The royal family celebrated their first lesbian wedding after King George V’s great-great-granddaughter married her Australian bride in a fun-filled outdoor ceremony set in New South Wales, Australia.
Aristocrat Ellen Lascelles, 39, made history by marrying Channtel McPherson, known as ‘Chan’, in a ceremony in Byron Bay Hinterland this week, making the couple the first all-female marital couple in the royal diaspora .
Ellen, niece of David Lascelles, 8th and current Earl of Harewood, exchanged vows with her groom and sealed their union with a kiss in front of a lovely handmade celebratory banner reading ‘Here come the brides’.
The newlyweds, who live in Australia, will become a blended family of five, as Ellen has a son, Jack, and a daughter, Penny, with her Australian ex-boyfriend, while Chan, who owns a design company, Has a daughter. Raf.
When Ellen’s grandparents, the Earl and Countess of Harewood, married, the reception was held at St James’s Palace and attended by George VI and his wife, Queen Elizabeth.
Ellen exchanged vows with her groom, sealing their union with a kiss in front of a charming handmade celebration banner that read “Here Come the Brides.”
Ellen Lascelles, however, chose a quite different wedding, outdoors in this Australian gem that boasts an Elysium of green hills, stunning views, lush rainforest and waterfalls.
“Channtel and I surrounded ourselves with almost all of our favorite people in the world and had the most fun, warm, love-filled day I could ever imagine,” said Ellen, the oldest daughter of David Lascelles’ younger brother, Jeremy.
Ellen’s son, Jack, wrote “an incredible Acknowledgment of Homeland” to express his gratitude and respect for the Arakwal people, whose Bundjalung lands, Ellen said, “we were lucky enough to be married to.”
He added: “And Penny and Raff were just a couple of dream girls in white.”
Before the historic wedding, Ellen had been gleefully alerting her friends about her engagement by posting the news online.
Aristocrat Ellen Lascelles (pictured right), 39, made history by marrying Channtel McPherson, known as ‘Chan’, in a ceremony in Byron Bay Hinterland this week.
Ellen posted a photo of herself with Chan, formerly manager of Bang-On T-Shirts, looking radiant as they enjoy time on the beach together.
The newlyweds, who live in Australia, will become a blended family of five after their fun outdoor ceremony.
Byron Bay Hinterland boasts an Elysium of green hills, stunning views, lush rainforest and waterfalls.
Ellen Lascelles chose a wedding setting quite different from her grandparents’, outdoors in the Australian gem.
When Ellen’s grandparents, the Earl and Countess of Harewood, married, the reception was held at St James’s Palace and attended by George VI and his wife, Queen Elizabeth.
Ellen is the niece of David Lascelles, 8th and current Earl of Harewood and honorary life president of Leeds United Football Club.
“On New Year’s Day, Chan asked me to marry her and turned what was an amazing 2022 into an even more amazing 2023,” Ellen said.
“Two proposals in one day, plus a cat ring to seal the deal until we get a real engagement ring,” adds event director Ellen.
Playful by nature, she has described herself as a “left-handed free spirit and full-time dreamer” and, elsewhere, as a “sun-chasing vegan snack queen.”
She and her equally glamorous younger sister, Amy, once dressed in fake tiaras and offered fitness classes that culminated in them lifting a 10kg dumbbell (‘the weight of an average royal corgi’) before the prince’s wedding. William and Kate Middleton.
But Ellen was totally serious about Chan’s proposal, saying she’s “floating on a cloud of love.”
Lord Ivar Mountbatten (pictured left) – Lord (‘Dickie’) Mountbatten’s great-nephew married James Coyle, director of cabin services for a Glasgow airline in the first royal same-sex marriage.
Ivar and Penny remained good friends, and the former royal wife even gave him away at her wedding to James.
To prove it, she posted a photo of herself with Chan, formerly manager of Bang-On T-Shirts, looking radiant as they enjoy time on the beach together.
Theirs is not the first same-sex marriage within the wider Royal Family. That milestone was achieved by Lord Ivar Mountbatten, great-nephew of Lord (‘Dickie’) Mountbatten.
In 2018, seven years after divorcing Penny Thompson, with whom he has three daughters, Ivar married James Coyle, director of cabin services for a Glasgow airline.
Ivar and Penny remained good friends, and the royal ex-wife even gave him as a gift at her wedding.