Anne Bowes-Lyon – A second Bowes-Lyon Royal (Part two)

Read part one here.

When they wished to be married, there were some problems ahead. Danish princes were usually expected to renounce their titles when they wanted to marry commoners. They were then to be created a Count of Rosenborg, like Georg’s brother, Flemming. However, Prince Georg was rather reluctant to give up his royal title and begged King Frederik IX not to take it away. He received support from Anne’s uncle, King George VI, who told King Frederik, “If a Bowes-Lyon was good enough for me, a Bowes-Lyon is surely good enough for one of your princes.”¹ The King of Denmark relented and gave his consent to the match. Then came the next issue: Anne was a divorcee, and the Archbishop of Canterbury informed them that no priest in the Anglican Church should marry them.

Eventually, the couple were married on 16 September 1950 by the priest of the Danish seamen’s church in Newcastle at the chapel of Glamis Castle in Scotland. Several royals attended the wedding, such as the future King Olav V of Norway and his daughters, Princess Astrid and Princess Ragnhild, Princess Josephine Charlotte of Belgium and Prince Carl Bernadotte of Sweden. Anne’s aunt, Queen Elizabeth, did not attend the ceremony, but she did attend the wedding reception with Princess Margaret. Upon marriage, Anne became known as Her Highness Princess Anne of Denmark.

The couple had an apartment in London next door to Prince Georg’s office. Due to his work, they moved around a lot in the following years and lived in a number of European cities. They also had a country house in Hertfordshire. In addition to his work at the Embassy, Prince Georg also carried out a number of royal duties. According to Anne’s son, she “now found herself with the perfect opportunity to exercise her expertise as the perfect hostess, a role which demanded skill, courage and savoir faire, particularly on the evenings when De Gaulle himself came to dinner.”² Anne also joined her husband on royal engagements and he would later describe her as “my invaluable support through 30 years.”³ Whenever the Danish monarch went on a state visit, Georg would come along as attaché, and he would be joined by Anne. Despite having never lived in Denmark, Anne learned to speak almost fluent Danish.

Anne and Georg never had children together. Prince Georg later said, “Unfortunately, we have never had any mutual children, but I have always regarded my wife’s son and daughter as my own. They were quite young when I came into the family, and even though there, in our case, as in all other places, have been some disagreements between generations, I imagine we have had, and still have, an excellent relation between us.”⁴ In 1968, Prince Georg was asked to be the godfather of the future King Frederik X. They also loved spending time with the grandchildren.

Princess Anne last visited Denmark in April 1980 when Prince Georg celebrated his 60th birthday. She already had some health problems, but her death was still unexpected. She died in London on 26 September 1980 of a heart attack. She was only 62 years old.

Her body was brought to Copenhagen, and the funeral took place on 6 October at the Anglican St Alban’s Church. A memorial service was held in London, which was attended by Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, King Olav V of Norway, and Queen Ingrid.

A Danish newspaper wrote, “On many occasions and in all parts of the world, Princess Anne has, together with her husband, in the finest way represented the Danish royal family and Denmark. This was a couple who, to a rare extent, complemented each other on the often complicated extrovert tasks, but privately as well, they supported each other in the finest way.”⁵

Prince Georg would not live long with his Anne; he died on 29 September 1986 after suffering a bad fall. Prince Georg and Princess Anne are buried together with Georg’s parents and brother in the park of Bernstorff Palace in a suburb of Copenhagen.

1. Denmark’s Scottish Princess in Royalty Digest Quarterly 4/2006 p.36
2. Denmark’s Scottish Princess in Royalty Digest Quarterly 4/2006 p.36
3. Denmark’s Scottish Princess in Royalty Digest Quarterly 4/2006 p.37
4. Denmark’s Scottish Princess in Royalty Digest Quarterly 4/2006 p.37
5. Denmark’s Scottish Princess in Royalty Digest Quarterly 4/2006 p.36