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Princess Eugenieupheld a sentimental royal tradition on Saturday.
In doing so, Eugenie, 28, is following a royal tradition that dates back nearly a century, starting withQueen Elizabeth’s mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, who became the Duchess of York (and later Queen Elizabeth) when she married the future King George VI (then the Duke of York) in 1923.
As the royal made her way into Westminster Abbey for her wedding ceremony, she — without previous intention to do so — laid her bouquet on the Grave of the Unknown Warrior (also called the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior), in memory of her older brother Fergus Bowes-Lyon, who was killed in action in the Battle of Loos in 1915 during World War I.
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Since then, nearly every major royal bride has had her bouquet placed at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior, whether they married at Westminster Abbey or not. The Queen did, as did her sisterPrincess Margaretin 1960 and her cousin Princess Alexandra in 1963. In the next generation,Princess Anne,Princess Diana, Sarah, Duchess of York and Sophie, Countess of Wessex carried on the tradition in 1973, 1981, 1986 and 1999, respectively. Kate Middleton did it following her wedding in 2011, as didMeghan Marklein May.
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Westminster Abbey, which houses the body of an unknown soldier who died during World War I, went on to share a photo of Eugenie’s bouquet on the grave on Twitter.
Westminster Abbey also explained the special significance behind Eugenie’s use of myrtle in her bouquet.
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When Victoria’s eldest daughter, Princess Victoria, got married in 1858, she became the first royal bride to carry myrtle, which signifies a bride’s innocence, in her bouquet.
source: people.com
