The wedding of a member of the Royal Family to a member of the Mediatized Princely House obviously had to be, regardless of how private the ceremony would be, an impressive gathering of members of Royal Families from around Europe. And it definitely was. Daughter of the King of Denmark, granddaughter of the King of Sweden, niece of the Queen Mother of the United Kingdom, Princess Benedikte and her husband would, throughout their life, maintain a close relation with most of the European Royal Families. Majesties, Royal and Serene Highnesses actually gathered around the couple from the very first moment: their wedding, on the 3rd February 1968.
As had happened on the occasion of the Royal Wedding in Copenhagen the year before, the whole Danish Royal Family was present at the ceremony. TM The King and Queen of Denmark, Frederik IX and Ingrid, were on this occasion joined by TRH Hereditary Princess Margrethe and Prince Henrik, as well as His Majesty’s brother, HRH Prince Knud and HRH Princess Caroline-Mathilde and their children. HH Prince Viggo and HRH Princess Margaretha (widow of Prince Axel) were also present, as well as various Counts of Rosenborg.
The most commented guests were definitely TM The King and Queen of The Hellenes, King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie, born Princess of Denmark. Prevented from going to the wedding of her eldest sister, on this occasion Queen Anne-Marie attended all the pre-wedding celebrations and welcomed her husband at the airport accompanied by her father. Despite the small incidents in front of the Greek Embassy in Copenhagen, against the King’s presence in the country, the couple was definitely most welcomed by their family. On this occasion their eldest child, HRH Princess Alexia, attended the wedding with them. Also present was HRH Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark, the younger sister of King Constantine II.
HM The King of Sweden, the bride’s grandfather, arrived in Sweden with his daughter-in-law, HRH Princess Sibylla and with her children: HRH Prince Carl Gustaf, heir to the throne, HRH Princess Christina, HRH Princess Margaretha with her husband, Mr. John Ambler, and HRH Princess Désirée with Baron Niclas Silfverschiöld, her husband. Their sister and cousin of the bride, HRH Princess Birgitta of Hohenzollern did not attend the wedding. The siblings of HM Queen Ingrid did not attend the wedding either. Since the wedding was not a state occasion, the Scandinavian Presidents were not invited and only King Olav V of Norway, apart of the Swedish sovereign, was present. As had happened in 1967, the King was accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Harald who, within a few weeks, would see his dream of marrying Miss Sonja Haraldsen accomplished by the announcement of his engagement to the young Norwegian commoner.
A rather special guest was, of course, HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Very seldom presence at foreign royal events, the Queen Mother was a godmother to HRH Princess Benedikte. King Olav of Norway, a close friend of the widow of King George VI, escorted her during the events. Like a year before, Captain Alexander Ramsay of Mar, son of Lady Patricia Ramsay, and his wife, Baroness Saltoun were also present at the wedding, as Lord Ramsay was a first cousin of HM Queen Ingrid of Denmark, as explained on the guest list of Princess Margrethe’s wedding. From the Benelux countries only The Netherlands were represented by TRH Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus, whom had also attended the wedding of Princess Margrethe and Prince Henrik.
The bridegroom’s family was also present in good numbers, headed by his mother, HSH Princess Marguerite zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and his brother, HSH Prince Robin, who accompanied him in his entrance to the chapel of Fredensborg. Prince Richard’s sisters were also present: HSH Princess Madeleine, Countess Otto zu Solms-Laubach, and her husband, Count Otto zu Solms-Laubach, HSH Princess Pia and HRH Hereditary Princess Moritz of Hesse, born Princess Tatjana zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, also accompanied by her husband, HRH Hereditary Prince Moritz of Hesse. Other members of his family as well as other members of other German Princely Families were present at the wedding.
