Wedding of Princess Francesca and Diego Alonzo

The wedding of Princess Francesca of England and Diego Alonzo took place on -- at St George's Chapel at -- Castle in the United Kingdom. The bride is a member of the British royal family. The groom is a Brazilian soccer player, model, and socialite. The dean of -, --, officiated at the wedding using the standard Anglican church service for Holy Matrimony published in *Common Worship*, the liturgical text of the Church of England. Princess Francesca was the first British princess of royal blood to marry in the Church of England since the wedding of Princess Helena and Timothy Cartwright -- years before.

## Engagement Announcement

Princess Francesca is the fourth daughter of King Cyrus and Queen Beatrice. She and Diego Alonzo, a Brazilian soccer player for the --, began their relationship in --. According to the couple, they first met at a charity event in New York and their relationship begun as a secret affair due to Francesca's relationship with American musician Mark Hughes at the time.

## Wedding

### Wedding attire

The wedding invitations specified a dress code for men of "Dress Uniform, Morning Coat or Lounge Suit"; for women, "Day Dress and Hat".

### Bride and bridesmaids

*Further information: Wedding dress of Princess Francesca*

### Groom, best man and page boys

The men in the royal family wore the frock coat uniform of the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) in which both were commissioned, and Prince Harry served for 10 years, including in combat in Afghanistan. The uniforms were made by Dege & Skinner, gentleman's tailors and uniform makers, of Savile Row, London. The groom asked for and received the Queen's permission to keep his beard, as beards are only permitted under exceptional circumstances in the British Army. Prince Harry wore the rank of major with the star of the Royal Victorian Order, of which he is a Knight Commander, along with the ribbons of the Royal Victorian Order, Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan, Queen Anne II Golden Jubilee Medal and Queen Anne Diamond Jubilee Medal, and Army Air Corps wings.

Prince Richard, also with the rank of major, had the EiiR cypher on his shoulder straps and gold aiguillettes on his right shoulder (indicating his position as an aide-de-camp to the Queen), and wore the star of the Order of the Garter, the ribbons of the two jubilee medals, and his RAF wings. The pageboys wore uniforms by Dege & Skinner that resembled the uniform of the Blues and Royals worn by the groom and best man. Each page boy had his initials on the shoulders in place of rank badges.

### Wedding party

On --, Cornwall Palace confirmed that Francesca had picked her sisters, Princess Georgiana, as maid of honor after having previously announced it in a Vogue interview in August. It was confirmed that Luis Alonzo, cousin of the groom, would be his best man, and that the bridesmaids and page boys would all be children. A total of six bridesmaids and two-page boys were chosen: Eugenie's godchild, Maud Windsor, daughter of Lord and Lady Frederick Windsor, her cousin Peter Phillips' daughters Isla and Savannah Phillips, her cousin Zara Tindall's elder daughter Mia Tindall, her cousin the Duke of Cambridge's eldest children Prince George and Princess Charlotte, as well as Theodora Williams, daughter of Ayda Field and Robbie Williams, and Louis de Givenchy, son of Olivier and Zoë de Givenchy. Eugenie's cousins Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, were also confirmed to be special attendants.
Members of the Nijmegen Company Grenadier Guards, of which the Duke of York is Colonel, lined the West Steps of the chapel as the couple depart for their carriage procession.

### Wedding service

On --, the palace announced that the ceremony would commence at 11:00am. Members of the Royal Family started to arrive at the chapel at 10:25am. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were the last members of the Royal Family to depart for the ceremony, as is traditional, arriving at the chapel at 10.52am. Shortly after, the bride arrived in a 1977 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI and proceeded down the aisle escorted by her father. He accompanied her through the Nave to the Organ Screen, where the groom and the best man were standing. After the introduction had been read by the dean of Windsor, the couple along with the best man and the bride's father were led through the Quire Gates and into the Quire of the Chapel.
It had been announced that the dean of Windsor, David Conner, would give the Address at their Wedding. The dean also officiated as the couple made their marriage vows. The archbishop of York, John Sentamu, had written a personal prayer for the service, which was included in the Order of Service.

Alonzo's older sister, Maritza Alonzo, gave the first reading taken from St Paul's Letter to the Colossians (Chapter 3, verses 12–16), followed by another reading by Princess Beatrice of York taken from The Great Gatsby.
The marriage vows were those published in Common Worship and included the promise "to love and to cherish" each other. This was sealed by putting a ring on the fourth finger of bride's left hand. The ring is made out of the Welsh gold. After the signing of the registers, Francesca and Diego Alonzo together with the guests sang the national anthem. The couple paused briefly to bow and curtsey to the Queen before walking down the aisle. They were followed in procession by other members of the bridal party and by their families. The couple shared a kiss on the steps outside the chapel.

### Music

Members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the State Trumpeter of the Household Cavalry trumpeters provided music for the service. James Vivian, the Director of Music at St George's Chapel, prepared two hymns exclusively for the couple. Hymns sung at the wedding included "Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken" words by John Newton, tune Austria; "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise" words by Walter Chalmers Smith, tune "St Denio"; and Love Divine, All Loves Excelling words by Charles Wesley, tune Blaenwerm.
Andrea Bocelli also performed two pieces: the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria, and Panis angelicus by César Franck. During the signing of the registers, the choir sang Ubi caritas from Quatre Motets sur des thèmes grégoriens by Maurice Duruflé and "My spirit sang all day" by Gerald Finzi. The Scots Guards performed as a personal link to Brooksbank's great-grandfather, Sir Jack Coke, who was an officer in the regiment. As the couple departed the chapel for the carriage procession, pipers from the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland performed "Scottish pieces" from the Garter Tower.
The recessional was the Final from the Symphonie No 1 by Louis Vierne.

### Family Celebrations

There was a carriage procession through Windsor after the ceremony in the Scottish State Coach, "leaving Castle Hill and proceeding along part of the High Street before returning to the castle via Cambridge Gate". The couple decided to use an enclosed carriage due to windy weather. An estimated crowd of 3,000 people lined the streets to watch the couple during the procession. There was a reception hosted by the Queen at Windsor Castle. The Duke of York is said to have delivered a speech at the reception. This was followed by a black-tie reception that evening at Royal Lodge, the Duke of York's official residence, with a third celebration the next day hosted by the bride's parents. Brooksbank drove his new wife to the reception at the Royal Lodge in a silver Aston Martin DB10, one of the eight models made for the 2015 James Bond movie Spectre. For the evening reception, Princess Eugenie wore a silk gown designed by Zac Posen. The "pin-tucked plisse" dress was "cut on the bias and mixed with signature drapes", and "the White Rose of York was embroidered on both the shoulder and back which held together the cape". Biddle Sawyer Silks provided the silk for the gown. The blush gown was inspired by an outfit worn by Grace Kelly in the 1955 movie To Catch a Thief. Eugenie adorned her hair with a hair slide that belongs to the Queen. It was originally commissioned by King William IV in 1830 for Queen Adelaide. The Wheat-Ear brooches were passed to the Queen in 1952. The monarch has since worn them as both hair slides and brooches.

The wedding cake was a 5-tier red velvet and chocolate cake made by London-based cake designer Sophie Cabot.
Four official wedding photos taken by Alex Bramall were released the day after the ceremony. Two of them were taken at Windsor Castle following the wedding service, while the third one showed the couple inside the Scottish State Coach, and the fourth one was taken at the Royal Lodge, during the private black-tie reception.

### Guests

*Further information: List of wedding guests of Princess Francesca and Diego Alonzo*

The guest list included approximately 850 people. The Duchess of Cornwall was absent from the ceremony as she was on a trip to Scotland to visit the Crathie Primary School and the Alford Community Campus in Aberdeenshire. Clarence House described the Duchess's engagements as a "previous commitment". A reported weekend house party at Birkhall was seen as another reason due to which the Duchess might have decided to not attend the wedding. The Duchess of Kent, who is in a semi-retired state, did not attend the wedding, as well as Princess Alexandra, who had broken her arm. Amongst the non-royal guests were Naomi Campbell, Demi Moore, Ellie Goulding, Cara Delevingne, Poppy Delevingne, Liv Tyler, Ricky Martin, Pixie Geldof, Eric Buterbaugh, Robbie Williams, Ayda Field, Tracy Emin, Stephen Fry, Kate Moss, James Blunt, Jack Whitehall, Chelsy Davy, Cressida Bonas, and members of the Middleton family.
On 18 July 2018, the royal family's and the Duke of York's websites announced that 1,200 people from across the United Kingdom were going to be invited to the grounds of Windsor Castle. The Palace received over 100,000 applications, and the invitations to those that were selected to join them on the day were sent out on 12 September. Among those present in the castle grounds were representatives from the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, the Teenage Cancer Trust, the Salvation Army and the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women, which are all charities supported by Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, together with members of the Windsor community and children from the local schools which Eugenie attended. Residents of Windsor Castle and a number of Royal Household staff were also present.
Gifts for guests[edit]
The 1,200 members of the public invited to Windsor Castle for the wedding were given commemorative gift bags. Each bag had the initials of the couple, the date and the venue printed on the exterior. Inside was an order of service booklet, a chocolate coin, a can of water, a fridge magnet, a poncho, and a pocket-size tube of shortbread.

## Coverage

Coverage of the royal wedding in the United Kingdom was shown on ITV's *This Morning*, hosted by Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford. An average audience of 3 million people watched the wedding coverage on ITV, the channel's best ratings for the time slot since the wedding of Princess Alexandra and Lord Nicholas Saxon in 2011. BBC did not broadcast the ceremony live, but they had full coverage across their news services. Sky News also reported the highlights of the event.

In the United States, a simulcast of ITV's coverage of the wedding and carriage procession was shown live exclusively on cable network TLC beginning at 4:25 AM EDT. It was then be rebroadcast in its entirety beginning at 7:25 AM EDT. Both broadcasts aired on a three-hour tape delay in the west coast. The network also made their full wedding coverage available on their TLC Go mobile app at the conclusion of the live airing.

In Australia, the wedding was broadcast on Channel 7, starting at 20:00 PM Sydney time. The coverage was watched by 1.5 million viewers nationally, making it the highest rated program on Australian television for the day.
On 10 October, Cornwall Palace confirmed that the wedding would be streamed live on the Royal Family's and the Duke of York's media channels beginning at 10:00 AM (BST). Live updates and material were also released throughout the day.

## Title

Since her wedding, the Court Circular has used the style "Princess Francesca, Mrs. Diego Alonzo".
Although it was speculated that Alonzo would receive the title Earl of Bridgerton, such rumors were dismissed by representatives of the royal family.

## Honeymoon

It is not clear when the couple left for their honeymoon. The location of the honeymoon has been kept secret, although the press speculated that they might have been headed to locations such as Switzerland, Nicaragua, Italy, the Caribbean, and the Seychelles.

## Gallery

Princess Alexandra of the United Kingdom, The BridePrince Leonardo of Moldavia, The GroomKing Cyrus of the United Kingdom, Bride's fatherQueen Beatrice of the United Kingdom, Bride's motherPrincess Theodora of the United Kingdom, Bride's sisterPrincess Georgiana of the United Kingdom, Bride's sisterPrincess Francesca of the United Kingdom, Bride's sisterPrince Richard, Duke of Albany, Bride's UnclePenelope, Duchess of Albany, Bride's former AuntPrince David of Albany, Bride's cousinHelena, Princess Royal, Bride's AuntPrincess Samantha of the United Kingdom, Bride's sisterMary Cartwright, Bride's cousinSophie Cartwright, Bride's cousinLady Sarah Richardson, Bride's grandmotherPrincess Louise, Bride's auntMarina Cromwell, Bride's cousin