Chapter 423 Earl Hardy
October 16th.
Princess Margaret and Viscount Hardy held their engagement ceremony. They first came to Westminster Abbey to receive the blessing of the bishop, and then took a float to Buckingham Palace. The road was filled with cheering people.
The engagement ceremony was simple and grand.
Members of the British royal family, aristocrats, and members of the Prime Minister's cabinet were all present, and countless reporters took photos and videos.
The reason is simply because this is just an engagement and no more distant friends are invited. When the wedding comes, the British royal family and Hardy will invite relatives and friends to attend, and that will be the most grand moment.
From now on,
Margaret has become Hardy's fiancée.
King George VI also attended the engagement ceremony today. Although he could no longer stand, he always had a smile on his face and gave his blessings in the end.
Just five days after Hardy and Margaret got engaged, George VI passed away with a smile on his face. This was one of the reasons why Margaret and Hardy were anxious to hold the engagement ceremony.
Britain and the world mourned the death of this beloved monarch of the British Empire.
Princess Elizabeth then inherited the throne and became Queen Elizabeth, whose full title is "Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her Other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of Christianity".
It's another national celebration.
After a series of activities, the royal family announced Margaret's wedding date, which was set before Christmas.
Why are you in such a hurry?
The main reason is that the belly can't wait. Margaret's belly is getting bigger day by day. If it's any later, the baby will be born.
During this period, the British royal family has been experiencing a lot of major events, including Margaret's engagement, George VI's funeral, and Queen Elizabeth's succession ceremony. Now the royal etiquette team has begun intensive preparations for Princess Margaret's wedding.
Moreover, before Margaret's wedding, a knighting ceremony was held. Queen Elizabeth had just come to power, and bestowing the title would demonstrate the queen's authority.
This time Hardy was also among those being awarded a title. It was his third time being awarded a title. When the medal was hung on his chest, Viscount Hardy became Earl Hardy.
As an earl, Hardy could get a fiefdom in mainland England, but there are not many fiefdoms in mainland England now. Hardy only got a piece of land of 3,000 acres, which is a larger farm.
The location is not bad, in Berkshire, not too far from Windsor Castle. The main reason for being assigned here is that he is about to become the princess's husband. After all, this will allow Margaret to be closer to Windsor Castle.
According to custom, Hardy could change his title, such as naming it after his fiefdom, but Hardy chose to continue using his last name.
Earl Hardy.
At this moment, a duck suddenly appeared in Hardy's mind, 'Count Daqla', Hardy shook his head quickly, the childhood memory was too deep.
......
Time passed quickly and it was early November 1952.
The results of the new U.S. presidential election have officially come out, and without any surprise, Eisenhower was elected as the new president.
Hardy returned to the United States from England to attend the celebration reception.
As for officially becoming president, the handover will not take place until February next year.
After Eisenhower and Hardy embraced each other, he smiled and said, "Congratulations, Hardy. You will soon marry Her Royal Highness the Princess. This is the dream of countless people."
"If possible, I really hope you can attend my wedding ceremony, but it's a bit far away." Hardy said with a smile.
"No problem, I will definitely go as the male guest." Eisenhower agreed with a smile.
During his election campaign, Hardy gave him considerable support. Political donations were one aspect, but the most important thing was that Hardy controlled the largest media group in the United States, which played a vital role in propaganda.
Every time Eisenhower gave a speech, it was broadcast live or reported. He also appeared on ABC's Tonight Show with Elaine and commentary programs. Even his debates with competitors were conducted on ABC.
The home advantage was very obvious, allowing Eisenhower to easily defeat the opponent.
Eisenhower attached great importance to Hardy, a wealthy man who controlled the American media and had his own power outside.
Now, no one dares to ignore Hardy's influence.
......
After attending the new president's reception, Hardy returned to Los Angeles. In the following half an hour or so, Hardy comforted his women one by one.
Even after marrying the princesses, he never intended to give them up.
Ava Gardner knew from the beginning that she could never become Hardy's legal wife because she herself felt she was not qualified.
Marilyn Monroe was a little sad, not because Hardy got married, but because she was afraid that Hardy would abandon her. After all, he married a princess, and who knew if he would let all the women around him leave.
After Hardy's repeated persuasion, the girl finally felt at ease.
Audrey Hepburn's original words were, I will devote my life to art and charity, never marry, and if I have a child with you, I hope he will have your surname.
This girl is so lovely.
Iliana was very well behaved. She said nothing. Her two long legs were still crossed firmly in the bathroom.
In fact, this is also her cleverness, not fighting.
She believed that Hardy had his own plans.
Elizabeth Taylor had a tantrum at Hardy, but she had been scolding Margaret, saying she was on guard against fire, theft and best friends. She never expected that in the end it was her best friend who stole her man.
"Well, I'm going to attend your wedding. I've already told Margaret that I want to be the maid of honor. I want to wear the most beautiful dress and stand next to you." Elizabeth Taylor said.
"Did Margaret agree?" Hardy asked with some confusion.
"She agreed." Taylor looked proud.
......
December 18, 1952.
Wedding.
Margaret looks exceptionally beautiful today.
The white wedding dress was designed by royal designer Norman himself. It made Margaret look extremely elegant and was also deliberately designed to cover her slightly bulging belly.
She wore a tall princess crown on her head, made of diamonds and platinum, made by Cartier. When she walked out of the door, she immediately won applause of blessings.
Today's wedding,
All the guests were important people.
Members of the British royal family, members of various British aristocratic families, the British Prime Minister and ministers were all present, as were many European royal families, and government officials from dozens of Commonwealth member states such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Hardy's guests were also very important, including the current US President Johnson, the future President Eisenhower, the Vice President, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, a dozen senators, and major members of major conglomerates such as Rockefeller, Morgan, DuPont, Mellon, and California.
It is probably rare in the world to be able to gather such a powerful lineup at the same time. At that time, Hardy looked at the densely packed crowd and thought with a sense of disgust that if a missile fell now, it would definitely have consequences that would affect the entire world.
In addition, there were also heads of various companies in the Hardy Group and many Hollywood stars. The media later viewed the invitation of Hollywood stars as a sign that the British royal family intended to break down the traditional aristocratic barriers and become more people-friendly.
All right,
People have two sides. Whether what you say is right or wrong depends on how you say it.
I didn't think that much at the time.
The wedding was held at Westminster Abbey in London and presided over by the Cardinal himself. Hardy put a ring on Margaret's finger. From that moment on, Margaret became Hardy's wife.
Margaret smiled brilliantly.
People can tell from her expression that she is very happy at the moment.
Life,
Isn't happiness what we are pursuing?
After the ceremony, Hardy took Margaret's hand and boarded the carriage. In front was the Royal Knights, riding tall horses to lead the way. On both sides of the road were hundreds of thousands of British people who came to watch the ceremony. When the motorcade passed by them, the princess waved gently out of the window, which immediately aroused countless cheers.
Finally the convoy returned to Buckingham Palace.
Here,
There was also a more grand cocktail party.
After the ceremony, of course there will be a banquet. The routine is the same everywhere.
When those distinguished guests gathered together, this cocktail party instantly became the most prestigious one in the world.
This wedding,
It was even grander than Queen Elizabeth's wedding.
The party ended late, the guests left, and Hardy and Margaret drove back to their castle.
On her 18th birthday, King George VI gave Princess Margaret a castle to wish her formal adulthood. The entire castle estate covers an area of more than 1,000 acres.
Margaret would come here occasionally. The stables here were home to her personal horses. After their wedding, this place would become her and Hardy's home. In the past few months, it had been renovated to make it even more cozy.
In the room.
Hardy hugged Margaret's warm body from behind.
The movement is not large.
But pregnant women are more sensitive, and Margaret soon lost herself.
......
A few days after the wedding,
Margaret and Hardy flew to Cayman on a private jet to start their honeymoon.
The climate in Cayman is pleasant and very suitable for winter.
Here, without the red tape of the royal family, Margaret felt extremely relaxed and her heart changed. In the past, she always felt that the royal atmosphere suffocated her and always wanted to escape. When she couldn't escape, she became more rebellious.
Now that she has gained her freedom, that rebellious feeling has miraculously disappeared. Instead, she pays more attention to her own situation than before, and sometimes even puts restrictions on herself.
That's how people are.
Ordinary families actually also encounter this situation. If children are disciplined too strictly by their parents, they will think about escaping and rebel.
However, those who have no parents to take care of them, such as left-behind children and even orphans, desperately desire parental supervision. In their minds, supervision represents care.
This is Margaret's situation now. Far away from her sister and the royal family, Hardy does not require any etiquette from her. She no longer has the desire to break free as before, and she relaxes completely. At this time, the royal upbringing begins to take the upper hand, causing her to unconsciously restrain herself.
In fact, Margaret was rebellious.
It's just compared to the strict requirements people placed on royal members at that time.
Hollywood stars,
Many people have done more outrageous things than her, but they still haven't been forgiven. It's just that the requirements for the people involved are different.
The royal family is a role model for the nation.
But being a role model is not that easy.
cayman islands.
Margaret was wearing a floral dress and a pair of crystal flat sandals. Elizabeth Taylor was holding her hand, and the two women were strolling in a luxury shopping street.
At this moment, Margaret's belly has bulged. She no longer needs to cover it and is very proud of it. Nowadays, the Cayman Islands is only open to VIPs, so there are not many people on weekdays. There are two to three thousand staff members, but maybe only one to two thousand customers.
Everyone here knows that this is a British princess, and also the Countess of Hardy, the mistress of this island.
But she also has to pay for the things she buys.
Of course it was Hua Hadi’s money.
Speaking of which,
Margaret doesn't have many real friends. Most of them were friends in the UK before, and most of them were related by interest. Now in Cayman, there are even fewer friends she can chat with, so Margaret called Taylor.
At the Dior store, the waiter enthusiastically introduced the latest styles of handbags to the two of them, and finally Margaret took a fancy to one.
Taylor also took a fancy to one.
When paying, Margaret glanced at the card in Taylor's hand, and the two of them walked out of the store. When no one was around, Margaret said:
“You’re using my husband’s card again.”
The card here is not the bank card of later generations, but a kind of Cayman Island account card. You deposit money in a bank on the island and open an island consumption card. Each consumption situation is directly recorded, and there can be a certain degree of overdue.
Hardy is laying the foundation for future bank cards and has already asked banks to study bank cards.
Taylor gave Margaret a blank look.
"You stole my boyfriend. I thought you were a good friend, but I didn't expect that my man would be snatched away by my best friend in the end."
Margaret snorted and whispered, "Don't think I don't know that Hardy sneaked into your room last night."
"Huh, I knew Hardy before you." Taylor said unwillingly.
"We are still on our honeymoon, okay!" Margaret said angrily, putting her hands on her hips.
"I'm a bridesmaid, so I have the right to a honeymoon."
......