IN RURAL SETTING

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 133, 2 December 1931, Page 13

IN RURAL SETTING

ROYAL WEDDING

CHEERING THOUSANDS

(Ffont "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, 30th October. Five hundred distinguished guests attended the'wedding at the little village church of St. Mary's, Baleonibe, Susses,, on. 24th October, of Lady May Cambridge, only surviving child of the Earl of Athlone and Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, to Captain Henry Abel Smith, of the. Kdyal Horse Guards. The crowd- which 'lined, 'the-' roadwayshad its..first.. thrilljVheiJL.a detachment of the Royal Horse Guards, with glittering cuirasses and. nodding plumes, marched to the church 'accompanied by two trumpeters resplendent- in gold uniform and black velvet caps. Girl Guides with Union Jacks were on duty from the Park to the village, and members of the British Legion were there also. .As ■ the bride wanted^ a countrywedding,, it took place^from Brantridge Park, the home of the' Earl and Countess of ..Athlone./ .. ~: . . The church was splendidly decorated with masses of arum lilies. Archbishop' Carter, formerly Metropolitan of South Africa, performed -the ceremony, assisted by the Bishop: of, Chic.hester, the Dean of Windsor, the Rev,.D. L. Secretan, rector of Balcombe, and the Rev; Reginald Fawkes, of Parkstone House, Poole, a relative of the bridegroom. Her Majesty was -wearing a new .lhade of mulberry satin, which suited her to perfection.■■ Over the dress was a coat of the saino' rich shade, collared and cuffed with sable, and her toque of mulberry and petunia was finished with a diamond and pearl brooch. The Queen was accompanied by the Prince of Wales and Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone. ' . . " AN IMPORTANT BRIDESMAID. \V'heu the Duke and Duchess of York brought their elder daughter to take her place as bridesmaid the crowd went mad with delight. The bud shone on her golden' curls through the open-work blue cap. She tripped up the pathway quickly in her little silver shoes when the Duke had lifted her from the car. While waiting for "Auntie May," she stood calmly chatting to her three tiny companions—Lady' Mary Cambridge, Miss Jenifer Bevan, and Miss Rosemary Fraser. "That's for grandma," said Princess Elizabeth, when cheers rose again and the Queen arrived. Lady May looked radiant in her lovely London-mado gown of ivory satin Windsor, fashioned on the aim-

plest possible lines. With her father, she proceeded slowly up the aisle, eurtsoying to the Queen on her way. The corsage of her. dress was arranged with a' cross-over front, held at the waist at one side with a "true lover's knot" of orango blossoms, and the long skirt flowed to the ground in front in soft, clinging lines. ' The long square train, cut in one with the skirt, was uutrimmed, forming an exquisite background to the. beautiful old Honiton lace veil, lent by the Queen and worn by herself :at her own wedding. This was arranged as a cap, arid held with a simple wreath of orange blossoms. A feature of the bride's bouquet of lilies of the. valley was the sprigs of myrtle, which had been grown from a cutting of myrtle from the bouquet carried by Queen Victoria at nor wedding. THE BEIDESMAIDS' DRESSES. The eight, grown-up bridesmaids were Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg Gotha and Princess Ingrid of Sweden; who headed the retinue, Lady Alice Scott (daughter of the Duko and Duchess of Buceleuch), the Hon. Imogen Rhys (daughter of Lord and Lady Dynevor), Miss Kathleen Alington (daughter of the Headmaster of Harrow), Miss Wenefryde Tabor, Miss Verena Seymour,, and Miss. Phyllis Seymour Holm.. They wore long, graceful drosses of ;velvet in a lovely, shade., of Nigella blue, cut-on long flowing lines, moulded to their figures with the ankle-length skirts flaring towards the hems. The bodices were draped into a soft cowl effect in front, and the long, close-fit-ting sleeves were puffed above the elbows. Two long ends of the velvet were draped from either shoulder and caught into a large bow at tho back, the ends forming a short train. Triple bandeaux of velvet intertwined with silver completed their toilettes. The children's picture frocks of the same material had tiny tight-fitting bodices with short puff sleeves, the full skirts falling in folds to their ankles. They had caps of latticed blue velvet ribbon, and carried posies of anemones. The older maids carried sheaves of brightcoloured anemones tied with silver gauze ribbon. The bridegroom's gift to each was a clear crystal necklace. Major the Hon. Cecil Weld Forester* Eoyal Horse Guards, iras best man, and the ushers were Major Ulick Alexander, Admiral Bromley, Lieut.-Comman-der Edmonstone, Mr. Cockburn, Captain Lascelles, and Captain Colville. ■. Signing tho register took some time. The Queen, the Prince of Wales, and several other Koyal personages signed not only the parish register, dating from 1000, but also the Eoyal marriage register from Buckingham Palace. DELIGHTFUL INFORMALITY. A spirit of informality distinguished the reception at Brantridge Park (says "The Times"). Princess Alice Counr tess ofAthlone, and the Earl of Athlone, stood at one side of the reception room to receive their guests, the Queen standing near to her brother. In a few charming words the Prince of Wales proposed the toast. The Queen was the first to taste the wedding-cake, which was decorated with hunting figures and with the regimental shield of the Eoyal Horse Guards. SOME OF THE DRESSES. Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, was attired in a long coat of sapphireblue velvet trimmed with dark sable squirrel fur and- a small blue velvet hat. Pinned to her coat was a spray of white gardenias. The Duchess of York wore a golden brown lace frock matched by .her fine cloth coat finished with a luxurious. roll. collar. of blue' fox. fur. IJer hat of felt, exactly matching her coat, had tuf tn of osprey in brown and beige colourings as a trimming, and she wore lovely pearls and a diamond brooch. Princess Victoria also wore brown, her coat and dress alike' being of chestnut brown velvet, ;and her. folded^ .velvet toque of the same material. .-."■• Princess Arthur of Connaught was in olive-green with a small: sable collar to. fcer coat. Her hat was of olivegreon velvet. The Marchioness of Carisbrooke, who camo with the Marquess of Carisbrooke, was in snuffbrown with a deep collar and cuffs of boige fox fur on her coat. In her "snuff^brown felt hat a beautiful diamond brooch was the only ornament, and she wore a long rope of pearls with a jewelled pendant. Prince Gustav Adolph of Sweden, who had journeyed to London for the wedding with his sister, Princess Ingrid, was an interested guest, who took many pictures of the wedding with his cinema-camera. The Marchioness of Cambridge wore royal blue cloth, with a hat to match, over a dress of the same colour, and the Marquess of Cambridge and Lord Frederick Cambridge were also present. Mrs. Francis Abel Smith chose a black velvet dress and coat, with an ermine wrap and a shoulder-knot of gardenias. Her black velvet hat was trimmed with, white Ostrich feathers.