Princess Charlotte misses out on bridesmaid duties as her school teacher marries her godfather
The coronavirus pandemic has scuppered numerous plans this year – including Princess Charlotte’s latest opportunity to be a bridesmaid, a role beloved of any little girl.
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s daughter, five, was due to be part of the wedding party at the nuptials of her school teacher to her godfather.
According to The Sunday Times, the marriage of Thomas Van Straubenzee to Lucy Lanigan-O’Keeffe has now taken place.
The couple – who were due to walk down the aisle in April – ultimately tied the knot on 24 July at Chelsea Old Church in London with a limited congregation.
Alongside Charlotte, the Duke of Cambridge had also been due to be usher for his friend van Straubanzee’s big day.
However, only the 32-year-old bride and 38-year-old groom’s parents and siblings were present as a result of continuing lockdown restrictions.
It is thought that the Cambridges played match-maker between Van Straubenzee, a partner in the private office of estate agent Knight Frank, and Lanigan-O’Keeffe, who is assistant head teacher at Thomas’s Clapham, the sister school to the Battersea institution Charlotte and brother Prince George attend.
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The duke and brother Prince Harry became friends with the groom and his brother Charlie Van Straubenzee when they attended Ludgrove School in Berkshire.
Van Straubenzee’s marriage to Lanigan-O’Keeffe, with whom he is expecting a child, is his second, after divorcing Lady Melissa Percy in 2016 following a three-year union.
Last year, his sibling was named, also by The Sunday Times, as one of the godfathers to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son Archie.
Charlie Van Straubanzee, a businessman often described as the duke’s “wingman”, gave a speech at the couple’s 2018 wedding.
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In one of their first public appearances as a married couple in August 2018, the Sussexes were seen attending his wedding to videographer Daisy Jenks, where it is believed the duke served as best man.
News of that lockdown wedding comes after Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi married in a secret ceremony in front of the Queen.
The couple initially had to postpone their big day due to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic.
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But thanks to an easing of lockdown measures in England, they were able to tie the knot at the Royal Chapel of All Saints in the grounds of Windsor Great Park.
They released two photographs, one showing them leaving the chapel, and another, stood apart from Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh.
The palace confirmed Mozzie’s son Wolfie acted as best man for his father, and was also pageboy. Prince Andrew walked Princess Beatrice down the aisle.
