<P> The wedding of Prince Albert, Duke of York, and Lady Elizabeth Bowes - Lyon took place on 26 April 1923 at Westminster Abbey . </P> <P> Prince Albert, Duke of York--"Bertie" to the family--was the second son of King George V. He was second in line to succeed his father, behind his elder brother the Prince of Wales . He initially proposed to Elizabeth in 1921, but she turned him down, being "afraid never, never again to be free to think, speak and act as I feel I really ought to". When he declared he would marry no one else, his mother, Queen Mary, visited Glamis to see for herself the girl her son wanted to marry . She became convinced that Elizabeth was "the one girl who could make Bertie happy", but nevertheless refused to interfere . At the same time, Elizabeth was courted by James Stuart, Albert's equerry, until he left the prince's service for a better - paid job in the American oil business . </P> <P> In February 1922, Elizabeth was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Albert's sister, Princess Mary, to Viscount Lascelles . The following month, Albert proposed again, but she refused him once more . Eventually, in January 1923, Elizabeth agreed to marry Albert, despite her misgivings about royal life . </P> <P> Prince Albert, Duke of York, and Lady Elizabeth Bowes - Lyon were married on 26 April 1923 in Westminster Abbey . In an unexpected and unprecedented gesture, Elizabeth laid her bouquet at the Tomb of The Unknown Warrior on her way into the Abbey, in memory of her brother Fergus . Ever since, the bouquets of subsequent royal brides have traditionally been laid at the tomb, though after the wedding ceremony rather than before . </P>

Who designed the queen mother's wedding dress