Royal Witnesses and Bestmen

[Marengo]

I don´t think there is a thread around dealing with the witnesses at royal wedding. So maybe we can start one here. So which royal had which witnesses at his/her wedding?

 

[Marengo]

The witnesses of Beatrix and Claus:

Baron Julius Eberhardt Arthur von den Bussche Haddenhausen
Jhr. dr. Frans Alphons Maria Alting von Geusau
Baron Johan Christian Phillip Gustav von Jenitz
Prince Ferdinand Herbort Ivar von Bismarck
Prince Aschwin of Lippe-Biesterfeld
Princess Alexandra of Kent
Prime Minister Willem Drees
Jkvr. Renée Roëll

 

[Rascal]

Wedding Protocol - Witnesses

Hi, Marengo (and any others who drop in). I was trolling through some older threads doing research for jewelry and saw this topic, which brought up a lot of questions which I hope you and others may help answer.

1) Why so many witnesses? Are these royal couples including this number of people because of some requirement, tradition, or just to honor their friends? (Didn't Haakon and Mette-Marit only have two witnesses?)

2) During wedding ceremonies in Spain, the members of the royal family (including the husbands of the Infantas) all sign some documents. Are they considered the witnesses for those weddings?

3) This is the only church wedding where I recall such signing. The Dutch weddings usually have the separate civil ceremony, as do the Belgians. But I don't recall any witnesses signing any official documents, even at these weddings. Do the witnesses actually sign some sort of official document?

4) When do the witnesses normally sign any of these documents if not during the actual ceremony? Does it occur after the wedding? At the reception?

5) Do these witnesses have a special place to sit during the ceremony? I have never noticed this but it would not usually be covered in the media.

Thanks for any answers!

 

[Jacknch]

This is a very interesting thread and I hope that some people may be able to post some pictures of the marriage certificates because I've found trouble trying to find any on the internet! Rascal's questions are really good ones and hopefully some answers will come up.

For British royal weddings, the marriage certificate is signed by the couple on the left and the Archbishop of Canterbury (or whoever conducts the ceremony) on the right. Below is a large blank space for other witnesses to sign. As far as I recall the witness for Charles and Diana were: -

Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother), Prince Philip, Princess Anne,
Princess Margaret, Lord Linley (son of Princess Margaret, signed Linley), Sarah Armstrong Jones (daughter of Princess Margaret), Prince and Princess Michael of Kent (signed Michael and Marie-Christine), The Duke and Duchess of Kent (signed Edward and Katherine), Princess Alexandra, Angus Ogilvy (husband of Princess Alexandra), Alice (Duchess of Gloucester) and of course, Princess Diana's family incluing her parents, brother and sisters. I'm not sure any other royals from overseas signed it.

It seems that all main members of the British Royal Family including the cousins sign the register for big royal weddings and the reason for so many witesses is probably because it is such an important historical document. As the witnesses are usually royal and naturally the family of the non royal getting married, they will all be sitting close to the front where the ceremony takes place. However, during the interlude when the certificate is signed, they will all move to a side chapel somewhere behind the alter out of the way of the way of the tv cameras to sign. They then return to their seats ready for the bride and groom to come out with a big fanfare!

I recall seeing a picture of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip's marriage certificate which included the signatures of the King and Queen of Denmark (Frederik and Ingrid) and the King of Norway (Haakon)!

During the civil wedding of Prince Willem Alexander and Princess Maxima of the Netherlands, I remeber that the couple remained seated for the signing of the certificate. The ceremonial table (behind which the man conducting the ceremony stood) was simply moved towards them so they didn't have to get up or anything! Queen Beatrix certainly signed one of the documents they signed but I too do not rememeber who else signed it. Their religious ceremony did not include the signing of anything because the legal part of their marriage was done at the civil ceremony.

When Prince Charles married Camilla, the only witnesses were Prince William and Camilla's son Tom Parker Bowles. The laws of England and Wales require only two witnesses so although it was a royal event, most royals marry in church and I suppose the registry office had to stick to the law and use the ordinary certificate.

I hope all this helps and other's can give more answers and information!

 

[Royal Fan]

What Words wouldve been used at Charles and Camillas Civil Weding "Will you Carles...ect" and was the Service at St Georges an actual Wedding Thanks in advance

 

[Stefan]

Hi, Marengo (and any others who drop in). I was trolling through some older threads doing research for jewelry and saw this topic, which brought up a lot of questions which I hope you and others may help answer.

1) Why so many witnesses? Are these royal couples including this number of people because of some requirement, tradition, or just to honor their friends? (Didn't Haakon and Mette-Marit only have two witnesses?)

2) During wedding ceremonies in Spain, the members of the royal family (including the husbands of the Infantas) all sign some documents. Are they considered the witnesses for those weddings?

3) This is the only church wedding where I recall such signing. The Dutch weddings usually have the separate civil ceremony, as do the Belgians. But I don't recall any witnesses signing any official documents, even at these weddings. Do the witnesses actually sign some sort of official document?

4) When do the witnesses normally sign any of these documents if not during the actual ceremony? Does it occur after the wedding? At the reception?

5) Do these witnesses have a special place to sit during the ceremony? I have never noticed this but it would not usually be covered in the media.

Thanks for any answers!

In the Netherlands and Belgium the Couple and the Witnesses had to sign the Documents during the civil Ceremony. This could be seen during the Live-Broadcast of these Weddings.

 

[lula]

Witnesses of the wedding of the Prince and the Princess of Asturias

Página oficial del enlace matrimonial de Su Alteza Real el Príncipe de Asturias con Doña Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano

Of His Royal Highness the Prince of Asturias

• H.R.H. Infanta Doña Elena
• H.R.H. Infanta Doña Cristina
• His Excellency Mr. Don Jaime de Marichalar y Sáenz de Tejada
• His Excellency Mr. Don Iñaki Urdangarín Liebaert
• His Excellency Mr. Don Beltrán Gómez-Acebo y de Borbón
• His Excellency Mr. Don Alfonso Zurita y de Borbón
• H.R.H. Prince Pavlos of Greece
• H.R.H. Prince Nikolaos of Greece
• H.R.H. Prince Konstantín of Bulgaria
• Don Fernando León Boissier
• Don Álvaro Fuster Garaizábal
• Mr. Christopher Dennis
• Don Fernando Rocha y Castilla
• Don Alfredo Hernández Martínez
• Don Esteban Bienert Barberán
• Don Miguel Henkart Fernández de Bobadilla
• Don Alberto Pamos Gómez
• Mr. Christophe von Reiche

Of Doña Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano

• Don Jesús Ortiz Álvarez
• Doña Paloma Rocasolano Rodríguez
• Don José Luis Ortiz Velasco
• Don Francisco Rocasolano Camacho
• Doña Menchu Álvarez del Valle
• Doña Enriqueta Rodríguez Cigarredo
• Doña Telma Ortiz Rocasolano
• Doña Erika Ortiz Rocasolano
• Don Antonio Vigo Pérez
• Doña Cristina Palacios Rubio
• Doña Sonsoles Ónega Salcedo
• Doña Sonia Martínez Muñoz
• Don José Eduardo Medina Casado
• Don Jaime Arturo del Burgo Azpiroz
• Don Luis Bruzón Delgado
• Don Alex Grijelmo García
• Don María del Mar Peiteado Mariscal

 

[Marengo]

For Filips and Mathilde the following witnesses;

At the civil ceremony:

Prince Filips:
Hereditary Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg
Archduke Simeon of Austria

Princess Mathilde:
Countess Elisabeth d'Udekem d'Acoz
Baroness Stéphanie de Radiguès de Chennevière

At the religious ceremony:

Prince Filips:
Prince Laurent of Belgium
Count Charles-Henri d'Udekem d'Acoz
Christiaen Alting von Geusau
Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein

Princess Mathilde:
Princess Astrid of Belgium
Countess Hélène d'Udekem d'Acoz
Agnès du Parc, née Countess de Lannoy
Duchess Helene in Bavaria

 

[QUEENECE29]

Willem Alexander & Maxima

Witnesses for Máxima Zorreguieta at the civil ceremony
HM Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (* 1938): she was asked to act as a witness as a token of thanks for the great support Máxima has received from her from the start of her serious relationship with Willem-Alexander and during the period of her introduction to the Dutch people.
Marcela Cerruti: Godmother to Máxima and her mother’s younger sister. She studied agronomics (specialising in livestock farming) in the US and elsewhere and is currently employed as a phylogenic researcher (head of immunogenetic laboratory) at a cattle and horse pedigree organisation in Buenos Aires. She is unmarried.
Martín Zorreguieta (* 1972): Máxima’s brother. He owns a company which organises events and sales promotions. He lives in Patagonia and is married to Mariana Andrés.

Witnesses for Máxima Zorreguieta at the church ceremony Samantha Deane (* 1972): Friend of Máxima with whom she attended nursery school and the Northlands School. She studied law and economics in the United Kingdom. She lives in London, where she works for an interior design consultancy. She is unmarried.
Florencia Di Cocco: Friend of Máxima with whom she attended nursery school and the Northlands School. She studied psychology and educational theory in Argentina and is the owner and founder of the Nightingale School, which provides primary and secondary education in Buenos Aires. She is unmarried.

Witnesses for the Prince of Orange at the civil ceremony HRH Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands (* 1969): Youngest brother of the Prince of Orange. He lives and works in London.
Marc ter Haar: Member of the same student alumni association as the Prince and a fellow skating enthusiast. He studied Slavonic languages and Russian Studies at Leiden University. He is currently European sales director for a manufacturer of vessels and containers. He is married with two children. His son Floris is one of the pageboys.
Frank Houben: Close acquaintance of the Prince and friend of the Prince's parents. He is Queen's Commissioner for the Province of Noord-Brabant. He is married with four children.

Witnesses for the Prince of Orange at the church ceremony Tijo Baron Collot d’Escury: Friend of the Prince since nursery school. He studied chemistry at Delft University of Technology. He is a Reserve First Lieutenant in the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps. He is currently a partner in a management consultancy firm. He is married with two children.
Jonkheer Frans de Beaufort: Childhood friend of the Prince and the son of good friends of the Prince's parents. He studied Netherlands law at Utrecht University and is currently employed as a company lawyer. Since 1997 he is married to Suzanne Buchwaldt and they have a daughter Sophie Cornelie Marie who was born in Utrecht on December 20, 2000. The Prince of Orange was master of the ceremonies at his wedding.

 

[QUEENECE29]

LAURENT & CLAIRE

Witnesses at the civil wedding
Baroness Janine Ghobert, wife of Baron Jacques Delruelle, Trustee-Treasurer of the I.R.G.T. and Trustee of the Prince Laurent Foundation
Mr Alain Declève, friend of Prince Laurent
Mrs Joanna Coombs, wife of Mr Steve Gant, sister of Miss Claire Coombs
Miss Ann Monfils, friend of Miss Claire Coombs

Witnesses at the church wedding
Princess Mathilde, Duchess of Brabant
H.E. Pieter van Vollenhoven, husband of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands
Prof. Dr. Rik Van Aerschot, Managing Director of the I.R.G.T.
Prof. Raymond Antoine, honorary professor Louvain Catholic University
Mr Jean-Paul Malingreau, chairman of the Academic Committee of the I.R.G.T.
Prince Kardam de Tirnovo, friend of Prince Laurent,
Mrs Marie-Claude Boulin, wife of Jonkheer Jacques Solvay, Trustee of the Prince Laurent Foundation,
Mrs Joanna Coombs, wife of Mr Steve Grant, sister of Miss Claire Coombs,
Miss Ann Monfils, friend of Miss Claire Coombs.

JOHAN FRISO & MABEL

Witnesses for the bridegroom
The witnesses for the bridegroom at the church ceremony in the Oude Kerk are:

HRH The Prince of Orange, the bridegroom’s brother.
HRH Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands, the bridegroom’s brother.
Lodewijk Beijst, a friend of the bridegroom from his student days in Delft. He studied business administration and is currently the director of Superserver.
Dante Weijerman, a friend of the bridegroom. They met playing golf while at primary school. Mr Weijerman studied law in Leiden and is currently a director of the Central National Company. He is married with three daughters.
Sophie Baroness von der Recke, a cousin of the bridegroom (her mother, Christina Baroness von der Recke-von Amsberg, is the youngest sister of the bridegroom’s late father). She is an artist and lives in Hamburg, Germany.

Prince Constantijn and Lodewijk Beijst will also be witnesses at the civil marriage.

The witnesses for the bride
The witnesses for the bride at the church ceremony are:
HRH Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, a friend of the bride and sister-in-law of the bridegroom.
Eveline Wisse Smit, the bride’s sister. She studied economics in Amsterdam and plays hockey in the first women’s team of Amsterdam Hockey Club.
Nicoline Wisse Smit, the bride’s sister and the mother of Lotte, one of the flower girls. She studied at the Maastricht Hotel Management School and has her own public relations and communications firm, Wis en Waarachtig.
Andrea Knap-Kleekamp, a friend of the bride. They met playing hockey when at secondary school. She studied French language and literature in Amsterdam and Paris, and is married. Her son, Max, is a page boy at the wedding.
Willemijn Verloop, a friend of the bride. They met when Ms Verloop began working for the European Action Council for Peace in the Balkans in 1994. She studied history in Amsterdam and is now a director of War Child Netherlands, of which Mabel Wisse Smit was a founding board member (1995-1996).

Nicoline Wisse Smit and Andrea Knap-Kleekamp will also be witnesses at the civil marriage.

 

[Maura724]

The witnesses for Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II:

King George VI
Queen Elizabeth
Princess Alice of Greece (Philip's mother)
Queen Mary
Princess Margaret
Henry (Duke of something, I forget what - QE2's cousin)
Alice
Marina, Duchess of Kent
Patricia Ramsay
Alexander? Ramsay (I'm reading the signatures off a photo, and some of them are sort of hard to read)
another Alice
Victoria Milford-Haven (Philip's grandmother)
Edwina Mountbatten
Mountbatten of (?)Burma(?)
King Haakon of Norway
King Michael (of Romania?)
King Frederik of Denmark
Queen Ingrid of Denmark (my best guess on this signature, hers is VERY hard to read)

Their marriage license is actually really interesting - it's no different than any other British marriage license issued in 1947, with the exception than in the place of the bride's profession, it reads, "Princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland", in the place of her father's profession, it reads, "His Majesty King George VI of the United Kingdom" and so on, and it lists Elizabeths's place of residence as "Buckingham Palace" and Philip's as "Kensington Palace".

Patricia Ramsay's signature is easily the most prominent of the witnesses - sort of in the fashion of John Hancock on the American Declaration. Queen Mum had very pretty handwriting, Margaret's looks really girlish (just what you would expect from any other 17-year-old), and Queen Ingrid's could easily be mistaken for Arabic letters rather than English ones.

 

[jinigirl]

........
Witnesses for Máxima Zorreguieta at the church ceremony Samantha Deane (* 1972): Friend of Máxima with whom she attended nursery school and the Northlands School. She studied law and economics in the United Kingdom. She lives in London, where she works for an interior design consultancy. She is unmarried.
Florencia Di Cocco: Friend of Máxima with whom she attended nursery school and the Northlands School. She studied psychology and educational theory in Argentina and is the owner and founder of the Nightingale School, which provides primary and secondary education in Buenos Aires. She is unmarried.

....

Afaik Samantha Deane is married with a dutch nobleman (whom she met at the wedding of M&W!!!!), she is now known as Samantha van Welderen, Baroness-Deane

 

[marmi]

Does anyone have any information on the witnesses for either of the 2 "recent" Danish weddings by any chance?

 

[CyrilVladisla]

If the bridegroom is a member of the British Royal Family, he has a supporter. A non-Royal bridegroom does have a best man.
​

 

[CyrilVladisla]

{A} Crown Prince Harald of Norway
{B} Best Man Count Flemming Valdemar of Rosenborg
{C} Wedding August 29, 1968


​

 

[CyrilVladisla]

{A} Prince Albert Edward, The Prince of Wales
{B} Supporters Duke Ernest II of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Prince Friedrich, The Crown Prince of Prussia
{C} Wedding March 10, 1863


​

 

[Iluvbertie]

If the bridegroom is a member of the British Royal Family, he has a supporter. A non-Royal bridegroom does have a best man.
​

Harry insisted on being called a 'best man' for William's wedding.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

For Filips and Mathilde the following witnesses;

At the civil ceremony:

Prince Filips:
Hereditary Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg
Archduke Simeon of Austria

Princess Mathilde:
Countess Elisabeth d'Udekem d'Acoz
Baroness Stéphanie de Radiguès de Chennevière

At the religious ceremony:

Prince Filips:
Prince Laurent of Belgium
Count Charles-Henri d'Udekem d'Acoz
Christiaen Alting von Geusau
Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein

Princess Mathilde:
Princess Astrid of Belgium
Countess Hélène d'Udekem d'Acoz
Agnès du Parc, née Countess de Lannoy
Duchess Helene in Bavaria

Isn't Agnes one of HGD Stephanie of Luxembourg's cousins?

 

[CyrilVladisla]

{A} Sir Torquhil Ian Campbell, the 13th Duke of Argyll
{B} Best Man Mr. Jamie Landale
{C} Wedding June 8, 2002

​

 

[MAfan]

Isn't Agnes one of HGD Stephanie of Luxembourg's cousins?

Countess Agnes du Parc Locmaria is a second cousin of Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg. More precisely, Agnes is the daughter of Countess Therese de Lannoy, whose father Baudouin was a younger brother of Count Paul de Lannoy, the grandfather of Stephanie.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

{A} HRH Prince George, Duke of Kent
{B} Supporter Prince Edward, The Prince of Wales
{C} Wedding November 29, 1934
​

 

[CyrilVladisla]

{A} Crown Prince Paul of Greece and Princess Frederika of Hanover
{B} Best Men: Prince Philip of Greece, Prince Peter of Greece, and King Michael of Romania
{C} January 9, 1938
​

 

[Marty91charmed]

Interesting... I'd like to have the list of all the best men and witnesses of the royal houses

 

[eya]

For me the more interested is the past weddings.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Tsar Nicholas II of Russia married Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine.
Nicholas' best men were Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, ahd Prince George of Greece.