Flora Vesterberg (née Ogilvy) should have spent September celebrating several big relationship milestones with her husband Timothy, but she has likely put her anniversary celebrations aside amid the death of her family member, Queen Elizabeth II.
READ: The Queen's cousin Flora Ogilvy's two weddings were filled with royal nods
Princess Alexandra's granddaughter or the Queen's first cousin twice removed married the Swedish financier at the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace on 26 September 2020, during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Flora wore a stunning long-sleeved gown by Emilia Wickstead, which she said was inspired by her great grandmother Princess Marina, and diamond and pearl earrings which previously belonged to Princess Alexandra.
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She went on to have a marriage blessing at St James's Church on 10 September 2021 in front of a larger guest list, including Prince Edward, the Countess of Wessex, and Lady Gabriella Windsor. Flora wore the same earrings with a lace Phillipa Lepley gown featuring delicate embroidered flowers, sheer long sleeves and a romantic sweetheart neckline.
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She also added the Ogilvy tiara, which was given to her grandmother by her late husband, Sir Angus Ogilvy, as a wedding present in 1963.
Flora marked her second wedding anniversary with a throwback photo of her Emilia Wickstead dress
This month would therefore be a very sentimental time for the royal as it marked her second wedding anniversary. Next to a few throwback photos on Instagram, she wrote: "It’s our second wedding anniversary. Thank you @voguemagazine for capturing the moment. We fell in love, and even in the throes of a pandemic with very few loved ones there, the wedding that ensued on a cold September morning was as quietly beautiful as we’d always hoped.
"Thank you @emiliawickstead for designing a dress that reflected exactly that. With every year that passes, I’m forever grateful for my husband Timothy and all that he is."
The couple hosted a wedding blessing in September 2021
However, it was likely a bittersweet occasion amid the Queen's death on 8 September. Following the sad news of her passing, Flora shared an incredibly beautiful photo of her grandmother alongside the Her Majesty, alongside a heartfelt tribute to the late monarch.
"Our last few days have been sorrowful as we mourn the sudden loss of our beloved Queen. As she devoted herself to her responsibilities, she always led with love and understanding from which all of us can learn.
"I will always remember her remarkable joie de vivre and the sparkle in her eyes whenever she spoke," Flora penned.
Flora paid tribute to the Queen by sharing a photo of the monarch with her grandmother
"This archival photograph taken at the Royal Festival Hall, London in 1962 of HM The Queen with my grandmother HRH Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy, her cousin and loyal friend, truly captures that.
"HM endured many challenges during her long reign and yet always brought hope and uplifted the lives of everyone that she encountered. For that and so much more, I will forever be grateful. #HMTheQueen."
Flora was also pictured paying her respects at Her Majesty's committal service at Windsor Castle on 19 September.
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