One of the most important royal weddings of the 20th century was all set to make history in another way when a cleric intervened to stop a moral outrage.
The marriage of Albert, Duke of York and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, in April 1923, was due to be recorded by the brand new BBC and broadcast on radio to share it with as many people as possible.
However, the Archbishop of Canterbury was having none of it and for a very particular reason.
Randall Davidon was deeply concerned about people behaving properly while listening to this most solemn ceremony. And he put his foot down over it being recorded in case anyone ended up taking the programme in while sitting, down, wearing a hat or, even worse, drinking alcohol.
Among the main concerns of those opposed to the wedding being recorded was that the National Anthem might be heard without everyone listening immediately standing up.
So it was decided that the ceremony would only be heard by those in Westminster Abbey.
It meant that one of the most significant royal weddings in modern history wasn’t recorded for posterity.
The decision, which seems so archaic now, was discussed in the BBC programme In Love with Elizabeth: The Early Life of the Queen Mother which was broadcast on BBC One.
It would have been the BBC that broadcast the radio version of the wedding if recording had been permitted.
The marriage, at the time, was a very happy event which provided a boost for the image of the Royal Family, It was covered extensively in other media with photos of the bride, in her very fashionable wedding dress, appearing in newspapers and magazines around the world.
However, the real significance of the wedding would only become apparent several years later.
In 1923, the groom was second in line to the throne but never expected to succeed as his older brother, the endlessly charming Prince of Wales, was the most eligible man in the country and the hope of his dynasty. Everyone thought that Edward would wed and have a family continue the House of Windsor. In the end, he gave up his throne after less than a year to marry the American divorcee, Wallis Simpson.
That meant that the wedding that was barred from the radio was actually the marriage of a king and queen. Albert succeeded as King George VI in December 1936 with his wife becoming Queen Elizabeth.
Furthermore, their union had already produced the most significant Monarch of modern time and one of the most important in British history. In 1926, they had welcomed a daughter named in honour of her mother. In 1952, she succeeded as Queen Elizabeth II and went on to reign for 70 years, the longest rule of any British monarch in history.
However, the moment that this marriage that would prove so significant actually began was gone in an instant with no permanent record and all because someone might have sat down to listen to it.
