The Sun.
London, England, 1863-03-11 00:00:00

THE CHOIR OF ST. GEORGE'S CHAPEL.

It not much changed from what we are accus-
tomed to see it every day—the oaken canopies and
dusty banners of the Knights of the Garter (that
greatest and highest of all European honours) are
left undisturbed as the time-discoloured scutcheons
in the seats below, which tell of every knight and
chief who has borne the badge, from the long past
days of its earliest founder. What strange vicissi-

lucks of time and change these quaint old stalls

record. What tales without words are told when

we see near the pale silver embroidered banner of

cur gracious Sovereign the flag of the Emperor

Napoleon, hanging over the stall once occupied by
Louis Philippe, occupied before him by Louis XIII.
of Bourbon, before him again by the heads of the
'waxlike house of Nbatmorenci, the Constables of

Trance, and, More all, by the Talbots and Fal-

tstaffes and other stalwart knights who were the

first governors of Calais. Even at such a time,
and before such a happy event as was then im-
pending, it was impossible altogether to suppress
the reflections which these old coats of arms,
suggested. Whole families, of dynasties whose
style and titles are here se gaudily emblazoned, have
passed away like a tale that is told, yet with our-
selves each country has only knit strongly and more
strongly the bond of love and kindly feeling between
the Sovereign and the people, and made them
look forward, as to a holyday and happiness, to
anything which gives joy to her or hers. Up
the centre of the Chapel is a rich carpet worked
at the borders with the Prince's plume and motto,
'with bis own and his fair bride's monogram em-
bossed between. Near the altar is a raised dais
approached by three broad steps and giving an
ample platform for the accommodation of the bridal
party and their royal relatives on either side, It is
quite covered with garter-blue velvet cloth, on
which is worked the old heraldic Tudor rose, en-
circled by the motto of the Order of the Garter.
On both sides, away from the space the bride and
bridegroom will occupy, are crimson and gold
seats with fringes and tassels of bullion for the
onembers of the English and Danish Royal families.
The old oaken Communion-rails have been removed
and their place is supplied with a low gilt railing to
form a larger enclosure sufficient to accommodate
the many prelates who officiate at the day's great
ceremony. On the left of the altar the carved oak
screen work has been removed, and is carefully piled
away in the quaint old Chantry Chapel of the muni-
ficent builder of the whole structure, Sir Reginald
Bray. In place of the screen are seats capable
of accommodating some 30 guests of the diplomatic
corps and their suites, only a few of whom can see
'well at all, so carefully divided and subdivided is
every inch of space that commands any glance into
the interior. Opposite this, on the right, a simi-
lar screen has been removed, and a high wide
series of draped benches substituted, reaching far
back into the north aisle—so that, like the row
'which faces it, not many of the occupants of the
backs seats can see much. This is reserved exclu-
sively for the few invited guests and friends of the
young bride and bridegroom—all except one place
(the first and best, and nearest to the altar), which
is for Mr. Frith, who paints the great picture of the
marriage for the Queen, and for the copyright of
'which a higher sum has been given already than
has ever yet been offered for any picture. Above
the altar, on the left, jutting out from the wall, is
the Royal pew, covered with quaint oia carving, and
still more curious heraldic emblazonments, built in
the days of Henry VII., when kings were expected
to be present at the " low" or kneeling mass every
morning. Part of the panelling is removed from
the front, and its antique window sills are draped
with massive folds of purple velvet, fringed richly
and deeply with bullion lace. This is for her Ma-
jesty, and the floor of the pew has been heightened
inside, so that the window sills reach no higher than
about a foot from the floor, that her Majesty might
see and be seen as she was throughout the ceremony.
These alterations, though they takelong to tell, were
but temporary, and effected scarcely any change in
the aspect of the interior. The only permanent al-
teration was an improvement. Sir Benjamin West's
stained glass window of the Resurrection, with its
piles of smoky clouds, so utterly at variance with
the perpendicular style of architecture around, has
been removed for ever, and its place more worthily
occupied by a magnificent memorial window, put up
by the Dean and Chapter in honour of the late
much-loved Prince Consort. The window is from
Gilbert Scott's design, and Messrs. Clayton and Bell
lave in the execution done full justice to it, which
is high praise in a few words. The upper part re-
presents Our Saviour in His glory. The middle
portion His resurrection, the lower His suffering
'ministry on earth. Beneath all a small series of
compartments illustrates the chief features in the
life of the late Prince. Along the whole extent of
the wall behind the altar is hereafter to rise areredos
of marble and clouded alabaster. But only the centre
portion is fixed now, the spaces to be occupied on
+either aide being covered with crimson velvet dra-
pery. The altar was arrayed with its gold commu-
oiion plate in massive rows, the seats in the Knights'
stalls and thespaces in frontwere covered with purple
'velvet, each seat bearing on a large card the name
and rank of its occupant. Beyond these changes
there was not much to note in the Choir differing
from its usual quiet, dim, religious aspect, as be-
comes the historical chapel of the oldest kingly seat
of the oldest dynasty in Europe. At half-past 10
the Dean of Christ Church is the first to enter the
Choir, but apparently only to look about him, for he
does not then venture on a seat, all of which still
remain only occupied by their glistening e Ties of
the programme, bound in white silk and stamped
'with gold. A gorgeous group of heralds are the
MOM comers, Lancaster and Windsor, Norroy and
Clarencieux, walking stiffly in their magnificent
but most uncomfortable tabards, which, as they can
only be worn when the Sovereign is present at
;State occasions, must have been laid by till now for
a very long time. They have a curious aspect as
they stalk about in these ungainly habits, looking
for all the world as if some of the banners and coats
of arms of the old knights around had been endowed

'with life and were shuffling about the floor. To
them soon come a number of Gentlemen Ushers,
BEEF with bullion and edged about with gold, who
assemble reund Mr. Spencer Pensonby, receive their
last instructions, and study a carte du pays of the
Choir, showing them their own places and, what is
still more important, everybody else's. Now and
then a Guardsman in full uniform, a Silver Stick,
or Gentleman-at-Arms, enters for a moment to look
about him, but no one stays, though it is half-past
10, and the Nave, as can be heard from the hum
of conversation, must be nearly full or filling fast.
The Queen's private band begin to muster in their
gallery, from which immediately issue sounds of
instruments being tuned and tuned, and otherwise
exasperated into a succession of the most doleful
•discords, varied occasionally by a tap on the drum,
as if the performances were about to commence
;forthwith. Madame Goldschmidt, formerly
Jenny Lind, looks into the Choir for a
single minute, and then ascends to her place
among the other ladies who are to sing the hymn
of praise on this great day. Every one comes to
look into the Choir, but no one stops, though it is
late. At last the Marchioness of Ailesbury enters,
and seats herself in a stall of a Knight of the Garter,
next to that over wbich her lausband'abanner floats.
She it; in court costume, but wearing no train, and
'with a magnificent circlet of diamonds round her
head. As if they had been waiting for this exam..
pie to be set, and for sone one to break the stately
solitude of the shrine, many ladies follow the Mar-
chioness quickly—Lady Edward Seymour and Lady
De Ros, and the Countesses A. and M. Dannesch-
jold and Viscountess Torrington. Mr. Frith seats
himself next to the Countess of Caithness, and the
Countess of Derby, like the Marchioness of Ailes-
bury, dressed in blue, seats herself near where the
banner of her noble husband as Knight of the Gar-
ter droops over his vacant stall. A few minutes
snore the distinguished visitors begin to come in
Fast, and the gorgeous ushers have enough to do.

The Marchioness of Ely, Countess Cowley, the
Countess of Spencer, the Viscountess Comber-
mere, the Duchess of St. Alban's, the Mar-
chioness of Westminster, the Countess Gleichen,
Viscountess :Jocelyn, the Duchess of Athole, the
Countess of Gainsborough, the Countess of Maccles-
field, the Countess of Desart, the Marchioness of
Carmarthen, the Countess Ducie, Lady Camoys,
the Countess of Bessborougb, Viscountess Bury,

and the wife of the Deputy-Chamberlain, Vie-

countess Castlerosse, whose superb toilette pro-
vokes admiration even in that assemblage of rank
and wealth. All are in fall court dress, with
the exception that they wear no trains, and
all, without exception, are dressed in velvet or
satin either of blue, mauve, or violet colour, the
latter being the prevailing tone. All, too, wear
feathers and diamonds in their hair, and some show
tiaras of brilliants almost large enough to form
head-dresses, so completely do the glittering
jewels cover the head like a regal crown. There is
now a long pause, and the spaces in the aisles,
where high platforms have been erected looking
over the backs of the carved oak canopies be-
tween the knights' stalls begin to fill up fast.
Only semi-occasional glimpses can be had from here
of what is passing in the Choir, yet every space is
filled, and the heads of the most curious are seen
with a rather grotesque effect passing out from be-
tween the pinnacles of oak. Almost the first male
visitor to put in an appearance is Sir George Grey,
who comes accompanied by Lady Grey. They take
their places on the left, and are quickly followed by
Lord and Lady Stanley of Alderley, Sir Charles
and Lady Mary Wood, Mr. Milner Gibson, Mr.
and Mrs. Cardwell, the Master of Trinity, the
Chancellor of the Exchequer and Mrs. Gladstone,
Lady Alfred Paget, the Earl and Countess of Hard-
wicke, Lord Harris, the Earl and Countess of Suf-
folk, the Duke of St. Alban's, the Duke of Athole,
the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, Earl and
Countess De la Warr, Lady Proby, Lord
Churchill, Sir G. C. Lewis, Hon. Mrs. W.
Cowper, Lady A. Bruce, Miss Biddulph, Mrs.
C. Grey, Mrs. Wellesley, the Duchess of Somer-
set, and the Countess of Shaftesbury. All the
gentlemen are in full official uniform, and wear
the chief insignia of whatever orders they have the
honour to possess, collars and badges in the fullest
state. No bridal favours are worn on such
an occasion of State dress, but, as a kind of
amende for this necessary omission, where the
collars of the orders of knighthood are displayed,
they are in every case looped at the shoulders with
bows of white satin riband, which answers the pur-
pose equally well. Now that the Choir is almost
full, the predominance of mauve and velvet colours
is more marked than ever,—:n fact, few other tints
are shown, except when lathes who fear the cold
keep their white burnouses, which all without ex-
ception have, still wrapped about their shoulders.
The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress are among the
arrivals. His Lordship wears his robes of State,
which, without being over gaudy, make a rich ad-
dition even to the mass of uniforms and gorgeous
dresses around. Mr. and Mrs. Disraeli are also
among the last comers. The leader in the Com-
mons of the Opposition wears his Windsor uniform,
and is seated with Mrs. Disraeli, who is radiant
with diamonds, on the left, immediately inside the
Choir. The Speaker of the House of Commons also
comes attired in state, with Lady Charlotte Denison,
and then nearly all the places are filled.
It is a quarter to 12, and there is a short hush of
expectation—one of those periods of unaccountable
silence which always falls at intervals even upon
the most crowded and animated assemblies. The
Usher of the Black Rod, Sir Augustus Clifford,
enters, and then there is another pause, that is
quickly broken by a loud hum of admiration
in the Nave, which the more stately and select
gathering in the Choir only notice by increased
rigidity of uprightness till the cause of the murmur
is made known by the appearance at the entrance
of the Knights of the Garter, all robbed and
jewelled in their almost regal costume, and headed
by the Premier himself. They make it noble and a
gallant show as they sweep up the Choir like a pro-
cession of monarchs, with their long velvet mantles
of Imperial blue, looped at the shoulders with
white riband, trailing after them. Lord Palmerston
proceeds at once to his stall on the left, where he is
joined by Lady Palmerston ; and the others, after
waiting for a single second in a stately group,
pass also to their seats. The Premier was, of
course, the most observed of all, as he stepped up
lightly into his seat and looked round him with a
brisk joviality,as if about to quell a troublesome mem-
ber, or evade by a most voluminous reply an awkward
question. The Duke of Newcastle, Earl Granville,
Earl CI arendon, and E trl Russell are the most noticed
of the rest, and the latter, when once he sits in his
wide, high, ample stall, is almost lost to view. The
other knights who took part in this splendid cere-
mony are the Duke of Buccleuch, the Marquis
Camden, the Marquis of Westminster, the Duke of
Devonshire, the Duke of Somerset, the Earl of Har-
rowby, the Duke of Wellington, the Marquis of
Normanby, the Marquis of Abercorn, the Marquis
of Salisbury, and the two junior knights, the Earl
of Shaftesbury and Earl Fitzwilliarn, who as juniors
in knighthood at least, sit furthest away from the
Sovereign's stall, and thus, as it happens, nearest to
the Sovereign's place on this occasion.
After all the knights are seated, the Lord Chan-
cellor, in his state robes, and carrying the Great
Seal, passes slow and stately up the Choir—alone,
but a perfect pageant in himself—to his seat at the
head of all. It is now a quarter to 12, and the
Archbishop of Canterbury enters, followed by the
Bishop of London, attending as Dean of the Chapels
Royal ; the Bishop of Oxford, as Chancellor of the
Order of the Garter ; the Bishop of Winchester, as
its Prelate ; the Bishop of Chester, as Clerk of the
Closet ; and the Dean of Windsor, as Registrar of
the [Order of the Garter, with the Canons and
Minor Canons of the Chapel. The suffragan
Bishops stand aside as the dais is reached, and
make way for the Primate, who passes at once to
the north of the altar, and the Dean, robed in scar-
let, with the Canons, take their places to the south.
For a minute the Prelates kneel in prayer, then
rise and stand in line inside the rails.
Then there is a slight rustle of silks and clinking
of jewelled orders as nearly the whole Corps Diplo-
matique come in and take their places underneath
the Royal pew—showing literally like a cluster of
gold and jewels that equals even the ;appearance of
the Knights of the Garter. And now there is a
long and solemn pause, during which even whispers
are audible, and the rustle of the dresses comes with
a noise as their fair wearers turn to survey the
scene around, where
" Lords, ladies, captains, councillors, and priests,
Their choice nobility and flower ;
Embassies, from regions far remote, in various habits,
Met from all parts to celebrate the day."
It is in ttin Is a scene of such stately pomp and
Royal circumstance as few have ever seen before,
where the noblest by birth and intellect, the greatest
and most revered in power, are all assembled within
the narrow precincts of this grand old Choir, like the
treasures of the nation in the carved oak casket.
Suddenly there is just a perceptible movement=
a kind of consciousness that something has occurred
which tells at once that the Queen is either coming
or has come, and all eyes are quietly directed to-
wards the quaint old pew in the wall. In another
instant the Queen herself appears, accompanied by
his Royal Highness the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and
Gotha, the brother of the late Prince, and, as we all
know, so like him as to make the resemblance almost
startling as he stands by the side of her Majesty.
The Queen wears the simplest and plainest of
widow's weeds—a widow's cap, a black silk dress
with white collar and cuffs, and black gloves. The
only colours which appear upon her are the star of
the Order of the Garter, and its blue riband, nar-
rowed to the width her Majesty usually wears,
across her left shoulder. She looks well in health,
bat
thinner and older, with the permanent traces of
deep grief and
care stamped on every lineament of
her features. She stands at the window of the Royal pew, a
little withdrawn from general gaze, and only to be
seen at all by those on the opposite side of the Choir
glancing quietly into the interior, while the Duke
of x
the e
- arrangements
obu rg apparently explains to
her
speaks, and
going on
below
for the great
ceremony
l
which has drawn her forth from her
mourning and seclusion. After a few minutes she