Sir Mick Jagger
at the wedding of
Ben Goldsmith
and Jemima
Jones in 2014
For evidence of quite how much royal wed-
ding protocol has changed, who can forget
Cara Delevingne’s top hat and tails? Victoria
Beckham’s Gaga-esque shoes at William and
Kate’s wedding in 2011 can’t compete.
At the weddings of those further down the
line of succession, it’s the same story: as
many actors as aristocrats and more models
than marchionesses. The Earl and Countess
of Snowdon got the celebrity ball rolling
with their 1993 wedding when Sir Elton
John and Sir Mick Jagger rubbed shoulders
with the Queen and Diana, Princess of
Wales. Jagger and Elton haven’t stopped
sniffing out society weddings since: see Jag-
ger at Ben Goldsmith and Jemima Jones’ in
2014 and Jasmine Guinness’ to Gawain
Rainey in 2006. Mick was a rock’n’roll/top
toffs pioneer: he and Marianne Faithfull cut
hyper-glamorous figures at Lord Christo-
pher Thynne and Antonia Palmer’s 1968
wedding; although hats off to Elton for hit-
ting the double jackpot of invitations to
both William’s and Harry’s.
And there’s something even more seductive
(on both sides) about supermodels and society
nuptials; a flower-bedecked aisle is catwalk
catnip. First, Kate Moss, who last year man-
aged an invitation not only to Eugenie’s wed-
ding but also to those of Prince Christian of
Hanover and Alessandra de Osma, and Lord
Edward Spencer-Churchill and Kimberly
Hammerstroem. Then there was Naomi at the
wedding of Prince Albert II of Monaco to
Charlene Wittstock. Like mother, like son –
except none of Kelly’s famous guests upstaged
her by wearing white (cut-out Givenchy, to-
tally stunning) to the wedding ball...
But queen of all the society weddings she
surveys must surely be Elizabeth Hurley.
Granted, she’s not yet managed to nab a place
at one of the royal bashes. But perhaps that’s
due to a certain incident at Henry Dent-
Brocklehurst’s wedding, to which she wore a
slashed-to-the-waist red dress, all the better
to show off her leopard-print thong. That is
how you say knickers to protocol – and en-
sure the day is remembered. When it comes
to writing your guest list, remember: a pants-
flashing actress is always more fun than a
sherry-sipping bishop. �THERE’S SOMETHING VERY
SEDUCTIVE ABOUT
SUPERMODELS AND SOCIETY
NUPTIALS; A FLOWER-BEDECKED
AISLE IS CATWALK CATNIPDavid and Victoria
Beckham at Prince
William and Kate
Middleton’s wedding, 2011Rowan Atkinson at the
wedding of Prince William
and Kate Middleton, 2011The Queen at Viscount
Linley’s wedding to the Hon
Serena Stanhope, 1993Theodora Williams, a
bridesmaid at Princess
Eugenie and Jack
Brooksbank’s wedding, 2018Robbie Williams and Ayda Field
(left) at Princess Eugenie and Jack
Brooksbank’s wedding, 2018
Naomi Campbell (below)
at the wedding ball of
Prince Albert II of
Monaco and Charlene
Wittstock, 2011Ava Gardner at the
wedding of Prince
Rainier of Monaco and
Grace Kelly, 1956tatler.com Tatler Wedding Guide 2019 69 6907-19-CelebrityGuests.indd 69 02/05/2019 17:14