal Family, and they serve the Queen as working members of the Firm.
But their love story began decades ago in the 1960s while they were studying at Cambridge, and Prince Richard eventually married Danish-born Birgitte van Deurs Henriksen in 1972 in Barnwell, Northamptonshire.
Unlike previous royal weddings, Birgitte and Richard's nuptials were incredibly low-key and the bride also opted to forego a key royal wedding tradition.
Birgitte opted not to wear a royal tiara, despite marrying the Queen's cousin, and instead donned an elegant flower crown to hold her veil in place.
- Advert-free experience without interruptions.
- Rocket-fast speedy loading pages.
- Exclusive & Unlimited access to all our content.
Traditionally, royal brides are offered a tiara from the Queen's personal collection for their wedding days, or they may opt to wear a family tiara.
The Queen wore her grandmother's tiara, Queen Mary's Fringe Tiara, for her own 1947 wedding, while Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle borrowed a tiara from the Queen for their respective big days.
So Birgitte's decision not to wear a tiara was quite unusual at the time, but her elegant wreath of stephanotis flowers was certainly not out of place at the British country wedding.
Birgitte did pay tribute to the Queen in another way, however, with her stunningly simple wedding gown.
DON'T MISS:
How the Duke of Gloucester is related to Queen [EXPLAINED]
Duchess of Gloucester dons £376 amber dress on golden anniversary [PICTURES]
Boris and Carrie 'planning wedding party at Chequers' [INSIGHT]
The bride's dress featured a high neckline, long sleeves and a modest train, and it was constructed out of Swiss organdie.
The gown was designed by Sir Norman Hartnell, one of the Queen's favourite designers and the mastermind behind her iconic wedding and coronation gowns.
Birgitte's decision to wear a Hartnell gown also paid tribute to her mother-in-law Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, who had worn a Hartnell gown for her wedding to Prince Henry in 1935.
Alice had also defied wedding tradition by requesting her dress be a blush-pink shade rather than the classic white.