The royal couple came down the aisle of the chapel, in between the bows and curtseys of their guests, the glitter of diamonds becoming more intense as ladies turned their heads to watch the beautiful scene provided by the beautiful Princess and her charming young Prince. Slowly, the couple left the church and were presented arms by the regiment of Royal Hussars standing outside the chapel. Princess Benedikte and Prince Richard then entered a Rolls Royce and went for a small tour of Fredensborg to greet the few thousands of people lining the streets and to acknowledge their great devotion, braving the cold in a Danish evening of February. As they returned to the Palace, the official photos were made while guests began to occupy their places along the table in the Marble Hall.
Read more and see pictures of the Guests at the Royal Wedding
At 7.30 pm the wedding banquet began with the entrance of the bridal couple and their parents. A band of the Royal Hussars, on the balcony of the Marble Room, played different compositions, chosen by King Frederik, during the evening. The long tables were decorated thousands of red and pink roses and silver candlesticks. The royal couple was surrounded by the King and Queen of Denmark, the King having Princess Marguerite and his father-in-law, the King of Sweden, to his right. Queen Ingrid sat next to Prince Robin zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, who sat next to Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother of the United Kingdom and King Olav of Norway. At the end of the banquet, as the candles were starting to melt down completely, the King tried to express his feelings in a brief and moving speech, during which His Majesty was very close to tears:
“Dear Benedikte: you are the last bird to fly from the nest. Move your wings and receive your Richard and fly with him to build your own nest. Behind stay Mummy and I… You mother came here and she knew no one. You already know your new family and Richard knows us. I know you will win the hearts of the Germans. You are so sweet and caring… Fly after happiness! Live with peace and do not forget our good advices. I know that the whole of the Danish people is with me and with you in these moments.
“And you, dear Richard, seating next to your wife, I know you miss someone very dear today but I assure you that I not only am and feel I am your father-in-law, but also a fatherly friend whom you may approach and talk to. Both Ingrid and I have come to like you terribly much in this time that we have spent together and we are sure and confident as we give away Benedikte so that you can live a happy life together…
“I wish you two happiness and blessings in your home and I hope you can, during many, many years, be with each other, like myself with my dear Ingrid, and send us a bunch of grandchildren as consolation of your new parents, who are left so lonely…”
As the King proposed the toast, his daughter rose to her feet and embraced him, in a long kiss mixed with tears and smiles, a kiss that moved the guests who saw not only as close the King and his daughter were but also how difficult it was for the Danish sovereign to have given away his three beautiful and young daughters, the three surrounding them in that moment, as Queen Anne-Marie and Hereditary Princess Margrethe were seating on the top of the vertical table that left from the centre of the main table. After the toast, it was time for the bridegroom to make his speech, which he did in Swedish (his mother’s native language) and then in German.
“It is a pleasant Danish tradition that the groom will give thanks to the parents of the bride. I fear that my words cannot express my happiness and my gratitude for receiving Benedikte as my wife… I understand that it must not have been easy for Your Majesties to allow a daughter to marry a man who lives not in this wonderful country. But I may assure you that I shall do everything possible to make Benedikte happy in her new surroundings. And I want to express my gratitude for the affection that I have been given by the whole family. Ever since I was five years old that I have missed the care of a father and the support of a man, and that is why I am so pleased that Your Majesty is much more than a father-in-law.
“Mummy: you know that our thoughts, yours and mine and my siblings’, are with Daddy, who would have loved to welcome Benedikte in our new home. You could only enjoy a few years with him before war would destroy your happiness, our happiness. Despite the many difficulties, you managed to bear all the pain and the tragedy and give us, the five siblings, a home where we could be happy and confident… You have fought alone for ourselves and we will never forget that…
It was late evening when the guests gathered in another, smaller room of the Palace for the wedding ball, which was opened by Princess Benedikte and Prince Richard, while their family and friends surrounded them and closed the circle further and further. As everyone continued to enjoy themselves dancing amidst the splendour of the magnificent country palace, the couple discreetly eclipsed and prepared to depart to their honeymoon, which they did in a very private way, the end of an unforgettable day and one that would remain in the memories of everyone, who saw not only the love of a beautiful royal couple but also a father, the King of Denmark, crying for the departure of his last daughter from home.
