How much contact with non-royal in-laws?

[wendy]

Long time no post!

I saw a lovely family photo of the British royal family which was taken at the 60th anniversary dinner for the Queen and Prince Phillip. The Queen's royal cousins were there (the 3 Kents and the Duke of Gloucester). [Aside: is there no contact with her cousins descended from Princess Mary - sister to George V?]

It occurred to me that each family has two sides and I wondered how much contact the Queen and Princess Margaret had with their Bowes-Lyon cousins. They were present at the Queen Mother's funeral, of course, but I'm talking about regular contact more close than sending a Christmas card.

I know that the Yorks would travel to Glamis to see the Duchess's family up to the time of WWII but do we know anything since then? Did Princess Elizabeth have a Bowes-Lyon cousin bridesmaid?

And the concept probably holds true with other sub-branches of the Queen's family: Princes William & Harry have doubtfully seen much of their Spencer aunts, uncle and cousins, etc.

Have any of you read/heard about this aspect of royal family life? Thanks!

[Matt Higdon]

There was certainly a good deal of contact between the Queen Mother and her Bowes Lyon relatives. The Hon. Margaret Rhodes was one of her Ladies in Waiting I believe, and published her recollections of her much loved aunt.

[observer]

Oct 27, 2010 5:40:42 GMT wendy said:

Long time no post!

....[Aside: is there no contact with her cousins descended from Princess Mary - sister to George V?]

.....Did Princess Elizabeth have a Bowes-Lyon cousin bridesmaid? ....

I believe that there used to contact with the children of Princess Mary, the former Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood, i.e., Patrick, Earl of Harewood and the various Lascelles.

Her bridesmaids included three of her non-royal cousins - two Bowes-Lyons (Margaret Elphinstone later Margaret Rhodes, the daughter of the Queen Mother's sister Mary, and Diana Cinderella Bowes-Lyon, daughter of the Queen Mother's brother John) as well as her cousin Lady Mary Cambridge, daughter of the Marquess of Cambridge (the former Prince George of Teck).