Wedding of Prince Henry and Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott
Wedding of Prince Henry and Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott
On 6 November 1935, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, married Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace in London. A public ceremony at Westminster Abbey had been planned, but it was scaled back after the bride’s father, the 7th Duke of Buccleuch, died of cancer on 19 October 1935. The engagement had been announced on 2 September 1935 at Balmoral Castle; Alice later recalled there was no formal proposal, and the Duke had “mumbled it as we were on a walk one day.”
That morning, Prince Henry had breakfast with his parents, King George V and Queen Mary, at the palace. Alice left Grosvenor Place in the Glass Coach with her brother, the 8th Duke of Buccleuch, traveling to Buckingham Palace via Constitution Hill and Wellington Arch. At the chapel, they were joined by bridesmaids as the ceremony began.
Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury, led the ceremony, assisted by Arthur Winnington-Ingram, Bishop of London, and Arthur Maclean, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church. The service included the hymn “Praise, my soul, the King of heaven,” and the recessional was Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March.” The Duke was supported by his two older brothers, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York.
Eight bridesmaids attended Alice, including Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, daughters of the Duke and Duchess of York, and several of Alice’s relatives.
Alice wore a blush pink satin gown designed by Norman Hartnell. The dress was simple and modest, with long sleeves and a high neckline, and it featured a spray of artificial orange blossoms. Her veil was made of delicate tulle, and she wore an ermine stole for the cold. Hartnell would later design several other royal wedding gowns.
The bride wore a turquoise and diamond parure and a diamond tiara, while the groom wore the uniform of the 10th Royal Hussars with various royal decorations.
The couple received many gifts from family and friends, which were displayed at St James’s Palace. Notable presents included jewelry from the King and Queen and from the bride’s father, as well as items from other relatives. The ceremony was attended by just over 100 guests due to the small scale of the event.
After signing the register, the newlyweds appeared on the palace balcony with their families, delighting the crowds, who especially cheered for Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret Rose. They then had a short wedding breakfast inside the palace.
For their honeymoon, the couple left Buckingham Palace in the state landau to St Pancras Station, where they traveled by the Silver Jubilee train to Kettering for a stay at Boughton House, one of the bride’s family homes.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 21:39 (CET).