A Royal Romance

by Jenny Frame

  *

  The Elliots’ glass-topped car made its way along the route to the Abbey. Bea was humbled by the crowds that had turned out to see her and wish her well, and she made sure she acknowledged them with a wave at every opportunity.

  “Can you believe this, Dad? All these people, just to see us married.”

  Reg laughed gently. “And you thought the British people would like a republic.”

  “Well, I was wrong. It’s obviously the will of the people. That’s what George is always preaching to me.”

  She pointed out flags being waved by some of the well-wishers. “Look—Canadian, French, American flags, they’ve come a long way just to be part of this.” Then a sudden realization hit her. “Oh God, the whole world’s watching this as we speak, aren’t they? I’m going to be sick.”

  Reg took hold of her hand. “Breathe, princess, breathe, you were doing fine. Just don’t think about the people watching on TV. Just think about the Queen.”

  She did as her dad told her and felt the panic subside. The car pulled up in front of the Abbey. The steps and front entrance had been covered in red carpet. Very regal indeed. The car door was opened by one of the high-ranking soldiers standing guard, and she saw Lali descend the Abbey steps to help her with the dress.

  “You look wonderful, Bea. Are you ready to change your life?” Lali said, helping her out and holding the train for her.

  Bea made sure to wave to those countless people behind the barriers around the entrance. A huge cheer went up, and at last everyone got a chance to see the dress that the world had been speculating about.

  “I’m ready.”

  The fanfare sounded, the choir began to sing, and her father led her by the hand down the aisle of the ancient Westminster Abbey, followed by Lali and the rest of the wedding party. As they passed each row, the guests smiled warmly and whispered about the beauty of her dress or the cuteness of her pageboys and flower girls. She passed the row where Greta and her partner Riley and Holly were sitting and saw Greta with tears running down her face, watching her children. She was so glad she could share this with her friends.

  Lastly, she passed the prime minister, who had organized the most central seat for herself, in order to ensure the greatest camera time of all the foreign and domestic dignitaries. Bea saw her wide sparkling smile and thought, with an internal chuckle, Are you happier for me or for you, Prime Minister?

  They walked through the arch into the area where the families were seated, and she spotted her mother and smiled. She looked overwhelmed with happiness and joy. The Queen Mother and the rest of the family smiled warmly as she passed, and then she saw George, waiting for her, waiting to change her life.

  *

  George itched to turn around and look at her bride, especially when she saw her brother’s face light up when he looked round, but she kept her eyes forward, disciplined as always.

  Then she was there, by her side. When George looked at her bride, she stopped breathing. Bea’s dress was sleeveless, ivory and lace with a long veil resting on a long, lace-covered train. It was simple and traditional. “You are beautiful,” George mouthed to her bride.

  Bea smiled shyly back at her.

  George turned her eyes back to the Archbishop, in his rich golden robe and tall mitre. He began the ceremony, and it seemed like a blur to the couple, who could only keep giving each other loving glances and smiles.

  George was soon brought to earth when she heard the Archbishop say, “Georgina Mary Edwina Louise. Will thou have this woman to thy wedded wife? To live together in God’s law, in the holiest state of matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honour and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, as long as ye both shall live?”

  “I will,” George said confidently.

  The Archbishop repeated the same to Bea.

  “I will.”

  “Who giveth this woman to be married to Her Majesty?”

  Reg stood confidently, took his daughter’s hand and gave it to the Archbishop, who handed her to the Queen.

  George smiled at him, knowing how nervous he’d been, and he stepped back.

  George turned to Bea, and looked deeply into her eyes, and at that moment there were no nerves. It was as if there was only the two of them, repeating the vows that the Archbishop read out to them.

  “I, Georgina Mary Edwina Louise, take thee, Beatrice Anne, to my wedded wife. To have and to hold from this day forward. For better or for worse. For richer or for poorer. In sickness and in health. To love and to cherish. Till death us do part. According to God’s holy law, and thereto I pledge thee my troth.”

  Once Bea had repeated those vows, Theo was called upon to hand over the rings. George gave him a panicked look when he pretended, for a second, he couldn’t find them. Ever the joker, Theo handed the Archbishop the rings and George a shook her head at him.

  You are feeling better, little brother.

  They exchanged rings, and it all suddenly began to feel very real. When George had imagined and rehearsed the ceremony, it seemed as if it took forever, but now in the moment it felt like it was racing by, and she wanted to savour every part of it for her memories.

  The Archbishop bade the couple to kneel and bound their hands “Those whom God has put together, may no one put asunder.” The gold cloth was taken from their hands and he continued. “For as much as Georgina and Beatrice have consented together in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this company, and thereto have given their troth, either to each other, and the same of giving and receiving of a ring, and joining of hands, I pronounce that they be married together, in the name of the father, the son and the Holy Ghost.”

  With that simple statement, their lives as well as their hearts were joined forever, and all that was left was to share the joy with their people.

  After a rendition of the national anthem, George escorted her new consort down the aisle to the sound of trumpets. At the Abbey door an open-topped carriage waited to take them back to the palace.

  *

  The carriage ride back to Buckingham Palace was magical. The crowds screamed and cheered as they went by, and George smiled watching Bea learning one of her most important royal duties: waving to the crowds, and engaging with the people.

  “They’re wonderful, Georgie.”

  “They are happy that I have you. I’m so lucky, my darling.”

  Bea laughed. “I think they would see me as the lucky one. Have you seen how stunning you look in that uniform?”

  “I’m nothing compared to you. You are very good at waving, by the way. I think I’ll keep you as my consort.”

  “It’s a bit late to change your mind now.”

  The carriage pulled into Buckingham Palace and through the archway so they were out of sight. Waiting for them as they got out of the carriage were their three dogs, Shadow, Baxter, and Rexie.

  They barked excitedly as George helped her wife down from the carriage. “No jumping, you three. Stay down or you’ll ruin your mama’s dress.”

  Bea was caught by surprise by that comment and smiled.

  “Well, you are,” George said defensively.

  “And you are too sweet.”

  George felt a blush come to her cheeks, and the staff waiting to assist them smiled. “Come on. Let’s give the people their happy ending.”

  *

  Bea and George walked into the centre room, which led out to the famous balcony. All the guests were catching their breath after the ceremony and carriage ride. The staff were waiting with trays of drinks of every kind.

  Bea felt very strange. Every member of the family that approached her bowed or curtsied before greeting her. In a matter of hours, she’d changed from an ordinary girl to second in the royal order of precedence.

  The etiquette coach that George had organized for her in the run-up to the wedding had schooled her in every aspect of her new role, but it was still strange when it actually happened. It
was even weirder when her mum and dad bowed and curtsied.

  Bea protested, but Sarah said to her in a whisper, “Don’t make us different, sweetheart. It’s just who you are now.”

  Bea nodded and accepted her mother’s wish not to be different. It would always be strange, but it would cause her parents more embarrassment to make a fuss about it.

  She was happy to see all their friends and family there. Greta, Riley, and Holly looked slightly overwhelmed to be in a room full of royals, but the children less so, running about with their new friends, the royal children. Lali was off in another corner being entertained by the persistent Captain Cameron.

  Sarah gave her new daughter-in-law a kiss on the cheek. “It was a beautiful ceremony, Ma’am.”

  “I’m glad you liked it, Sarah. I hope you will like the last part of the ceremony, going out on the balcony. Bea told me that you and Reg brought your daughters to see my family go out on the balcony for Granny’s birthday, one year. Now you’ll get to see it from the other side.”

  “I’m not sure whether to be scared or excited, Ma’am, the crowds are so large,” Sarah said.

  “How do you think I feel, Mum? I’ve got to go out first. I’m worried I might faint,” Bea said.

  George laughed softly. “You’ll both be fine. I can see it would be overwhelming if you’re not used to it. Just remember, everyone is there to wish you well, and besides you’ll be hanging on to my arm. I’ll keep you up.”

  Sarah wandered over to Reg, who was deep in conversation with George’s uncle Bran, leaving them alone.

  “How long till we go out, Georgie?” Bea asked.

  “Around five or ten minutes. The police are just opening up the area in front of the palace gates and removing security barriers, allowing the people to fill up the Royal Mall and outside the palace gates.”

  Bea gulped and remained quiet. She was starting to feel queasy with nerves.

  “Don’t be nervous. It’ll be wonderful. I’ll be there and I love you, my darling wife.”

  They were interrupted when the Princess Royal walked over to them, with Vicki and Max. “Congratulations, George. It’s been a wonderful day,” she said with a hint of sadness.

  Bea knew that Julian’s actions weighed heavily on George’s aunt’s mind. She felt guilty, even though she had no bearing on what her son had done.

  George pulled her aunt into a hug. “Aunt Grace, please. There is no one more loyal to the family than you. Stop taking the blame for what happened, I can see it pulling you down. I love you, Aunt Grace, and nothing will change that.”

  Grace held on to her niece tightly. “Thank you. I’m sorry.”

  Behind their mother’s back, Vicki and Max smiled at George and mouthed, “Thank you,” to her, as they had been so worried about their mother.

  The Master of the Household came over to the Queen and said, “The crowds are waiting, Ma’am, and the RAF fly-past has an ETA of ten minutes.”

  “Thank you. Announce it, please, and could you look after Mr. and Mrs. Elliot? They will be unsure of what to do.”

  “Of course, Ma’am.”

  Bea hugged George’s arm tightly, feeling like the luckiest woman on the planet. It was such a kind thought to have someone look after her parents, but then, that was George. She never did or said anything without thinking of its effect on those around her.

  The Master of the Household chimed the side of a glass to get the room’s attention. “Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Lords, Ladies, and gentlemen. The Queen and Queen Consort are about to step onto the balcony. If the wedding party could get themselves prepared, I will signal you to follow them after a few minutes.”

  The Queen Mother and Queen Adrianna joined them, as they would be next out on the balcony, by order of precedence.

  Queen Adrianna whispered to Bea, “It doesn’t hurt a bit. You’ll do very well.”

  Theo threw an arm around his sister’s shoulders and winked at Bea. “Well, Your Majesties, you better get busy making little baby Georges. I want to be bumped down the order of succession as soon as possible.”

  “Theodore. You’ll feel my stick on your backside if I hear any more out of you,” his grandmother threatened.

  Bea laughed. They could always rely on Theo to make things more light-hearted.

  George offered her wife an arm. “Shall we, my darling? Our people await.”

  Bea finished the last of her drink, hoping it would give her courage, and followed George.

  Two pages opened the balcony doors and the new couple stepped out, to be hit with a wall of noise. Bea gasped. “Oh, my goodness.”

  The people were so great in number and so tightly packed, that they looked like ants from up on the balcony. They covered the whole area around the Victoria Memorial fountain in front of the palace gates, and right up the length of the Royal Mall, further than the eye could see.

  “There must be hundreds of thousands of them.” Bea smiled and waved along with George.

  “And they’re all here for you, my darling. You are the consort of the people—they love you, and so do I.”

  Gradually the rest of the family and the flower girls and pageboys joined them on the balcony to wave.

  A chant started to come from the crowds. “Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss!”

  George pulled Bea into a kiss, and the crowds went wild.

  When they pulled away, George asked her wife, “Well, you’ve done it now. You’re one of us, Your Majesty. Are you happy?”

  “Yes. Everyone says this is the day fairy tales came true. Thank you, Georgie, for giving me my fairy tale. I love you.”

  The crowds went wild as the royal couple kissed again, this time with much more passion.

  Epilogue

  Two months later

  Queen Georgina and the Queen Consort proceeded along the route they had taken on their wedding day, in the golden state coach. They didn’t have long to enjoy their honeymoon aboard the royal yacht, but Bea had adored it. It was peaceful and idyllic, much like their time at Balmoral, cut off from the outside world with only their most trusted staff. It didn’t last long though, until duty brought them back to London to begin preparations for their coronation.

  Bea ran her hands over her ivory satin dress, and marvelled at its beauty. They were both to be dressed in medieval style, and when she was shown the designs for her dress, embroidered with emblems representing the countries of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, she knew it was going to be special.

  George looked stunning to Bea, dressed in ivory satin breeches and hose, and a satin shirt. The simple outfit was merely a background to the rich robes that would be placed on her during the ceremony.

  Bea took her hand. “Are you nervous?”

  George thought about it for a moment and said, “My whole life’s been leading to this moment, and the vows I will make, just like my wedding vows, I’ll keep until my last breath. So I should be nervous, but I’m not. I feel calm, and that’s because I have you by my side. My wife, my consort, you allow me to feel I can take on anything. I love you, Queen Beatrice, you are my anchor and my strength.”

  In a breach of royal protocol, Queen Georgina leaned in and kissed her consort. And Bea knew that while they might be the first couple of their kind to reign over that ancient kingdom, no royal couple before them had ever had a greater love.

  About the Author

  Jenny Frame is from the small town of Motherwell in Scotland, where she lives with her partner, Lou, and their well loved and very spoiled dog.

  She has a diverse range of qualifications, including a BA in public management and a diploma in acting and performance. Nowadays, she likes to put her creative energies into writing rather than treading the boards.

  When not writing or reading, Jenny loves cheering on her local football team, which is not always an easy task!

  Jenny can be contacted at jennyframe91@yahoo.com

  Website: http://www.jennyframe.com/

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