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Millions of royal fans watched Prince Harry and Meghan Markle say “I do” during their fairytale wedding at St. George’s Chapel in 2018.
There was plenty to see, including the Duchess of Sussex’s minimalist silk wedding dress from Givenchy.
But there was something else that deserved attention: the Rolls-Royce chosen to take the bride to the ceremony.
The already magnificent maroon Phantom IV that transported Meghan and her mother Doria Ragland from Cliveden House Hotel to St. George’s Chapel had quite a unique history.
In 1972, as it had been 46 years before, it was used to transport another American divorcée, the Duchess of Windsor, to the funeral of her husband, the Duke.
Pictured: Meghan Markle arrives for her wedding to Prince Harry at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018. Pictured: Meghan and her mother Doria Ragland drive along the Long Walk in the maroon Rolls-Royce Phantom IV. They arrive at their wedding ceremony. Pictured: Wallis (centre) being driven to the funeral of her husband, the Duke of Windsor, in 1972
Was there anything significant about the election? The Duchess of Windsor, a figure at the center of the abdication crisis, would hardly have been a welcome comparison.
The Chron’s Sebastian Shakespeare asked whether it might be a regrettably tasteless joke.
And why might courtiers or aides want to play such a “joke”?
The answer may lie in the widely reported tensions leading up to the wedding itself, with Harry and Meghan described as “acting like teenagers” in Valentine Low’s book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Throne.
Only 18 Phantom IVs were built by Rolls-Royce from 1950 to 1956. Other models are in museums and other public collections.
It was built in 1950 and given to the Queen when she was still Princess Elizabeth.
Pictured: The Duchess of Windsor, followed by the Queen Mother, at the funeral of her husband, the Duke of Windsor, at St Georges’ Chapel in 1972. Many wondered at the time whether the official’s decision was in light of the comparisons between the Women were aware or not
The Duchess of Windsor remained a controversial figure until her death in 1986.
Edward VIII’s short reign ended with his abdication in 1936, after Stanley Baldwin’s government made it clear that he would not be allowed to marry a divorcee and remain king.
In a broadcast, he said he could not fulfill the role of king “without the help and support of the woman I love” – twice-divorced Wallis Simpson.
The couple married on June 3, 1937 at the Château de Candé in the Loire Valley, but no senior members of the royal family were present.
They became the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
His departure forced his younger brother, the Duke of York, to rise and become King George VI. to become, causing a family wound that never healed.
The Queen Mother would blame both the Duke and Duchess of Windsor for tearing the family apart and destroying George VI. to have driven to an early death.
The Duchess of Windsor leaves St George’s Chapel after her husband’s funeral in 1972
Having been freed from the burden of responsibility, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor lived the life of the idle rich.