Royals party into night

Press, 25 July 1986, Page 6

Royals party into night

NZPA-Reuter London As Prince Andrew and his bride began their honeymoon in the Azores, the Queen and 500 guests celebrated at a wedding party that continued into the early hours. The party thrown at Claridge’s by Lady Elizabeth Anson, a cousin of the Queen, included a showing of a videotape of wedding ceremonies between Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey.

Guests said afterwards that they had rarely known such a relaxed Royal gathering. "The Queen danced constantly, and except for curtseying, there was no Royal protocol at all,” said one of the guests. The Princess of Wales, arriving for the party with Prince Charles, wore a shimmering, emerald green evening dress with matching silver-heeled

shoes. The Queen, wearing an elegant yellow silk gown, arrived a few minutes later with Prince Edward, the youngest and now the only unmarried one of her four children.

Nancy Reagan, wearing a sophisticated black and white gown, arrived with eight security men surrounding her Chevrolet. British Royals present included the Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret, her remarried former husband, Lord Snowdon, Princess Anne, her husband, Captain Mark Phillips, and their son, Viscount Linley, and the Queen’s cousins, Princess Alexandra and Prince Michael of Kent and his wife, Princess Michael. Guests included King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden: Prince Hiro, the grandson of Emperor Hirohito of Japan: the former King Constantine

of Greece; Prince Albert, the son of Prince Rainier of Monaco; the Prince of Saxe-Coburg; and the Prince of Saxony. Prince Philip missed the party to go to Edinburgh for today’s Commonwealth Games opening.

The bride’s father, Major Ronald Ferguson, also missed it. He returned to his home village of Dummer, south-west of London, and changed from tails into a sweater and corduroy pants to celebrate with villagers at a party in a local barn.

“If they are going to have a party to celebrate my daughter’s wedding this Is the place to be,” he said.

Villagers had speculated that he would try to be at their own shindig. Sarah’s family was represented at the Claridge’s party by her di-

vorced and remarried mother, Susan, and her second husband, an Argentinian polo player and farmer, Hector Barrantes. Photographers, reporters and television crews were barred from the party but guests told of a glittering, relaxed occasion. In the Azores the new Duke and Duchess of York slipped quietly aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia to begin a fiveday honeymoon cruise. The Royal couple had earlier arrived at the United States-Portuguese airbase at Lajes, on Terceira Island. They were greeted by British em-. bassy officials and regional Government leaders.

They were taken by car to the nearby resort of Praia da Vitoria, where the Britannia was waiting. They were taken aboard by a launch.