The Mountbattens

[PeDe]

Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan and his wife Princess Sarvath al-Hassan of Jordan were there as well







that was some guest list

[Elissa]

It is a 'semi-royal' wedding !

The tiara is a family heirloom. As Celia rightly said, unfortunately it is a bit lost in the veil frame. The bride wears it like her mother did

[PeDe]

It's leaning rather far back on her head, you cannot really see the tiara with the veil





here it is again




(clockwise from top left): Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma; Penelope Knatchbull, Lady Brabourne; Penelope Knatchbull, Lady Brabourne; tiara detail; Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma.

[Celia]

I'm glad to see Lady Mountbatten.  She's almost exactly Philip's age.  Amazing lady.  I hope more photos emerge eventually, cuz I'd like to see Lady Pamela, Lord Milford Haven, other Mountbattens... 

[Celia]

I also keep getting "Brideshead Revisited" running through my mind when I read that the groom's name is Hooper...

[Helena]

It is a 'semi-royal' wedding !

The tiara is a family heirloom. As Celia rightly said, unfortunately it is a bit lost in the veil frame. The bride wears it like her mother did

The tiara came to the Mountbattens through Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, daughter of Queen Victoria and aunt to Prince Philip's grandmother.   Princess Louise had a soft spot for the Battenbergs and at the beginning of World War One, Victoria Battenberg was in Russia visiting her sister.  Victoria quickly returned to England leaving her jewels in Russia for safekeeping.  We all know what happened there.  So, without much left in the way of jewellery, Princess Louise gave Victoria one of Louise's own tiaras.  I have never seen a photo of either Princess Louise or Victoria wearing the tiara. 

BTW, does anyone know the identity of the elderly woman whom Nicholas Knatchbull is escorting?

[Celia]

My first thought was that she's Lady Soames, Winston Churchill's daughter, but she died two years ago.  I'm curious too.

[LadyBunion]

Possibly Bride's granny (Penelope Eastwood's mother)

[esther angeline]

Any ideas who designed her gown?

[benign]

^it could be by Chessie Grievson of Tephi.

Shes so pretty and her wedding dress look so simple but its looks good on her. I wanted Prince William to marry her, no chance anymore 

[editorathome]

What is Queen Sofia's connection to the Mountbattens?

[Royal Me!]

Wow.  This is quite a wedding with that many high-ranking royals. 

[Kaiserin]

What is Queen Sofia's connection to the Mountbattens?

She was a princess of Greece & Denmark before she wed onto the SRF, so she must be cousin to the Mountbatten bunch somehow.

[CathyJane]

Too bad Willy was turned to t he dark side. This young lady would have made a wonderful Duchess of Cambridge.

[Celia]

The blood relationship to Continental royalty is so distant now, I think the friendships with Sofia and Constantine must stem from Lord Mountbatten's time.  Yes, Lord Mountbatten really emphasised his background, and he made sure to get invited to *every*thing.  His sister was married to the crown prince of Sweden, and another sister was married to a Greek prince, and his brother married a morganatic Romanov.  I bet he sat his grandchildren down and said "now write a birthday card to dear Cousin ____" all the time!