GEORGE SALA'S ACCOUNT OF THE DUKE OF CONNAUGHT'S WEDDING.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5368, 29 April 1879, Page 2

GEORGE SALA'S ACCOUNT OF THE DUKE OF CONNAUGHT'S WEDDING.

IJTever since the marriage ;o>f the^Priii'ga of Wales with the Princess Alexandra- of Denmark, now sixteen * years ago, , has .Windsor worn such a gala/aspeqt as/it does this moraine:. .The ; crocked: Highstreet is gorgeous in its fluttering of flags and heraldic devices and royal congratulatory • mottoes. It rejoices' in a mass of color that seems to make, the quaint old street glad,' aud forms an .exceedingly pleasant contrast -with the. 'jvast,: austere grey mass of the castle that crowns the •. crest of the hilli The balconies on either side of the street are draped with flags ;and hurig down with festoons r of;' |fche . fairest flowers. At ten' minute's past' 12, and upon the signal given by the Lord Chamberlain, . six royal trumpeters,, , ola 4 in : coats of cloth of gold, and standing three on each side of the west 'door of Sfc. George's Chapel, sound;a long fanfare. The Yeoman' of the Guard on duty at the door relaxes his hold on the lock, and the portals open with dramatic effect,' revealing a long, covered way, through advances the glittering procession of royal, : guests, ..at. its head" the' 'Steward ''of w! . Majesty's Household in full costumed "J li .All eyes are- fixed on the' imperial; jper^ sonagewho follows., .< His Highttes&.the' Maharajah Dhule'p Singh, whose. swarthy, ■faceis seen, beneath a splendid. turban! s and caftan literally Mazing wjth ; emerg4d&L v and diamonds. V Accompanying ) him is jMaharanee/ his wife, in a dazzling robe of golden web. Then the towering form. of Prince Edward of 'iSaxe- Weimar^ in^'tHe uniform of an English general, is easily recognised. . : : The portly ,< i orm of ifche Princess Mary, ; Duchess of Teck, isfnexty The Duchess appears smiling and^'geniil^ as ever; ' The' Duk- of Teck, in : avc(uiet : ■ handsome uniform of the Bifle Brigade/ is,. beside, her. Two Princesses t of Saxe- 1 '! C/oburg Gotha succeed. NextWmes the;*' Duchess of -Edinburgh, < escorted:' by^the^ Duke of Cambridge*' her V. royal:'^pojise '] having taken his placelin another prbpes«;. r , f sion. Prince and Princess 0. hraiiain wajte^. together. Princess mother of : the -, bride, is also CQmpeUed.to.,:/ avail herself of the services;pf a husband / : de circurhstauce, as her liege lord has*.'. . 1 business .;elsewhere., ; : Jmmense.interestis taken in ; the appearance of the; ;Orowii i! - P : rincess of Germany and- » Prussia; : ther ; ;j Princess Royal of Englaridr.wKo^ -ii?'''' arrayed in a magnificent cdstume of'deep^ ' ri blue velvet, lined with jermine^j'anttf' wearing a nuriiber^of 'foreign orders, ' v !a „ ,' splendid crimaqn 'ribbbn-and. ,a baago.^f-*' crossing her breast., The Xjrinoe Imperial';:^ of Germany, ; <v pnser ; Fritzj" wore a uniform of white and silver. At thisi:' point the procession grows more and more exalted in the rank of its members. The ? >■• Prindess of Wales, 'in ,sea-greeii satin and a train of portentous length,' is accompanied bySjher three charming daughters, and by the tiny Prince George of Wales. Next "comes his colossal' Majesty the King of the Belgians, looking: , as good-natured aa he is large, < and smiling affably to several acquaintances :— whom he recognises in the aisles.. The,,.,,; , ; Queen of the Belgians wearsl a_ train .'of . ; ,-: v ", maroon velvet, lined with ermine, The , procession is closed with the Yeomen of : the Guard and Gentlemen-at-Arms, and, while ib moves up the aisle, Handel's /> March from Hercules. is played. For some ten minutes utter silence reigned, i:; The cautious Yeoman resumes his hold upon the look, and, at a gentle wave from the Lord Chamberlain, the silver clarion of trumpeters rings out. Once more the portals are fluung open, and the royal procession appears .in sight ; Vs clerks, marshals, comptrollers, gentlemen' ushers, , rigid as usual, clad in gold embroidery, enter. Then comes the Garter King-at- . Arms, sceptre in hand, and the Lord Chamberlain, his shoulders covered , with wedding favors of white satin. They are immediately preceding her Majesty, ; not precisely walking backward, but ( wheeling ever and anon at a half- turn in a remarkably nimble manner. The Lord Steward escorted on the other side the greatest personage of the procession, stately Herne,- but scarcely so sorrowful V". aa of yore. Arrayed in raven black, and "A* : with lengthened train, borne by two youthful pages of honor in scarlet and . white, wearing a broad blue.ribbpn of the' . Order of the Garter satire wise, the diamond . * George and a number of other decorations, " with a long veil of white gauze and a- ; ■ coronal dashing; ; with ; diamonds, comes Victoria, Queen of England and Empress ' of India. Princess Beatrice M# Imw I **?

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Albert Victor of Wales closely follow her Majesty, after whom come a crowd of the. great officers of the Household, the Master of the Buckhounds and the Goldstick, the Venerable Viscount Templeton. As the procession enteas the choir, a Unaroh from " Athalie" is played on the /organ. The Queen is conducted to a footstool of crimson and gold, placed for her on the dais. She does not, however, take her seat for- some time, but remains standing, -receiving with austere dignity the deep obeisance of the Prince and nobles near her. Scarcely five minutes elapsed between the arrival of the Queen's procession and a repetition of the ceremonial at the west door, announcing the advent of the cortege of the bridegroom. This was comparatively short. Two comptrollers of the household of Prince Leopold— who, . unfortunately, having been taken ill at Darmstadt, is unable to be present— enter, followed by the Duke of Connaught, in full colonel's uniform. The bridegroom is supported by his brothers, the Prince of " Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh. Sir ! George Elder's march, composed on the -'-, occasion of the marriage of the Prince of f Wals, entitled "Albert Edward/ is ; played as the Princes pass up the nave. : The bridegroom is conducted to a footstool 1 on the right of the haut pas before the = altar. For the i fourth and last time the \ ceremonial at the west door is repeated, the yeoman and gentlemen-at-arms closing 1 before it, and crossing their partizans as though to guard some specially precious object. Once more the clang of silver trum--1 petsisheard, and wide yawn the i doors. The ■ übiquitous Lord Chamberlain bows low to , welcome the procession of the bride. Two ' masters of ceremonies, apparently lmS pressed with the solemnity of the situation, I follow the heralds. Then come the mem- ■ bers of the German Embassy in diplomatic ■ uniforms, covered with stars and ribbons, ; and then the German Ambassador, Count Munster, beaming and supremely happy. The Vice-Chamberlain, Viscount Banng"\m t cleverly emulating the dexterous •- bilf-tum- perambulations of his chiel, immediately precedes the bride. She is r prettyi graceful, and trembling. . Her sinkple, girlish lineaments reminded the spectators strongly of the stories and 4_irming picture of " Little Swansdown, Urrayed in bridal white, with a veil of richest honiton . lace, and a wreath of orange blossoms. Her train, a very Niagara of white satin and lace, was borne by eight bridesmaids. Princess Louise Marguerite, or Margaret, as the Queen is particularly anxious the bride should be called; looked ,bo< simple, so fresh, so gentle, so natural, that the spectators ' quite forgot to ask. whether, she wore diamonds or not. They only saw a simple, natural girl. - The eight bridesmaids, chosen for their beauty as well as for their exalted positions, followed the bride, robed in Bnowy white, and wrapped in soft drooping veils. -The bride iB supported by her father, Prince Frederick Charles, the captor of ! Metz, familiarly known as the (C Red Prince." As the procession passes up the aisle, Handel's "Occasional' overture, is played. The marriage is ' soiemnisedby the Archbishop of Canter- • bury, who is supposed by etiquette to be • assisted by other; members of the Episcopate, and by the Dean of Windsor. In Vrreality, the ceremony is wholly performed '•"by the . Archbishop himself. He read beautiful excerpts from the Liturgy with ■ great 'feeling and expressiveness. After ,/thfe benediction, the sublime "Halleluiah''chorus pealed forth from the organ •and 1 the^voices of choristers. The coup d'psil, when the ceremony is at its acme, ; almost' baffles description for stateliness 'and magnificence. The sun's rays, through : the stained glass, glittering; against the and walls, and lighting up the "" -/banners, helmets, and mantles, over old oak stalls, corruscating on the uniforms of the men and jewels of the ladies, made a scene of unequalled picturesqueness and ". grandeur. The choir having entered their last anthem, the united processions of the bride anct bridegrooms pass from the altar to the west door, to the triumphant tones bf'MendeissQhn's "Wedding March." fThe pair looked proud and happy, he Sing tenderly attentive, so much so as to °take, a -white .silk mantle from one of the .l^diesijin waiting and wrap it around her _9 she emerged into the somewhat bleak air. of the cloisters. Her Majesty, likewise, on her arrival at the west door, is, in consequence of the crispness df the air, •invested with a mantle of white miniver, while the Princess Beatrice assumes a flowing cloak of ermine. Then great ladies gather their trains, and some, laughing the while, entirely divested themselves of those encumbrances. The scene became, a brilliant kaleideoscopic chaos.: Plain morning dress shouldered grandees arrayed in the colours of the Garter, princes, nobles, soldiers, and sailors in uniform strutted inlo the quadrangle, some to be conveyed in gorgeous' court carriages, others to fight their way -as best they could through the ranks of the police into the streets of -.roaring Windsor, , .where joy bells are clanging, banners waving, and people hoping high holiday, although they have seEn but little of the gorgeous pageant in $i George's Chapel.

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