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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Jennifer Newton

Sophie Wessex had strict wedding day dress code - but several royals ignored it

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are marking a very special day today - their wedding anniversary.

The coupled tied the knot exactly 24 years ago today at St George's Chapel in Windsor, in what was described as an "informal" royal wedding.

Guests turned out in force, including the late Queen and Prince Philip, the now King Charles and his son Princes William and Harry.

Sophie looked stunning in a wedding gown by Samantha Shaw and was allowed to wear a tiara from the Queen's private collection.

And the more relaxed nature of the wedding saw the couple impose a less formal dress code - and they asked their guests to don evening wear and shun hats.

Sophie Wessex and Prince Edward on their wedding day in 1999 (AFP via Getty Images)

However, it seems that some royals appeared to bend these rules slightly - with one member of the family seemingly shunning it altogether.

Pictures from the day show the groom's late mother, the Queen, wearing a delicate lilac fascinator in her hair, while the groom's sister Princess Anne opted for a small green hair accessory.

However, when it came to Edward's grandmother the late Queen Mother, she still wore a hat - although the couple may have been happy for her to do this as she was rarely seen in public without one.

Guests mingle after Edward and Sophie's wedding (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

After their wedding ceremony at St George's Chapel, the couple enjoyed a carriage ride around Windsor before heading to their reception in St George's Hall.

When Sophie married into the Royal Family more than 20 years ago, some eyebrows were raised when she was not made a duchess.

Unlike her sister-in-law Camilla and her nephew's wife Kate, Sophie was given the title of Countess of Wessex when she tied the knot with Edward in 1999.

The late Queen wore a fascinator at Edward and Sophie's wedding (AFP via Getty Images)
The Queen Mother in her hat at Edward and Sophie's wedding (Getty Images)

However, earlier this year both Edward and Sophie were given new titles by King Charles - and were finally made Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.

It had been a long-held plan of Prince Philip, the former Duke of Edinburgh, and the former monarch to pass on the Dukedom to Edward and Sophie after their deaths.

And in a previous interview, Sophie revealed how she and Edward sat "stunned" when Philip informed them of his request for his title - in just 11 words.

The couple earlier this year after becoming Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh (Getty Images)

Speaking of the moment she and her husband were told Philip would like her husband to take on the title, she told the Telegraph: "We sat there slightly stunned. He literally came straight in and said, ‘Right. I’d like it very much if you would consider that’.”

Philip’s desire for Edward to have the title was in recognition of his son’s decades-long commitment to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, the youth scheme which is one of Philip’s greatest legacies.

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