Ella Mountbatten may come from a family steeped in tradition, but she was every inch the modern bride when she married insurance broker Fergus Wright earlier this month.
The 30-year-old daughter of the King‘s cousin, Ivar Mountbatten, has given the Daily Mail a glimpse inside her wedding to Fergus, also 30, sharing intimate photographs from the day.
Ella’s godfather Prince Edward, 62, and his wife Sophie, 61, were among the 200 guests on the day, which started with a ceremony at St Luke’s Church in Milland, West Sussex.
Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s wife Madeleine, 63, a former international equestrian and Fergus’s godmother, was also in attendance.
Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, was given the special role of signing the marriage register.
‘It was really lovely. I had all my godparents there. It meant a lot to me,’ Ella told the Mail.
Wearing a bespoke ivory silk-satin Ella May London gown with a corseted bodice, full skirt and sweeping train, the bride broke with tradition by giving a speech at the reception – a role historically reserved for the father of the bride, groom and best man.
She said: ‘When else are you going to get all your favourite people in one place to say thanks for all the effort that everyone put in?
Ella Mountbatten may come from a family steeped in tradition, but she was every inch the modern bride when she married insurance broker Fergus Wright earlier this month
The 30-year-old daughter of King Charles’s cousin, Ivar Mountbatten, has given the Daily Mail a glimpse inside her nuptials to Fergus, 30, sharing intimate photographs from the occasion
Ella’s godfather Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, pictured in pink on the left, were among the 200 guests on the day, which started with a ceremony at St Luke’s Church in Milland, West Sussex
‘I kind of tricked myself into thinking I wasn’t going to do it right up until the moment before. It was quite a clever strategy to ensure that I wasn’t too nervous.’
She added: ‘Quite a few girlfriends whose weddings I’ve been to recently have done a speech, so I thought, I want to do one.’
Ella’s romance with Fergus began unexpectedly during the pandemic. The pair were housemates in Clapham, south London, after graduating from university – Ella studied at Bristol and Fergus at Edinburgh – when her planned move to New York for a Wall Street job was cancelled.
‘Literally, if it wasn’t for that, we wouldn’t be together,’ said Ella, who now works in partnerships and events for private aviation firm Flexjet.
During her speech, Ella paid tribute to her supportive family, including her parents, Lord Mountbatten, 63, and events manager Penny, 60, who separated in 2010. They divorced amicably the following year, after 17 years of marriage, and have remained great friends since.
Ivar later married airline cabin services director James Coyle, 64, at the family’s former Devon home Bridwell Park in 2018 – becoming the first member of the extended royal family to have a same-sex wedding.
Penny, who gave her ex-husband away when he married James, is now in a relationship with media and marketing executive Toby Constantine, 61.
‘Everyone got on really well,’ Ella said. ‘It was actually heaven. Literally nothing went wrong the whole day.’
The bride and groom with Lord Mountbatten, Ella’s sisters Alix, 28, and Luli, 24, and her mother events manager Penny
The newlyweds emerged from the church through clouds of confetti before making their getaway in the original Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car
The beaming bride and groom are lifted in the air by members of their wedding party
The bride wore a bespoke ivory silk-satin Ella May London gown with a corseted bodice, full skirt and sweeping train
The bride (pictured with her family) also put a contemporary spin on proceedings by giving a speech at the reception – a role historically reserved for the father of the bride, groom and best man
Ivar’s recent triumph on the US version of The Traitors – in which he played a ‘Faithful’ alongside Hollywood star Zac Efron’s younger brother Dylan – also provided plenty of material for the newlyweds’ speeches.
Ella had planned to raise a glass ‘to the Faithful’ in honour of her father’s win – and joke that his share of the prize money was keeping the drinks flowing – before Fergus warned her not to steal all his jokes. ‘I let him have them,’ she laughed.
They later discovered a remarkable coincidence. Fergus had unknowingly booked the couple’s African honeymoon at Tongabezi in Zambia – the very same lodge where Ivar had taken Penny on their honeymoon some three decades earlier. ‘It was completely unintentional,’ Ella said.
On the morning of the wedding, Ella got ready alongside her mother and sisters – maids of honour Alix, 28, and Luli, 24 – and friends before slipping into her gown designed by Ella May Sangster, granddaughter of the late billionaire racing tycoon Robert Sangster.
She completed the look with a delicate Moussaieff leaf-motif tiara rather than the heavier Mountbatten family piece worn by Penny on her own wedding day.
‘I wasn’t actually planning to wear a tiara,’ Ella explained. ‘But a brand I used to work alongside at The Peninsula, Moussaieff, kindly offered to lend me one and it was beautiful.’
One of her youngest guests quickly confirmed she had made the right choice. As Ella climbed out of the car at the church, page boy Wilbur Wentworth-Stanley – the three-year-old son of actress Cressida Bonas and Harry Wentworth-Stanley – told her she looked ‘like a princess’.
‘That was exactly the compliment I needed to hear before my wobbly nervous walk down the aisle,’ Ella said.
Ella, pictured on her wedding day, completed her look with a delicate Moussaieff leaf-motif tiara rather than the heavier Mountbatten family piece worn by Penny on her own wedding day
Ella’s romance with Fergus began unexpectedly during the pandemic. The pair were housemates in Clapham after graduating from university – Ella studied at Bristol and Fergus at Edinburgh – when her planned move to New York for a Wall Street job was cancelled
Later in the evening, Ella swapped her wedding gown for a shimmering backless top and dramatic fringed skirt created with her sister Luli, which swirled around her as she danced into the night
The wedding reception was at the Great Trippetts Estate, the home of Ella’s uncle George Mountbatten, 4th Marquess of Milford Haven, and his wife Clare
While the photos capture a bride apparently taking everything in her stride, Ella admitted the scale of the celebrations meant much of the day passed in a blur
The reception unfolded in a sweeping marquee overlooking the polo pitches, decorated with pink and green flowers and trees
She was walked down the aisle by Ivar to Gabriel’s Oboe, while sister Luli struggled to hold back her emotions during a reading. ‘She literally burst into tears at the end. It was so cute,’ Ella recalled.
She added: ‘I thought I was going to cry, but I think you’ve got your game face on the day. We got all the tears out in the rehearsal.’
The newlyweds then emerged from the church through clouds of confetti before making their getaway in the original Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car – fulfilling a dream Ella had harboured since childhood. Her godmother Mary Montagu Scott even took special driving lessons for the occasion.
‘I remember seeing the car when I was younger and wishing I could leave my wedding in it,’ said Ella. ‘So it really was a dream come true.’
The celebrations moved to Great Trippetts Estate, the home of Ella’s uncle George Mountbatten, 4th Marquess of Milford Haven, and his wife Clare.
The venue came to the rescue after Ivar sold Bridwell Park, the Devon estate where Ella had spent 27 years and which itself hosted weddings, just months before she became engaged.
‘It was slightly annoying timing,’ Ella said. ‘But it worked out because my father now lives literally next to his brother. Actually, it was such a perfect place to get married. I’m very grateful to my uncle.’
The reception unfolded in a sweeping marquee overlooking the polo pitches, decorated with pink and green flowers and trees, while Penny had even arranged for Ella Mountbatten sweet peas – named after her daughter – to be specially grown out of season for the bouquet.
The newlyweds made their getaway in the original Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car – fulfilling a dream Ella had harboured since childhood. Her godmother Mary Montagu Scott even took special driving lessons for the occasion
During her speech, Ella paid tribute to her supportive family, including her parents, who separated in 2010
The bride looked stunning in a floor-length gown, featuring lace detailing
The bride and groom with page boy Wilbur Wentworth Stanley, son of Cressida Bonas, bridesmaid Elodie Dru, and fellow members of the bridal party Theo Mountbatten, Rocky Oxenham and Inigo Arnott
The bride and groom invited 200 guests (pictured) to their big day earlier this month
The photos were taken by Ella’s cousins, Lara and Bizzy Arnott, who run Arnott & Arnott Photography
Top row, from left: Jemima Lowe, Lulu Straker, Annie Rodick, Rosa Mayfield and Hannah Bray. Bottom row, from left: Bizzy Arnott, Alix Mountbatten, the bride, Luli Mountbatten and mother of the bride Penny Mountbatten
The bride (pictured) was walked down the aisle by Ivar to Gabriel’s Oboe, while sister Luli struggled to hold back her emotions during a reading
‘I honestly wish I could have been more present in all the moments,’ Ella (pictured) said. ‘That’s why it’s so nice hearing everyone’s perspective of the day.’
The wedding cake was a tower of mochi – soft Japanese rice cakes – inspired by Penny’s nickname for her daughter. ‘I loved my mochi cake,’ Ella (pictured at her reception) said. ‘Mum calls me Mochi – I’m obsessed with them.’
The wedding cake was a tower of mochi – soft Japanese rice cakes – inspired by Penny’s nickname for her daughter. ‘I loved my mochi cake,’ Ella said. ‘Mum calls me Mochi – I’m obsessed with them.’
After the speeches, guests climbed onto their chairs for a singalong before the newlyweds took to the floor for their first dance to Fred Again and Obongjayar’s Adore U, a song which had played repeatedly when they started dating.
Later in the evening, Ella swapped her wedding gown for a shimmering backless top and dramatic fringed skirt created with her sister Luli, which swirled around her as she danced into the night.
And while the photos capture a bride apparently taking everything in her stride, Ella admitted the scale of the celebrations meant much of the day passed in a blur.
‘I honestly wish I could have been more present in all the moments,’ she said. ‘That’s why it’s so nice hearing everyone’s perspective of the day.’
The photos were taken by Ella’s cousins, Lara and Bizzy Arnott, who run Arnott & Arnott Photography.
‘It was really special having them behind the camera and now reliving it all through the photos. They have done the most incredible job capturing the day,’ Ella said. ‘I still feel like I’m kind of riding the wave.’
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