Wedding of Prince George William of Hanover and Princess Sophie of Greece, 1946

The Wedding of Prince George William of Hanover, son of the Duke of Brunswick and Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia, and Princess Sophie of Greece, daughter of Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg and widow of Prince Christoph of Hesse at Schloss Salem, the home of her sister and brother-in-law, the Margrave and Margravine of Baden, on this day in 1946. The couple had applied to King George VI for permission under the Royal Marriages Act 1772, but theirs became the only marriage in which permission to marry was withheld despite a formal request:

The Duke of Brunswick has formally applied to The King by letter of March 22nd for the consent of His Majesty under the Act 12 Geo. III, cap. 11 to the marriage of his son Prince George William with Princess Sophia Dowager Princess of Hesse. The marriage is understood to be taking place on April 23rd. Please convey to the Duke an informal intimation that in view of the fact that a state of war still exists between Great Britain and Germany, His Majesty is advised that the case is not one in which it is practicable for His consent to be given in the manner contemplated by the Act”

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Royal attendees included the Hanover Royal Family as well as Princess Sophie’s surviving siblings: Princess MargaritaPrincess Theodora, and Prince Phillip. In addition to Princess Sophie’s five children, the couple had three more children and were happily married until her death in 2001. The Prince died in 2006. Despite the fact their marriage was not legitimate in the United Kingdom, Prince George William and Princess Sophie were very close to their sister-in-law, the Queen, and Princess Sophie was even a godmother to Prince Edward.

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3 thoughts on “Wedding of Prince George William of Hanover and Princess Sophie of Greece, 1946

  1. This was such an interesting post! I have often read about Princess Sophie’s second marriage to Prince George of Hanover, but have never seen photos of their marriage. The Hanovers were the royal family in the UK until Queen Victoria’s marriage to Prince Albert when it became the House of Saxe Coburg Gotha. No wonder Prince Philip was so angry when his children were not of the House of Mountbatten. Remaining the House of Windsor went against every tradition, royal or otherwise. Prince Philip looks so proud to pose with his sisters!

    1. I saw the picture with his sisters when I wrote on her first wedding back in December, and I knew I had to have a separate article on this wedding, especially since it is the 75th anniversary! It is so lovely to see that he was able to be there, especially when they were not invited to his wedding the following year.

      1. That was so sad, wasn’t it? The war had been over for two years, but I guess there was still too much resentment. I’m glad they were later on able to attend the coronation.

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