Clarification of Hello! involvement in wedding
Peter and Autumn at St. George’s Chapel after the ceremony
Buckingham Palace is confirming that Hello! magazine was not at the wedding service in St. George’s Chapel and will not be at the reception at Frogmore House.
It looks like the Palace has finally put its foot down, possibly encouraged by the Queen, and put a stop to the commercial aspect of this Royal wedding in all but name. Quite what Hello! will publish on Wednesday is now open to question, but it can’t be much, judging by what we were allowed to glimpse.
Both Kate Middleton and Chelsy Davy were there, say the BBC, but didn’t figure in the photograph after the wedding. We look forward to the one official photograph.
What a pity this event has been marred by swirling rumours of a sell-out, even that they sold the Queen to a celebrity magazine.
I can’t imagine this happening in Robin Janvrin’s day.
John what do you think that the situation is with Chelsy and Kate? Do you think that was just part of the rumor mill as well. I saw Mike Tindall in a few pictures but nothing of the girls?
By jackie Mccoy on May 17th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Yeah I thought that if you are not married to a member of the royal family then you don’t get a chance to have your picture taken with them on these occasions. But there’s Mike Tindall. I think we will see pictures of Chelsy & Kate later.
By Claudius on May 17th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
In a way it would make sense for future spouses to be introduced one by one. And since Zara is the second eldest grandchild of HM she might as well marry next. Her and Mike dropped quite a few hints in recent interviews. I guess it’s an unusaul situation that 4 grandchildren of HM (Peter, Zara, William and Harry) have been in stable longterm relationships now and are in a position where they could get married. To have them marry according to their age would make sense, IMO. So it’s Zara next (maybe this autumn) and then William next year. And Harry in 2010.
By Isana on May 17th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
I’m a little confused. If Hello wasn’t there then are they just going to give Hello a few selected photos to publish?
By dally on May 17th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Kate and Chelsy were definitely there, but not included in the very short photoshoot after the ceremony. Obviously they would take a lot of attention off the bride and groom, and I can understand that.
What I can’t understand is the heavy restriction on the wider media and the Hello! involvement.
Royal Anecdotes was planning a trip to Windsor with video and still photographic facilities. But such were the rules, it would have been useless to try.
I know we’ve been a bit tetchy these last couple of days — the DM says “furious” for most of the media — so let’s hope lessons are learned and we get a better press interface next time.
One wedding down, three to go.
By John on May 17th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
I know, I was expecting a little coverage of the wedding even though it was private. I did think that there would a press setup and have royal experts talking about the bride and groom. But there was nothing, not even a video on the BBC website. I guess we have to wait for the next royal wedding in the future. I think there will be more exclusive photos on the royal website soon.
By Claudius on May 17th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
There is a short video of the bridal couple departing from the chapel at BBC.com
By Evelyn on May 17th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
The Telegraph has a list of some of the wedding guests. Curiously, the list included Chelsy Davy, but I didn’t see Kate Middleton’s name. It’s possible Kate was there even though her name wasn’t included, but, with Chelsy’s name on the list, it is curious that Kate’s name would be omitted.
By Evelyn on May 17th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Are you sure Kate was there? The Telegraph posted a guest list and only Chelsy was on it! This whole wedding has been one big contradiction after another – I really hope that they learn from this.
By Ash on May 17th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Oh Evelyn -SNAP!. I didn’t see your post when I was writing mine LOL
By Ash on May 17th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Oh never mind the DM has a pic of Kate and Chelsy!
By Ash on May 17th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Dm now have a picture of Kate & Chelsy at the wedding.
By jackie mccoy on May 17th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Finally a pic for proof! I hope they show more soon.
By dally on May 17th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Hola.com also has some nice pictures of the bride. You can get a better look at Autumn’s dress and the Queen’s outfit. Just click on the picture to enlarge it.
By Arthur on May 17th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
wow- that is quite some hat that princess Bea had on! A lot of butterflies. HM looks so pretty.
By dally on May 17th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Mrs. Autumn Phillips looks absolutely beautiful. Future royal brides take note, there is no need for those humongously long trains.
Now, I am making a request here, on the pages of RA, that Angela Kelly, the Queen’s assistant, take Beatrice and Eugenie shopping before the next royal wedding. Their outfits today scream HELP! It is definitely time for a fashion intervention.
By Arthur on May 17th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
I have been reading the RA site for quite some time but today is the first day that I have posted. I agree that the bride looked stunning and her whole outfit, hair, flowers, etc. was perfect and very royally appropriate. Is there no RA tea and toast today? I am a good baker and will be happy to lend Gigi a hand
By Dot on May 17th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
Welcome, Dot! I, too, have been wondering where Gigi is today. Arthur, were you to pour the champagne? John, are you still awake and ready to toast the new Mr & Mrs Phillips?
By Evelyn on May 17th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Evelyn, I think Gigi is attending the wedding at Windsor and didn’t want to tell us in advance for fear of making us all jealous.
I will do the honors and propose a toast to the bride and groom, but it won’t be as eloquent as one of John ’s toasts:
Let’s raise our champagne fluets to the new Mr. and Mrs. Peter and Autumn Phillips. May they have a joyous and happy life together and a marriage that lasts as long as the Queen’s and Prince Philip’s. Cheers!
By Arthur on May 17th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Cheers! To a long, happy (and fruitful!
) union!
By Evelyn on May 17th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
oh dear I don’t mean to spoil the cheer but a very negative prince harry article has been posted on DM. John will have to explain whether worthy or not.
By jackie mccoy on May 17th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Cheers!
BTW Arthur-I totally agree on the shopping help. She must have just watched the new SATC movie
By dally on May 17th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
I sense it has gone as I predicted.
The Hello agreement was for the interview and photospread that happened well in advance of the wedding—and every hunch, rumour, and judgment about it since then has been nothing more than hysterical speculation and sanctimony.
The Royal Family know how to put on a wedding. The Queen provided the venue, the Family provided the joy—at what was decided early on to be a private ceremony and reception—and we speculators and rumour-mongers provided the comedy theatre.
All the best to the bride and groom! As for the rest of us, let’s be more skeptical about those “inside sources” whose every word we heed to our repeated embarrassment.
And let’s resist sanctimonious judgment—in the absence of facts—about a Royal Family we claim to honor and respect.
By Dan on May 18th, 2008 at 12:05 am
I found this interesting information in the Sunday Express:
“All the signs point to the fact that the British public may soon have to get used to knowing Kate and Chelsy as Princess William of Wales and Princess Harry of Wales.
“Under protocol rules, if they married, the pair would have to take the names of their husbands, like Princess Michael of Kent. Charles Kidd, editor of Debrett’s Peerage and Baronetage, said:?’It might sound a bit strange at first but I’m sure the public will soon get used to it.’
“Eventually, Harry, 23, is expected to be given a dukedom that would make Chelsy a Duchess – one possible title is the Duchess of Cambridge – but that can only happen when Prince Charles is King, according to Mr Kidd.
” ‘It’s only the children of the monarch who can be given these titles,’ he said. ‘Once the Queen dies and is succeeded by Prince Charles then that could possibly change but until then it will be Princess William and Princess Harry.’ “
By Evelyn on May 18th, 2008 at 1:14 am
The DM is reporting that William will meet Kate on theisland of Mystique on Wed. There, they will seriously discuss their future.
Either we are in deja vu or are things getting interesting? I hope the later. The house that they are staying in is booked until May 28th.
By kat on May 18th, 2008 at 2:04 am
Why does it look like Her Majesty was wearing something that looked like Camilla’s wedding attire? Even though she looked beautiful but it just took me back to Charles & Camilla’s wedding three years ago. The head dress was nice too.
By Claudius on May 18th, 2008 at 2:13 am
The DM has another photo of Kate looking very pretty in pink.
By Dot on May 18th, 2008 at 2:15 am
I thought the same thing, Claudius. I know the Queen and Camilla are said to be very frugal when it comes to clothes, so I’m wondering if they recycled Camilla’s wedding outfit and cut it down for the Queen.
I’m just kidding, but you are correct, the fabric in the Queen’s outfit is very similar to the dress/coat that Camilla wore for the wedding blessing at Windsor in 2005.
Also, I thought Zara looked beautiful as a bridesmaid, but I wish she had done something to cover up the obvious tan lines that were exposed by the strapless dress. It took away from her overall look.
By Arthur on May 18th, 2008 at 2:35 am
I’ve been thinking that it’s better that Zara had the strap lines than one of the other bridesmaids. The media would have been ruthless about one of Autumn’s friends, but I bet they won’t say much since it’s Zara.
By Evelyn on May 18th, 2008 at 3:00 am
Kate did look beautiful in Pink. Kat I think that it is highly unlikely that they haven’t already discussed the future by now. I haven’t seen the article as yet but I am sure it is just pure speculation!
By Jackie Mccoy on May 18th, 2008 at 4:34 am
I just read the article and it looks like they are going to have a vacation and spend some quality time together before he goes off to the Navy. Who knows whether they will announce their engagement or not this year. Like John said in ‘06 this story is going to run and run and run and run……….
By Jackie Mccoy on May 18th, 2008 at 4:42 am
Dan, the press were really furious at being locked out of this event by Hello! magazine. We still have no pictures inside the Chapel or of the reception.
This was made worse by Palace officials saying they didn’t know the terms of the contract. Later they said Hello! wouldn’t be in the church or Frogmore house, which looked as if the penny had suddenly dropped and Hello! was bundled out the door.
That remains to be seen, of course, but the magazine shoot became the story itself, not least because we were only fed very small scraps and there wasn’t much else to write and talk about.
I’m afraid this wasn’t handled very well by the officials. They should have been on top of the contract from the start, especially as the Queen was preparing for a State visit to Turkey and spent three days there immediately before the wedding.
Then, the William thing. Again, a paucity of information led to speculation. They really need to tell it like it is from the start. The truth always seeps out in the end, but by then the event has descended into chaos.
By John on May 18th, 2008 at 8:43 am
I agree, John. The wedding itself was a beautiful event but the press frenzy sourrounding it could have easily been avoided with a little bit more open policy by the palace. They are Royals they cannot expect to have a “private wedding” anyways. A simple statement how the whole ceremony would be taking place and who would attend, should have done the deal. I hope they learn from their mistakes for future occasions. They need to get this straigtened out before William’s wedding. If Peter’s wedding already causes such a frenzy with the palace incapabale to react accordingly, I cannot imagine what would happen when William and Kate marry. I guess they have Zara’s to practise how to handle it more professionally.
By Isana on May 18th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Isana, quite a few of us intended to go to Windsor to photograph this wedding. In the end, there was no point.
I heard a rumour (unsubstantiated, I’m afraid) that Autumn negotiated the magazine contract intending to do a million dollar deal. She got that, but it involved selling the Queen in the Chapel and at the reception.
Peter was not clear about this, so no-one at the Palace realized the implications until the press clamour brought it to their attention.
It sounds strangely feasible, but I have no idea if it’s true.
By John on May 18th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Hello! has two of the official wedding photos up on their website. They were taken at Frogmore.
By Evelyn on May 18th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Evelyn, if they are the official photographs, they are not exclusive Hello! shots.
By John on May 18th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Thank you, Evelyn and Arthur, for serving Royal Anecdotes Gala Royal Wedding Tea in my absence! I appreciate it very much and am so sorry that I had to suddenly be away for the weekend and subsequently MIA during a Royal Wedding! I have seen the photographs that have been made available on the Daily Mail, BBC, Hello and other sites and I must say that Autumn looked very beautiful in her lovely bridal gown and the tiara lent her by Princess Anne. The bridesmaids, especially Zara, looked marvelous in the lovely sage green gowns, but I agree that the tan lines should have been moderated with makeup. The Queen, as always, looks simply wonderful and the color of her outfit is very becoming to her. Whatever ails Viscount and Viscountess Linley? They both look quite cranky in the one photo I saw of them. I loved the photos of Autumn and Peter posing on the grand stairs in front of the chapel and of them in the carriage that transported them to Frogmore.
By Gigi on May 18th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
[...] Is this true according to the Royal Anecdotes Buckingham palace have stated this about the so called Hello deal. Royal Anecdotes ? Clarification of Hello! involvement in wedding [...]
By Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly 17 May 2008, St George's Chapel, Windsor - Page 19 - The Royal Forums on May 20th, 2008 at 9:03 am