When Prince William married Kate Middleton, there really didn’t seem to be too much “society drama” about it. Of course, if I remember correctly, Kate made sure that Isabella Anstruther Gough Calthorpe was not invited to the wedding, considering that it’s widely believed that William fell in love with Isabella during one of his many “breaks” with Kate. But other than that, the only real “scandal” of Kate’s wedding was Beatrice and Eugenie’s terrible hats.
So to fill our British-society-drama quota, I hereby present some photos from this weekend’s wedding of Thomas van Straubenzee and Lady Melissa Percy. Thomas is one of the oldest and closest friends of William and Harry. The Percy family – the children of the Duke of Northumberland – are close to the royal family as well, and Lady Melissa’s brother George dated Pippa Middleton off-and-on for a while (Pippa tried to land him, I think, but his family didn’t want a Wisteria Sister). Lady Melissa is also really close friends with Chelsy Davy. Chelsy was a bridesmaid. And Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice were also at the wedding, as was Prince Harry’s current girl Cressida Bonas (they were set up by Eugenie and Beatrice). Everyone was at the wedding! Except Duchess Kate, who was too pregnant to attend – the wedding took place hundreds of miles outside of London, at Alnwick Castle (the Duke of Northumberland’s familial pile). There were fireworks. The bride wore a tiara. Will and Harry were ushers. DRAMA. Or maybe not?
It’s a time of celebration for Prince William, who celebrated his 31st birthday on Friday, June 21, and attended a friend’s wedding ceremony on Saturday, June 22 in the town of Alnwick in Northumberland, England. While pregnant wife Kate Middleton stayed home, resting, the Duke of Cambridge and brother Harry served as ushers at the wedding of their old friend Thomas van Straubenzee to Lady Melissa Percy, daughter of the Duke of Northumberland, Ralph Percy.
Before the nuptials, a source tells Us Weekly that William and Harry and other members of the wedding party had lunch at a local restaurant, the Treehouse, before arriving at the ceremony at St. Mary’s Church.
The beautiful bride arrived in 200-year old horse-drawn carriage, wearing a Bruce Oldfield dress. Harry’s ex-girlfriend, Chelsy Davy, served as chief bridesmaid, looking stunning in a floor-length camel colored dress. At one point before the ceremony, Davy struggled to keep the bride’s veil under control when a strong gust of wind blew by.
There seemed to be no tension between Harry, 28, and Davy, 27, who dated for five years and have not been photographed since December 2011, as an eyewitness tells Us that the Zimbabwe-native lawyer and William were seen laughing and joking around together before the wedding.
Harry’s current girlfriend, Cressida Bonas, 24, was also in attendance, joined by cousins Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice.With Kate at home, sister Pippa, 29, stole the show, looking chic in a black and white Tabitha Webb dress. Pippa knows the bride through her brother, George Percy.
The ceremony will be followed by a reception at the 1,000-year old Alnwick Castle, and then dinner and dancing at the estate’s marquee, followed by fireworks. (The jaw-dropping Alnwick estate has doubled as Hogwarts School in the Harry Potter movies).
Do you think Kate really regrets not coming to this drama-filled wedding? Or do you think she was happy not to go because the focus would not have been on her? God knows, if she had gone to this wedding, she probably would have worn another short, fluttery minidress and it was super-windy at the wedding too… so it’s good she didn’t come.
So here are some assorted photos from the wedding… I’m okay with Lady Melissa’s gown, tiara and veil, but mother of God, that is a HUGE bouquet. The bridesmaids’ dresses are pretty and muted, and I’m glad everything isn’t matchy-matchy. Pippa Middleton’s peplum is awful. Cressida (blue and white dress, blue sequined jacket) looks thrilled but I’m not even sure she and Harry are really together at this point. Harry always looks handsome at weddings. My guess: he and Chelsy totally got drunk and hooked up after the reception.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Pippa needs to stop tanning, it ages her. A lot. Chelsy seems like a lovely girl. Showed these pictures to my mum and she thinks I’m weird because I think Beatrice’s bf is cute…
I think Chelsy looks gorgeous.
Pippa looks horrible though, don’t like the dress. Same goes for Cressida – I thought they all have money, but her dress looks super cheap! Besides why is she laughing so hard? Weird. Seems like she wants to keep up with the public image of Chelsy. I mean she knows she gets papped and the people around her don’t laugh that much.
I kind of loved the pics of Chelsy laughing next to William who clearly was not. having. it.
Chelsy is even more overrated in the looks department than Kate. She looks high all the time. But at least she works for a living, no?
They got married in Hogwarts, lucky them.
Chelsy’s dress was very figure flattering. She looked a lot more put together than she did at the royal wedding. I thought Cressida looked sloppy.
I liked Pippa’s dress (even though she needs to lay of the tanning)
But Cressida and her guffawing was really distracting. plus her dress under that jacket looks like it goes down to her belly button. How is that appropriate? Tacky (not the mention that jacket doesn’t match anyways)
Chelsea looked stunning as chief bridesmaid.
Maybe she is laughing so hard because she was having a good time?!!
I think the pics of all the women (except the bride) are pretty unflattering.
He is kind of cute BoredBit. I never understood the fascination with tanning.
All of these people are waste of space.
Michael K’s description of Chelsy is the funniest thing:
She looks like she smells like vodka, drugstore foundation, old cigarettes and dried mascara clumps. Who wouldn’t want to inhale that all the time? Chelsy Davy looks like a piece of dried bronzer crust with blond hair. PHG is dim in the brains for letting that go.
How cruel and nasty.
But funny as hell.
She kind of does, though.
And I woud totally love to hang out with her.
zomg – that’s exactly what she looks like
Michael K is forever bitter as hell at Chelsea because she got to sleep with his PHG and he never will outside of his fanfiction. Love him though.
Yeah I detect a bit of sour grapes in that piece.
So true! She looks like the hard drinking, hard partying girl she probably used to be. (she resembles a lot of my old sorority sisters). Although she is most likely reformed, those ways have taken their toll on her. Id have been utterly devastated if I looked that rough in my twenties.
I think Chelsy is pretty trashy looking in the same way that Upton model is. All of her guffawing doesn’t help the image.
I’m so happy someone finally described her as Zimbabwean not South African. It seems media seem to think that because she’s white she must be a Saffa.
Charlene of Monaco is also repeatedly described as SA when she’s also Zimbabwean.
Good example of why brides and bridesmaids should hold their bouquets in front of their stomachs, not their chests. They look pretty otherwise. Ugh Pippa looks like a reindeer in that hat.
Pippa has a very hard face. Very hard features rather than soft and delicate.
i thought the tiara should have been worn further back on her head. It looks too big as she wore it.
Pippa’s dress would have looked better without the peplum.
I thought the same – didn’t her sister wear it, too? Did she wear it the same? Does it close to a full circlet? I know nothing about this tiara!
I did some research, didn’t really find anymore information other than it’s name and when it was last worn in public.
It’s called the ‘Dukes of Northumberland’ tiara. It’s half a circlet. This is what it looks like unadorned.
http://media.tumblr.com/288d56bce52949a587baec838978db71/tumblr_inline_mot0j9v8Ai1qz4rgp.jpg
Here is a long dead Duchess of Northumberland wearing it to the coronation [on the left side of pic]. i like it better here.
http://media.tumblr.com/813daafc1e49043ac4652b2cd3617a58/tumblr_inline_mot0qosFBf1qz4rgp.jpg
As you can see from the jpg i’ve posted, they have several tiaras. i am still looking for identity of the second tiara to right of pic because i think they look different, no?
Her sister wore a different tiara at her own wedding. That one is simply called the Percy Tiara.
Here she is:
http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/pc/Katie+Percy+Chelsey+Davy+Katie+Percy+Wedding+12s0boeub5ul.jpg
Lak – Thanks for the Tiara research. Now do you know if the necklace the bride is wearing is real? If so, what is the carat size and history of this piece?
mo – it’s real. It’s an heirloom, and without knowing it’s vintage, hard to price.
However, looking at Bentley &Skinner’s website, who specialise in heirloom jewels, there is a similar looking necklace that is being offered at £265K….
Thanks for the link Lak. That’s some jewelry store. Being from across the pond, I had no idea it existed. I need a new tiara!
Dear God – I was wrong – Lady Katie wore a different tiara *at a jaunty angle* mmm hmm.
😀
Thanks for posting, @LAK! I am obsessed with royal jewels!
Lol @ Royal Jewels! Ya I’m obscessed with the royal jewels too. Esp Harry’s.
Yea, and with her five-head it just looked way to big and heavy for a June wedding. Made her head look tiny.
Should have worn it further back on her head.
I don’t think I could enjoy a post on the royals without you, LAK. I love your links, thank you for all the information. I have been obsessed with royal jewels since viewing the ones at the Tower of London.
I agree about the tiara placement. A little farther back would have been lovely.
I think Americans should start owning their areas a little more. How cool would it be to tell your folks you are going to play with the Water Wiggle at the Duke of Oxnard’s place? “Hey Mom, can I have frank and beans at the Baroness of Boise’s?” “Sweetheart, the Earl of Schenectady wants us for drinks later.”
You made me snort – that was funny! 😀 I agree about LAK, she’s an endless fount of info about the Royals, and I appreciate her posts.
Thank you.
I am obsessed with jewels too.
To my eternal shame, i went to QM’s lying-in-state just to see her crown which had been placed on top of the coffin.
My time in the hall coincided with a shaft of light hitting her crown at just the right angle….amazing.
LAK,
Why shame? You’re obviously an Historian, if only as an avocation. Don’t apologize for your interests, see how many of us share them with you and enjoy your posts. I would have gone with you to see QM, I LOVE sparkling jewels!
Perhaps she was wearing it more like a diadem?
That’s no tiara. That’s a frickin’ CROWN! It’s bigger than QEII’s.
This is a crown. everything else is a tiara.
http://www.royal.gov.uk/Legacy%20Assets/Gallery/Fullsize/200652414339_MTnew_ceremsym_crownjewels_galleryiii.jpg
May I say Kaiser that I love how you are throwing yourself into the gossip world of the British aristocracy! Makes this royaloonie’s heart flutter.
I doubt Kate cared about missing this event. During her last public appearance she looked completely over it, and I don’t blame her. Who wants to dress up and swan around when you’re 8.5 months pregnant?
I don’t understand Pippa’s look. I don’t find it flattering and it’s not outrageous enough to go into the unforgettable OMG territory.
Cressida – mid guffaw – not attractive.
The bride looks far grander than Kate did during her wedding – bigger tiara, bigger volume veil, bigger bouquet – and I do like her dress. Although I like the tiara/veil combo, I agree with LAK above, tip the tiara back and it would look better. Although, maybe, it’s hard to keep on one’s head? Such problems.
The bridesmaid’s dresses are surprisingly attractive, for that sort of thing.
All the boys look good. They are the types that should always run around in full morning dress. It suits them.
Suze
I think Kate would have loved to dress up that far along and to have spent time with Will. 8 1/2 months along though she must have to pee and get a little gassy too often to sit for a wedding. And that’s not a slam at Kate.. it’s just how a pregnant woman’s body will function.
The boys all look great and I agree about the bridesmaid dresses. Surprisingly cute.
I enjoy the royal stories too!
Cressida: Tacky. Inappropriate dress. Accessories that make no sense.
Chelsy: Lovely 🙂 (I’m a fan, no apologies)
Pippa: Hard Looking but appropriate
Bride: Beautiful especially the smile
Men in Morning Dress: MMM,MMMM delicious!
I just don’t think Kate is that miserable at this stage of her pregnancy. Yes, most woman are very uncomfortable in the last month or so, but not all.
Part of me thinks that Kate wouldn’t like missing this, and having Will go without her. Even if it wasn’t about her, being pregnant would garner plenty of attention. On the flip side… while she is carrying her pregnancy very well (in a way many would envy, myself included…lol), she probably still feels ‘huge’ and not much like hanging around a group of young, thin girls. Tough call! 🙂
oops… meant to add that in the end, it was probably the travel that kept her from attending. Sounds like it was a good distance away.
Is there anybody in the British high society who is even slightly attractive? They’re all very plain looking.
Well, Princess Eugenie has a very pretty face but her fashion sense ages her a lot.
And Melissa Percy is a tennis coach. Nice too see that daddy’s money for her education was well spent.
Serious inbreeding.
To be fair, melissa was once one of the top ranking British tennis players, so she didn’t decide to become a tennis coach for lack of things to do.
I am really curious, is there anyone in their circle who is a doctor, or a scientist or does something that involves helping people? They all seem to be bankers or majored in history of art.
I read that the 2nd daughter of the Duke of Westminster, Edwina Grosvenor, works for prison reform and preventing offenders from going back into the system. I think she helped opened a prison-run restaurant and she’s still in prison reform.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/sep/25/lady-edwina-grosvenor-prison-reformer
She sounds “real”, or as real as she could be seeing as her father is the richest man in the UK. Based on the interview, she sounded aware that she is filthy rich but she’s also aware of what she could do with her father’s money, and that is putting it into a cause that would help other people.
I don’t think money can be taken out of the discussion. If they’re doing something with their lives aside from sponging off their parents, then people say it’s only because of their money and their connections that they even get to “play” at having a job. If they don’t do anything but spend their family’s money, then they’re hangers-on.
A lot of these nobles and aristos lead really private lives. You’d never know they existed unless there is a royal event and they get identified. I think a lot of them do have jobs and support many charities. They’re just not calling the paps every time they go out.
Melissa’s older sister Lady Katie is a motorcycle mechanic. As for the way they dress and their general grooming, it is more about titles and social rank than physical appearance although the higher the rank and more secure the fortune does allow for selective breeding.
Wow, judging by that article, Edwina is a truly remarkable person. God for her.
The bride’s brother, George, Earl Percy has started a geothermal energy company, Cluff Geothermal, which is active in Africa and the North of England
http://www.cluffgeothermal.com/
The Queen’s cousin Richard, the Duke of Gloucester trained as an architect and only took up royal duties after his elder brother was killed in an airplane crash in the early 70’s. His son, Alexander, the Earl of Ulster is head of the Transnational Crisis Project and his wife Claire Booth is a working physician. With inheiritance taxes so high I think even the aristocracy is looking for gainful employment for their offspring these days.
Julaine – I have a proper crush on Alexander Ulster. He is within acceptable age limit for me, but alas he is married.
Sachi sad coincidence that you should mention Lady Edwina Grosvenor- it has just been reported today that she lost her second child six months into the pregnancy.
Maum – yes, I found out about that. So sorry for them.
ita spooks, this is one terrible looking group of people considering they are all youngish and have $ to pull themselves together if they ever decide to
I’ve always thought Kate was a little plain Jane-ish, but compared to these folks, she’s the most beautiful woman in the world lol.
I think it’s only fair. Why should they get everything?
Wow. Bit harsh! I think it’s refreshing to see people without tonnes of plastic surgery and the exact same glaringly white teeth. These are just normal people. You’re used to looking at pap shots of celebrities who are a group of uncommonly good-looking people. I think if you took a photo of any random group of people the majority of them would be ordinary looking. That’s real life.
Maybe, but you would at least find one that stands out. ALL of them are very very plain at best.
The Percy family themselves had a relatively normal life to start with, the lived on a modest farm and worked it for a living, the duchess is your average everyday woman not a member of the aristocracy.
Ralph Percy (the brides father) was the second son and not expected to inherit very much at all, unfortunately his elder brother was a drug addict and died of a heart attack due to an overdose, so the families ‘normal’ farm life was turned upside down in the blink of an eye. The Duchess had a tough time adjusting and by all accounts had or was very close to having a nervous breakdown because of the pressures, she has grown into the role it seems and is now the Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland meaning she carries out duties on behalf of the crown.
I’m just confused by Cressida’s dress. It looks like she’s attempting to dress up a casual beach maxi by throwing a sequined jacket over it.
once i went to a wedding where everyone, including me, looked sort of half a$$ed like this – air france lost all of our luggage. i do not know what her excuse is.
IKR??? And all of that sequins at a daytime wedding? And with those shoes? There is so much wrong with her outfit that I am almost at a loss for words.
The wedding was at 5pm., unusual for an English wedding. Followed by a reception in the family castle, a dinner under a separate marquee, and then fireworks in the estates’ pastures for the entire town. Who knows wat the actual dress code was. I will admit some of the women did look more than a trifle…odd, including Ms. Bonas.
IMO she looks try-hard and is trying to look boho chic. A plunging neckline maxi dress with a sequined jacket?
She looks sloppy.
That’s exactly how she looks. Compared to the rest of them, she looks like a child playing dress up.
Ridiculously plunging neckline to me means she’s looking for a hookup. Hmmmmm wonder who might have taken the bait?
The video link in a comment below shows Pippa walking in her waaaaay too tight dress. Was she looking for arse publicity? Anyway, that sprayed on dress, her very high heels and in-toeing plus crowd **stopping** cheering when she walks by made me wince.
Thank god it wasn’t just me. A to the belly button maxi at a wedding is blech. Looks like she was trying to be ‘appropriate’ but those sequins at a daytime wedding with that dress just looks awful.
Did anyone notice that the purse doesn’t match either?
Despite the daylight, and the morning suits, it was actually an evening wedding. The service was at 5pm. The sun remains bright until 10pm in June/July here.
Isabella attended the royal wedding, she was indeed invited. I don’t blame Kate at all for missing this wedding, it’s a 300 mile trek to Northumberland and at 8+ months pregnant, who wants to travel 600 miles in a weekend? The wedding was nice but a bit ostentatious as her elder sister didn’t have near a fuss.
Sunny is right. Isabella was at the royal wedding, it was her boyfriend (now husband) Sam Branson who William left off the guest list, apparently motivated at least in part by jealousy.
Kaiser
I made the same mistake before too. Isabella went to the wedding. Her boyfriend Sam Branson was not invited. The rest of the Bransons were invited. One can easily draw the link that William was bitter that Sam got the girl he wanted so he was left off the list. Credit to LAK for correcting me on it.
I thought Isabella was at the wedding. Thanks for confirming. I seem to remember that she looked quite pretty and she was mentioned on TV as one of William’s friends.
Obviously Kate could’ve attended this wedding, most pregnant women continue to be active until they give birth. Whatever. I suspect she’s not close with this group and was invited because she’s William’s wife, not because she’s a friend of either bride or groom. William was probably glad to be away with his friends, this bunch had a wild stag do earlier this month in London.
At 8 1/4 months a fully grown baby pretty much jumps up and down on the mother’s bladder making frequent trips to the ladies room routine. If her water broke at any point during this event it would ruin it for the bride and her family. Feet and ankles swell so that shoes are uncomfortable. Sciatica also can occur as the limited space has all internal organs crowding and pressing on each other. I believe it is a general rule that women in their last month should limit their outings to distances that would be an easy drive to hospital.
I guess she could have attended. But at eight months many airlines won’t let you fly so she would have had to make the 600 mile round trip by either car or train. Neither of which was particularly recommended by my OB/GYN in the last month of my pregnancy. (I know because my grandmother died when I was 33 weeks pregnant and I was trying to get to her funeral.). Lucky thing that I listened to him because my water broke less than a week later and I ended up delivering a full month and a half early.
Perhaps Catherine and William are also doing the prudent thing and following the advice of her doctor(s) and staying within a reasonable distance of them and her hospital now that she is in the home stretch. I realize it is a lot more fun to think that everyone in their circle fawns over the royals and hates the “interlopers” but sometimes it just comes down to common sense.
Eh – a royal about ready to deliver would be the focus of all the photographers and attention. I don’t know if that factored into Duchess Kate’s decision, but it’s much better that she wasn’t there.
You need to read the details. Going to this wedding would have meant 600 miles in a car. You go do that 8.5 months pregnant and come back and report on how comfortable you were. Active until they give birth, my ass.
Not to mention a bunch of schlepping around from the chapel to the castle. I bet she voluntarily – and happily – opted out of the event.
Like someone mentioned above, these type of people attend weddings every freaking weekend, it seems. It’s not like Kate won’t be at another wedding (or big event) for years and years. There will be plenty of them for her attend once she’s back in action.
William and Harry traveled by train which is faster and allows you to walk around ig you must. I think Kate just feels fat and doesnt want many people seeing her now that she is retaining water, especially when all of her husbands stunning ex’s who were his first choices would be there. Also, none of these people are Kates friends, so the only reason she would be there is because she is Williams wife and his +1.
Car or train, why go that far if you don’t absolutely have to. 8 l/2 months pregnant – ugh, Soooooo uncomfortable. Plus she might be having cramps or spotting or those godawful Braxton hicks “practice” contractions that are such fun. Not to mention the constant need to pee.
Chelsy’s face reminds me of a sloth. Lol sorry if it sounds mean.
I wish Will would give it up and shave his head.
Why do everyone’s clothes look so cheap?! I know they aren’t, but the grooms’ clothes and bridesmaid dresses really stand out as the worst in a bad bunch…
I actually wore the same color that the bridesmaids are wearing at a friend’s wedding. Only, instead of the color being called “camel”, David’s Bridal diplomatically called it “champagne”.
There is another photo set of Harry at the wedding where you can see his outline. http://www.justjared.com/photo-gallery/2896275/prince-william-harry-lady-melissa-percy-wedding-with-pippa-middleton-03/
A delightful photo… thank you!
Re: Cressida. Isn’t she supposed to be a dancer? Why is she always looking down at her feet like she’s about to stumble? Where is the grace of a dancer?
Thinker
She is a dancer and quite a talented one too. Just because a camera catches her mid laugh or she’s possibly just averting her eyes from the lens does not mean she is a poor dancer. Your assumption is a long stretch.
Not really. Never saw her dance, but there were photos of her tripping utterly without grace while prancing around with the Yorks just the other day. She’s oafish.
I love reading about the royals and British aristocracy. I don’t know many of these people but I come on here and there are always experts who have an opinion and I love it. I loved the bridesmaids dresses and the bride looks cute but her new husband looks like a total douche, which I am sure most of those guys are. I don’t know why people give Kate grief over her dress fluttering up. She always dresses so well and I am sure it was an accident. She certainly hasn’t drawn attention to herself the way that fame whore kim kartrashian has during her pregnancy. One site said Kate was on maternity leave, which is funny, because that is a work term not one you can use in your personal life. Another thing, is that all these royals/aristocrats do is get married? How many weddings are Wills and Kate going to attend? It seems like every other week one of their posh friends are getting married. Chelsea is ugly and looks like Miss Piggy and Cressida isn’t much better looking and she looks cheap. She looks like she is trying too hard to act like she is fine with Chelsea being there. Pippa looks godawful as usual. Can we say deer caught in the headlights? Anyone remember the episodes of true blood with that bull looking creature in season 2 or 3? That is Pippa. Fergie and Eugenie (whatever their names are) are super cute and adorable.
I think the bridal party clothes are fine but the guests look so budget and tacky it is beyond words. They look about a notch and a half above “My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding.” That hideous blue sequined jacket is the absolute worst.
I don’t get the Kate hate. I don’t think she is the second coming or anything, but I sure didn’t invite my husband’s exes to our wedding. I also didn’t go to a destination wedding when I was 8 months pregnant. But she didn’t make Will stay home with her, so what’s the problem?
I never got the whole Pippa thing. I thought her body looked amazing in that white bridesmaid dress, but that’s about it.
I agree Chelsy looks FUN and Cressida looks a little forced here. Harry is so hot, I hope he does get back together with the fun one.
Brickyard
Kate hate? Where? There’s a majority here that all agree she’s 8.5 months pregnant and though the traveling was quick by train she may have still been uncomfortable. Just one thing though. Kate has never been able to make Will do anything. He does as he likes and she has no control over his behavior.
Pippa looks like an extra from Black Swan with that hat.
the bride is adorable! she looks so young. man the british aristocracy is very horsy.
Lady Melissa Percy looked nice. Pretty wedding dress, great makeup (she has very good skin), and the best accessory: a big smile. I wish the tiara sat farther on her head. It looked too big sitting right on her hairline.
Pippa cheapens an outfit again with a hideous tan. Peplums are so 2012. She should’ve worn a sheath dress. The hat didn’t do her face any favours.
Chelsy: good to see her. Is she working in Zimbabwe? All I read was she was going to live abroad several months ago.
Bea and Eug: my favourite wedding guests. 😀 I like the electric blue on Beatrice, goes great with her hair. Eugenie seems to favour teal a lot lately.
Cressida: she has a baby face. That’s it. Probably more vanilla than Kate. Has no charisma.
These aristos/nobles/socialites all look so bland and almost the same. Natasha Rufus-Isaacs is the only one I’ve seen who can be called beautiful.
As for the Chelsy-Harry-Cressida “drama”, I doubt they had any issues. They all run in the same circles and they would have known each other for years. They only socialize within their own groups anyway, so it’s not surprising that they’d have a small circle of prospective relationships.
It’s like Gossip Girl: they just go through each other with dating that it’s almost incestuous.
bleh…….boring
I`d rather read stories about regular celebrities, they have at least DONE something to get famous.
Such as make sex tapes or be born into famous families?
I meant that as a joke, but it came out sort of snarky. Sorry.
Will someone tell these women to stop wearing peplums? No one ever looks good in a peplum. Even a young, tall, slender, gorgeous woman’s looks will be undermined with a peplum. Please.stop.
some pictures show that William´s “soulmate” Jecca Craig was there too.
Pippa looked rough and smug. Like, look at me, I’m Waity’s sister. Girl please.
Probably no drama. These people socialize. This wouldn’t be the first time they have hung together. More than likely, Harry & Chelsy are back in touch since she broke up with her bf.
Pretty dress, but hated the placement of the tiara.
Kate was not missed. Not by her husband or any of the other wedding guests. Besides, if she had been there, she would have taken away attention from the bride & Pippa.
Rumor is that this set doesn’t really like Kate all that much. And probably tolerates Pippa only because she is a long standing friend of George Percy. True? Who knows.
Did you guys catch the child attendants? They were dressed as Robin Hood and Faeries – soooo OTT!
Pixies.
Chelsea is still looking ratchet and that girl’s tiara is a little too big.
Chelsy looked stunning, but the for the rest . . . dear gawd why can’t these people dress like they’re in their 20s? (The attendees who chose their own outfits, I mean). They all look like they’re attending a 30th high school reunion and trying/failing to recapture their youthful spark.
It’s the best Chelsey has ever looked.
I think the bride look very happy so her smile and floaty dress over shadowed that huge tiara. I never thought I would see a tiara dripping in diamonds that was too big! As said above , her sister wore another tiara when she married 2 years ago and it was crooked. Hate to say it, but the Percy girls are just not that attractive. The boys are pretty average too. But who cares when you get to grow up at Hogwarts.
Chelsy “won” the day, looking much more at ease than Cressida. The girl just doesn’t have the hang of boho.
On average, how many weddings do the royals attend each year? It seems like they are constantly attending or being part of Lady Somebody’s wedding. That’s got to get boring after a while; maybe all the tacky outfits suggest that they are all fed up? Or jealous that, even as royals themselves, they don’t own Hogwarts? I am jealous of that myself.
Specifically, Chelsy looks rough but cleaner than usual. I don’t care for the dress; the color is uninspiring. But she does look quite a bit better than that mess Cressida–not only is the dress/jacket nutty and tacky, but the flowers in the hair are all wrong. You are not on a windswept beach, Miss Cressida. Pull your wealthy self together.
maybe that’s why they dont care how they look. 15 more people will get married next weekend.
bea’s dress looks so ill fitting and cheap. i hated eugenie’s too tight aqua moto jacket the last time she wore it. girlfriend seriously has no idea what size she is. it’s a pity because i think eug would be cute if i redressed her. poor bea cant help being bug eyed.
Oh, I love the look of the wedding party. I think the bride looked lovely. I like the golden camel dresses in contrast to the stark white. I also love the blue button boutonnieres on the gentlemen – a nice spot of color.
I really like the bouquets. I prefer my flower arrangements to be “messy.” I asked my florist to make my bridesmaids bouquets look as if they had just reached down and swiped a handful of wildflowers from a field.
As a florist, I agree with you. The loose bouquets are lovely. The first picture of the bride and her bouquet is the best. And I like the simple cornflower buttonholes for the men.
I agree that the cornflower blue in the men’s buttonholes and the bridal bouquets are wonderful. I’d like to see them held a little lower by the maids (at the waist), but they are gorgeous flowers.
I don’t know what it is but Pippa looks totally outta place with this group.
Oh, that’s because she’s wearing a dress from Walmart that belongs on a character from Roseanne.
While the rest of them look oh so classy. At least she doesn’t look like she’s on drugs like Chelsy and Cressida.
http://www.tatler.com/bystander/events/2013/june/cartier-polo#/10348/image/15
I reckon we are going to hear an engagement soon between Princess Beatrice and Dave Clark. There are photos of them together everywhere lately. We always knew that he was her boyfriend, but he was kept in the background. Now he is seen in all the pics. He has been there for many years too, so they have had to have a long courtship as well. Must be a royal thing.
I think it will be very interesting to see how the royal family handles the weddings of Beatrice and Eugenie. The girls are going to get married sometime, after all. Are they going to freeze out Fergie, the mother of the bride, from her own daughters weddings? This could be very entertaining.
Well their weddings will be much more low key that William & Kate’s. They are minor royals. Princess Anne’s daughter’s wedding was quite low key too. Of course if Beatrice or Eugenie married a foreign king or something, then that would be a bigger wedding. But Bea seems to have made her choice. Are there any unmarried potentates available for Eugenie?
I think they will get married, but he’s always been by her side. He’s never not with her at an event, so I don’t think that means anything significant. It’s more important that they’ve been together for a long time.
Hate myself for saying it, but she looks like she is bearding for him. He is way to good looking (for an Englishman) for her.
Dave Clark is American. Has a really cute american accent too.
There’s something about this guy. I don’t know, kind of an ewwww factor. I pick up a vibe that he’s only in it for the connections/attention. She seems like a sweet girl so I hope I’m wrong.
Regarding the wedding. That is how that particular tiara is meant to be worn. It is a different design to say the one Kate wore at her wedding. I thought the bride looked gorgeous. But the two adult bridesmaids looked awful. A comb would have helped too. I know it was windy, but there are ways and means of keeping your hair looking tidy without looking like you have been dragged through a hedge backwards.
I don’t think there is a cast iron rule for how to wear a tiara except for the Crown jewels, and that only because of how the crown is constructed.
In this case, Melissa has chosen to wear the tiara this way, but her grandmother wore it differently.
http://media.tumblr.com/813daafc1e49043ac4652b2cd3617a58/tumblr_inline_mot0qosFBf1qz4rgp.jpg
my god is chelsy an unfortunate looking woman! the orange skin doesn’t help either.
I don’t think Pippa’s dress was a good choice either. If you go to this article and view the footage (near bottom), you can see that Pippa had a hard time walking in her pencil skirt especially considering the wedding party had quite a distance to walk to the castle grounds.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2346623/Prince-Harry-caught-Chelsy-Davy-Cressida-Bonas-wedding-Harry-Potter-heiress.html
I so wish Harry and Chelsy were together!
I wish Prince Ginger would get back to Chelsy.
I wonder what you give people like that for wedding presents? They have enough money to buy everything they need. And Mummy & Daddy probably bought them their house. Oh how the other half live
They are all so unattractive. Except for PHG of course.
The DM has a video of everyone arriving at the church. When the Princes arrived it was incredibly telling that it was Harry the crowd shouted for.
Pippa arrived completely alone, which was noticable because nobody else arrived alone. People whispered “her?” And one man whistled when her behind came into view.
crowd preferring Harry? ….oh dear. If William is anything like his father, as we suspect he is, that is not going to end well.
It’s a repetition of their parents’ public dynamic, With Harry in the Diana slot.
Let’s hope William is better at handling it than his father did.
William will handle it quite well, I’m sure. I think he loves that Harry is the popular one with the crowds and the paps since I think William hates both.
Mslewis
William can be charismatic if he chooses, but it often shows through that he hates being at public events. Harry always looks like he wants to be where he is and he’s more handsome. And I bet William does like the paps, but only when they’re doing what he says. If he cant control something he lashes out.
I read in one forum that Chelsy was booed by the crowd and William was there with her.
I don’t know if that’s true, but how horrible for Chelsy if it truly happened. She was just there to celebrate her BFF’s big day.
The media’s campaign against her to make her out as a do-nothing party girl has cemented her image for some people. Even when she’s broken up with Harry for a while now, there are still the odd articles popping up comparing her to Kate and how Kate is so much better.
The DM claimed Pippa was met with shouts of “Beautiful!”
Sorry, I didn’t see anything beyond that TIARA!! That thing is amazing and fabulous.
P.S.: I don’t think Pip every tried to “land” Georgie. I think they are now and always have been just friends. I think Georgie is GAY. And he and Pip are still friends because, otherwise, she would not have been invited. The Aristos don’t play around with people they don’t like and Pippa must be well-liked by the Percys or she would have been totally shut out.
I’ve wondered about that as well. Other than Pippa, has George ever had his name linked to any other women? I’m on the other side of the pond, so maybe he has and I just never read about it.
Except for when we see him with Pippa, George is pretty quiet and stays out of the press. He is not a big nightclubber. He is said to be very shy and rather serious and a hard worker. (He has started a geothermal energy company).
He and Pippa were flatmates at University. She dated one of his best friends (and HIS current flatmate, JJ Jardine Paterson). Their friends say they have a brother/sister kind of relationship.
Shy, serious and hard-working? How on Earth did he befriend Pipps?
I think she may be able to bring him out of himself!! She may make things fun. And sometimes our Uni friends just stay friends even if they are not much like us.
I think SHE befriended him because he was an ducal heir. But somehow they did become real friends somewhere along the line.
I’m sorry but where’s the drama? So two exes went to the same event. Unless there was some huge throwdown I don’t get the big deal. People can be in the same vicinity with an ex and not act like 12 year olds.
And can someone please tell me what is Prince Harry’s appeal? He’s not that cute, he too is starting to lose his hair, and he’s probably just as big of an asshole as the rest of this crowd.
I still appreciate Harry’s looks but his eyes seem to be growing closer together.
There were actually 9 ex’s at the event, 6 of William’s and 3 of Harry’s. It’s all a bit incestuous, none of them seem to cast their net very far. What happens in the group stays in the group it appears.
Same for me. I found his comparison of war/kiling people from a helicpter and computer games really bad. He must be quite stupid to have said something like that – and obvioulsy meant it, too.
….except that he didn’t say that or make that comparison. It’s a straight up lie made up by the press.
The uncensored video is on the British Armed Forces website if you want to see for yourself, and the part where he brings up the video games is where he is showing off his helicopter gunship and explaining how the different parts work.
When he comes to the control stick, he says, ‘the different buttons on the stick are set up like a videogame console so it is perfect for the videogame generation in terms of operating it’. He says this as the camera is doing a close shot of the control stick and his hand/fingers on the control.
It’s mindboggling how this made up lie was accepted by the public as fact because even the 1-2mins slices of video the media used to demonstrate the point aren’t of him saying this lie.
And BTW, he wasn’t showing off the gnship just because he could. It’s a 45min video in which he is talking about his time in Afghanistan and his life in the army, his duties and responsibilities, so it’s a natural segway into showing his gunship. His fellow officers and work colleagues are also interviewed.
Technically, the land on which the house my husband and I have a mortgage on is owned by the Duke of Northumberland. We live in Northumberland and he owns the land. So I guess you kind of ‘borrow ‘ it when you buy a house. I’ve been to Alnwick Castle several times which is the official home of the Duke and the Percy family, they live there part of the year. You can walk around in certain rooms and there are lots of personal family photos which make you feel you shouldn’t be in their space, and a hell of a lot of taxidermied animals, especially small dogs. I’m not a royalist in the slightest, I found it all just really odd. Cool medieval castle though, it’s huge.
I have heard of this before and it completely confuses me. So if you pay off your mortgage, does the Duke still own your land? Will it go back to the family eventually?
I know that there is some brouhaha over Charles and the Duchy of Cornwall – about people dying intestate and the lands going back to the duchy. And apparently the queen has the same scheme going with whatever duchy she presides over.
The whole thing is baffling to this Yank.
In a nutshell, yes.
Unless the person who owns the land decides to sell the lease to you.
Most leases are several hundred years old, and most people try to buy houses with long leases because they can pass the home onto their relatives or sell at a good price.
Depending on where your house is, buying the lease or renewing it, can be very expensive. In London, it runs to several millions.
There are pockets of free land though, with houses on them such that when you buy the house, you also buy the land, so it isn’t entirely hopeless.
Britain has basically two types of property holdings. Freehold where you own the land and house outright or Leasehold, where you only buy a lease on the property.
A lot of land in Britain is either owned by the aristocracy or by the Church Commissioners. When you ‘buy’ their land you are actually only buying a ‘leasehold’, leaseholds are long typically 99yrs, sometimes (rarely) as much as 200yrs long. If you decide you want to sell your ‘leasehold’ house then you are actually only selling the remaining years left on the lease not the land/house itself, once the time is up on the lease, it reverts to the owner lock, stock and barrel.
This a large part of inherited wealth in many aristocratic families, the paintings, the furniture the jewels can all go but they hang onto the land till they are destitute. Death duty is 40% in the UK so they are always looking for ways of making money, their 300million could evaporate at a moments notice.
I don’t see how this is too different from paying taxes here in the states. The government pretty much owns our land that our home sits on. He pay taxes to keep the government from seizing it As long as we keep paying we can stay. Unless imminent domain is claimed anyways. The government here is just replaced by aristos.
You pay land taxes/council taxes as well in the UK, you do own the house and have all a house owners rights but only for 99yrs (or how ever long the lease hold is valid).
Thank you Flower and LAK. Very informative.
It seems to be a prohibitively expensive process to own a house in the UK. I would probably rent forever.
I’m sorry–some of these dresses are absolute crap. Pippa’s dress looks like a $30 bargain dress from Fashion Bug.The girl in the glittery blue looks like she got her jacket from a clearance rack at the Disney Store.The princess next to Glitter Girl (Beatrice? Eugenie?) looks like she stole her suit from Grandma. Good God.
Chelsy looks like Miss Piggy and generally rough!
Cressida- is fresher looking and prettier, although that jacket is rubbish. She however looks very comfortable with the Royals, whereas Chelsy always kind of stuck out.
They both have flat asses though!Clearly Harry has a type.
Looks like someone raided the Golden Girls wardrobe for that blue sequin jacket.
Wills is just clinging to what’s left of his hair, isn’t he?
Chelsy is very unattractive! I also just hate that camel colored bridesmaids dress though yuck. Pippa looks great but I still think those hats look silly!
The wedding is so beautiful. I love the tiara. It’s like watching a Disney movie. The tiara looks medieval ( which I love so much) but the gown does not have the medieval theme. But I can’t complain. It is almost perfect.
Can I just say that I like Chelsy for basically not giving a single fuck about anything. She always looks like she’s having a blast.
@Betty – I have to agree. Yet she managed a law degree and actual work, too, making her even more “my way is fine and I don’t give fuck what you think.” Fresh air.
I wish Harry would re-up with her. Otherwise I can only hope he meets J-Law. And Wills resigns so he can fish and play polo and then Harry and a Super More Fun Princess can make royalty more enjoyable plus worthwhile…instead of going about like do-nothing spoiled gas balls like W and K.
Harry is so cute! I love his hair. Will on the other hand looks almost bald and his teeth are odd
@ spooks. Blasphemy!. Gloucester cathedral is Hogwarts.
Several places were used for Hogwarts. Alnick castle was used almost exclusively for Harry Potter 1&2.
The best shot of it is when they are learning to fly for the first time in HP 1.
I meant Alnwick Castle, not the church 😀
I am so in love with the tiara the bride is wearing. It’s gorgeous! I think her dress and the bridesmaids dresses look kind of dated and matronly though. :-/ Harry looks handsome as usual, and Will looks 40, smh. I’ve always thought that Chelsy Davy had a really unfortunate looking face. Cressida looks like a similar (Harry seriously has a type) and way better looking version of Chelsy.
I think Chelsy looks the best she ever has here. There are more pictures of her at the DailyMail and she looks really pretty. Big improvement. I think her and Harry are meant for each other eventually.
To the Royals, Cressida is great on paper, but its obvious she’s not the love of Harry’s life. Remember she was dating him when he went to Vegas and that naked party and she stuck around, so she’s down for the cause and willing to “work” for the status of being a Royal. As for Chelsy, ill give you that she’s got an edge to her that screams “shots please!” There’s an air to her of confidence and not giving a f**k that is captivating. If Harry pursues Cressida it won’t be for love- imagine Harry on his wedding day looking tense and a touch resigned?
Cressida looks a hot mess. On Dlisted there’s a picture of Pippa’s face looking puffy, as if she has had some work done. “Things that make you go hmm”
I swear my fellow Bitchies are high today. Chelsea looks OLD. I have shoe leather from the 90s that looks better than that. I look better than that, and I’m about 15 years her senior, and sun damaged to boot. Obviously Pippa needs to lay off the tanning, but in these pics, it’s Chelsea who looks like the heir apparent to the “Tan Mom”…
Does anyone know if any of the Gloucesters were there? Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester was 1st cousin to the late previous Duchess of Northumberland (grandmother to the bride) and his children (who are closer in age to the Duke of Northumberland’s children) are 2nd cousins to the father of the bride. The Gloucesters and Northumberlands were pretty close, at least in the earlier generation. Also, was Eugenie’s teal (?) jacket/skirt combo the one she wore earlier to one of the Queen’s festivities?
What is it about these royal boys, Harry is losing his looks just like Wills did. And yes, his hair is starting to go and his father’s genes are coming on strong now. Geez!
These people aren’t very attractive, at least superficially. Bride’s dress is boring & that is a difficult sleeve length to wear well, which she doesn’t. The tiara is evidently important to her due to family history, but it isn’t flattering to her. Too big, poorly placed. Some might say gaudy? Certainly not delicate or feminine. Nice necklace.
Since the bride decides what her attendants wear, they shouldn’t be blamed for their dresses.
It’s hard to believe that anyone actually booed Chelsy. That’s incredibly disrespectful to the bride who chose her as maid of honor. This is about the rudest & most tasteless thing I’ve ever heard. Maybe good manners aren’t part of the aristo social life after all? Also speculating about whether Kate would have been “welcome” is tasteless. She’s the wife of a groomsman. If the groom selected William for that role, William’s wife should be very welcome, had she chosen to attend. If this spoiled & childish behavior is typical of British so-called upper class, I’m glad I don’t live there. Booing the Maid of Honor? Mind-boggling.
If the booing is to be believed, a big IF, then it was the general public at the entrance of the castle who booed not the guests at the wedding.
You must be having a bad day of you think the tiara is gaudy and the dress has beautiful detail (beads and crystals on the bodice) and fits her perfectly. Admittedly Melissa is wearing the tiara like a hat, it would have looked better back on the head but some tiaras can’t be adjusted, they do not always fall into the category of ‘one size fits all’.
Perhaps a better photo might change your mind about the tiaras fabulousness.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wvqusGk_WQQ/UcYZ5-SIiQI/AAAAAAAA5dU/SY6C98M-KKM/s1600/Lady+Melissa+Percy+father+Duke+Northumberland+rwikfJAX3D3x.jpg
Yes, it’s massive & has fabulous stones but that doesn’t necessarily make it becoming. Nothing feminine or flattering about having a too-big tiara covering her hairline & forehead. That piece might have looked better with a different hairdo. I understand that the wedding day is when she’ll parade as much of the family bling as she can, but does that doesn’t automatically mean that it’s pretty. Why not wear a different one from the collection that actually fits? This one overwhelms her face & looks top-heavy.
No private security at the estate entrance to keep away the vociferous rabble?
They need to walk from the Castle to the church – just down the street, but it is a public street.
Love Chelsy! Yes, she looks like a bit of a hot mess but she’s educated, works her butt off, and decided the royal fishbowl wasn’t for her.
its just a shame, William is losing his hair. All his friends all have a full set of hair. Those windsor hair genes are strong. William definitely has lost his good looks
Looking at the pictures like this makes their dresses look actually really ridiculous and the only sane clothing seems to be men’s and bride’s… it’s like a carnival of lunatics. Kinda same thing that if you repeat some random word again and again it just starts sounding really odd.
Pippa is always giving coy looks to the camera, she’s awful!
The bride and groom looked great and so did the bridal party. Agreed that Chelsey looks “hard”. I also think she lacks poise and class, but that’s something you are born with. Even Kate doesn’t have that special “umf”. Bash me, but Diana did. And Pippa, Pippa is lucky she has the coat-tails of her sister to ride on.
Chelsy looks just fine here & I don’t see “hard”. I think that criticism stems from old pap photos from her Harry days when she showed up in quite a few mags clearly intoxicated & very disheveled.
Pippa is NOT a royal; her sister Kate is one by marriage. I think Pippa is jealous that Kate managed to land the future king of England. She doesn’t mind riding the royal coattails though; and she shows up at these weddings hoping to bag a titled bachelor.
Whether royal or not, one does not simply “show up” at a wedding. Pippa was invited to this wedding because she is a friend of a member of this family. She went to school with and shared a house with George Percy so they have been friends for over 10 years. She runs with this crowd, parties with them and goes to events with them. That is a fact and if you think otherwise, you’re wrong.
All true enough, but the family is large and if they all invited everyone they knew for years to the wedding it would be over crowded. It certainly helped a lot that Pippa’s sister is Kate. I also think Pippa came alone to make herself available for any single men with titles. She could have brought a significant other.
Re: Pippa arriving solo – maybe she was George’s “date” or her invitation didn’t include “…and Guest”. Along with not showing up uninvited, one doesn’t take a guest unless that option is offered by the host.
I really don’t think any of these weddings include a “bring a guest” or a “plus one” option. They don’t want people there they do not know.
Pippa went to the older Percy sisters wedding as well. She and George are old friends and she has been on visits to the castle. From all anyone can see he likes her and so do at least some of the other folks at this wedding. She was also a teammate of Melissa’s at Queens Club tennis.
All of those dresses and hats are awful.
The tiara on the bride looks silly – her dress is pretty.
The bride looks like she just sucked on a lemon.
Somebody should shoot the hairdresser for plonking the tiara on like that without putting it in properly. It would look a lot better if it were not parallel to the ground.
Congratulations to the bride and groom: they both look happy. Unlike many British aristocrats, I actually find Lady Melissa Percy quite pretty and refreshing (more so than Catherine). I also think Chelsy looks nice and her face matured a bit. I’m not too keen on Pippa’s outfit, or her weird expressions in some of the pictures. Holly Branson looks pretty as well.
Cressida pretending she like honeybadger. trying too hard.
bride looks lovely.
love the cornflowers and messy bouquets.
Wills hair unfortunate.
Chelsy always has looked rough. i guess tha’s what parties, drinks, cigarettes and bad genes do to you.
Pippa with her pinky ring. sit down already.you ain’t aristo. and even then it’s the men usually.
Lol
The tiara is so chucky. And the dress is weird. The bodice is pretty but the bottom half looks sewn on at the last minute. I like the bridesmaid dresses designs, but the color is awful. Something summery would have been better.
As for the guess all the most of the women look so budget. Especially Cressida. She looks like she got a beach cover up from the junior section of JCPenney and paired with a jacket from the Misses section.
The men look nice though.
I saw the video of the booing – it wasn’t like ‘real’ boos, it was quite funny/panto-esque: William and Chelsy etc were going to get in a car to go back to the castle but the crowd wanted to see them walk, so they started booing, then cheered once William &co decided to walk instead. It’s all light hearted when you see it.