Prince William and Kate Middleton's bridesmaids and pageboys now

What became of Kate Middleton’s bridesmaids and page boys? Ten years on, Margarita Armstrong Jones eyes a photography career like her late grandfather while ‘grumpy’ Grace Van Cutsem’s mum downplays royal links

  • Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, 38, wed at Westminster Abbey on April 29 2011
  • Grace Van Cutsem, three, stole show with her scowl as Kate and William kissed
  • She’s now 13 and attends private school close to the family home in Oxfordshire
  • Lady Louise Windsor was just seven when she accompanied Kate up the aisle 
  • Since attended many high profile engagements including Prince Philip’s funeral 

While all eyes patiently waited to see the first glimpse of the Duchess of Cambridge’s gown on April 29, 2011, others were left distracted by the adorable display put on by the well-behaved bridesmaids and page boys.

Among the chosen ones were Master Tom Pettifer, son of Harry and William’s childhood nanny, William Lowther-Pinkerton, Lady Louise Windsor, princess Margaret’s granddaughter Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, and Camilla’s granddaughter Eliza Lopes. 

But it was Grace Van Cutsem, then three, who went viral after stealing the show with her scowl when the newly weds shared their first public kiss on the balcony.  

Here, FEMAIL takes a look at where the bride’s young troupe are now…

GRACE VAN CUTSEM  

The Duke of Cambridge’s three-year-old goddaughter Grace Van Cutsem famously covered her ears and scowled as the newlyweds shared their first public peck on the balcony on 29 April 2011

Grace, now 13, was homeschooled by her mum Rose during three months in Sri Lanka in 2018, but now attends a private school near the family home in Oxfordshire

As millions across the world tuned in, the six children who made up the bridesmaids and pageboys were the epitome of good behaviour – until it got the big kiss on the balcony, at least.

It seems the noise of millions clapping outside Buckingham Palace got too much for Prince William’s three-year-old goddaughter Grace Van Cutsem, who covered her ears and scowled as the newlyweds shared their first public peck.

Grace – who is the daughter of the couple’s friend Hugh van Cutsem – is now 13 and has remained out of the public eye since stealing the limelight almost ten years ago. 

She is a big sister to brothers Rafe and Charlie and was homeschooled by her mum Rose during three months in Sri Lanka in 2018, but now attends a private school close to the family home in Oxfordshire.

In an interview with The Times in February 2020, she explained that she does so for ‘practical reasons’ – adding: ‘A lot of our friends still go to the village school. It’s a fantastic school.’

Grace’s mum, who holds local yoga workshops and teaches vinyasa, says her job is looking after her children. Pictured, Grace at the royal wedding in 2011

Rose, part of the sprawling Astor dynasty, also said she has grown tired of being associated with the royal family, despite her husband’s family close links with the Windsors. Pictured, Rose Astor and Hugh van Cutsem at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018

While her mother did share updates of her childrens’ lives on Instagram for a short period – including snaps of Grace roasting marshmallows and donning her school uniform – she now keeps it largely private. 

She also shared snippets of information on Twitter about her family life, saying that her children’s favourite song was I Took A Pill In Ibiza.  

Rose, who has chosen professionally to be known as Rose Astor rather than Rose van Cutsem, told the publication: ‘No one could spell it. Or say it. No, I don’t want to be associated. 

‘I’m fed up with being associated with the royal family in everything I do. I have nothing to do with them apart from I married someone who grew up with them.’ 

Now, Rose who holds local yoga workshops and teaches vinyasa, says her job is looking after her children. 

She added: ‘I just want them to be happy, confident and have good manners and a work ethic.’ 

LADY LOUISE WINDSOR

Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex’s daughter Lady Louise Windsor was just seven when she made up part of Kate’s troupe which accompanied her down the aisle. Pictured, arriving at Westminster Abbey

Sophie Wessex and Lady Louise Windsor spotted on the High Street in Windsor on 16 April 2021

Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex’s daughter Lady Louise Windsor was just seven when she made up part of Kate’s troupe which accompanied her down the aisle.

Now 17, the royal, who is Prince William’s first cousin and 14th in line to the throne, is studying for her A levels in English, history, politics and drama at a school in Ascot. 

In 2018, Lady Louise attended the Queen’s 92nd birthday concert at Royal Albert Hall, while a year later she and her brother, James, Viscount Severn, 13, joined their parents on a visit to a zoo in Bristol and fed some of its animals.

Over the years, the royal has shared a keen interest in carriage driving with her grandfather the Duke of Edinburgh, who was instrumental in helping to establish the hobby as a sport in Britain.

Both she and her mother Sophie Wessex competed in the Champagne Laurent-Perrier Meet of the British Driving Society in Berkshire in May last year.   

Most recently, Louise, the youngest granddaughter of the Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, walked alongside her brother James, Viscount Severn, to mourn their grandfather, who died in Windsor Castle on 9 April 2021, aged 99.

Lady Louise Windsor emulated her sophisticated mother Sophie, Countess of Wessex (pictured together), as she joined her family to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh on 9 April

Looking just like her mother’s mini me, Louise appeared perfectly poised in a black dress and a £129 headband and elegant veil, thought to be from Jane Taylor London.

Louise tied her long blonde hair into a pretty plait, and added a black hair band and matching face mask.

The siblings attendance at the funeral was their most high-profile engagement to date – apart from being guests at their cousins weddings.

Speaking to FEMAIL, royal author and expert Ingrid Seward explained Lady Louise has ‘always been an asset’ to the royal family. 

‘She has always been an asset to the family and very polite which the Queen loves,’ Ingrid said.

‘Remember how she helped the bridesmaids on the steps of St. George’s Chapel as they went inside at Princess Eugenie’s wedding and her skirt blew up in the wind in front of the TV cameras? She handled it very deftly.’

Louise lives in Bagshot Park, just a few miles from Windsor Castle, with her parents and younger brother – who is 13th in line to the throne and the youngest of the Queen’s grandchildren. 

LADY MARGARITA ARMSTRONG-JONES

Bridesmaid Margarita Armstrong-Jones and page boy Tom Pettifer wave as they arrive to attend the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011 in London

Pictured left to right, David Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowdon, Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Serena Armstrong-Jones, Countess of Snowdon, and Charles Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley, attend the Alexander Dundas’s 18th birthday party hosted by Lord and Lady Dundas on December 16, 2017 in London

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II (C) along with (front row L-R) Serena Armstrong-Jones, Countess of Snowdon, David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, known as David Linley, Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Britain’s Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Lady Sarah Chatto leave after attending a service of thanksgiving in honour of the late British photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones, the former husband of Queen Elizabeth II’s late sister Princess Margaret, better known as Lord Snowdon (1st Earl of Snowdon), David and Lady Sarah’s father, at St Margaret’s Church in London on April 7, 2017

Princess Margaret’s granddaughter was eight-years-old when she sat next to Kate’s sister Pippa at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Lady Margarita – the daughter of David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, and Serena Armstrong-Jones, Countess of Snowdon

As a teenager she’s believed to have attended both the prestigious Tudor Hall School in Banbury, and the same St Mary’s School in Ascot as Lady Louise Windsor,

She’s dabbled in the world of fashion, having taken to the catwalk for a show in aid of Kids Company, and she also attended a Dior Cruise showcase at Blenheim Palace in 2016 when she was 14. 

In April 2017, the Queen’s great-niece was pictured exchanging warm words with the monarch at a service of thanksgiving for her grandfather, the late Lord Snowdon. 

On October 12, 2018 in Windsor, Lady Margarita – who is the granddaughter of Princess Margaret – attended the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.

Just two months later, she made another public appearance when as she attended a Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace.

Now 18 and living in Chelsea, she seems to have set her sights on a creative career path, having set up an Instagram account to showcase her handmade silver jewellery. However this hasn’t been updated since February 2020.

Instead, she may well be intent on following in the footsteps of her late grandather, Tony Armstrong Jones as a photographer. 

The teenager also has an Instagram accounts dedicated to her photography where she’s shared a selection of moody images of friends, street photography and black and white portraits, including of her cousin Sam Chatto.  

Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones attends Christmas Lunch at Buckingham Palace on December 18, 2019 in London

Serena, Countess of Snowdon, Charles Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley, David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon and Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones attend the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank at St George’s Chapel on October 12, 2018 in Windsor

ELIZA LOPES 

Eliza – the granddaughter of Prince William’s stepmother Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall – was just three when she took on the role of flower girl in front of the nation at the royal wedding.   

She is the daughter of Laura Rose Lopes – Camilla’s daughter with Andrew Parker Bowles – who also welcomed twin boys Gus and Louis in early 2010 with husband, Harry.

Donning a blue floral dress complete with green-coloured peter pan collar and clutching a cuddly toy, Eliza and her brothers could be seen trying to pass the time while waiting for the procession to start at Trooping of the Colour on 11 June 2016.  

Eliza – the granddaughter of Prince William’s stepmother Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall – was just three when she took on the role of flower girl in front of the nation at the royal wedding (pictured)

The Duchess of Cornwall’s grandchildren Eliza and twin boys Louis and Gus Lopes pass time while waiting for the procession to start at Trooping of the Colour on 11 June 2016

Camilla previously told the Mail of the joy that being a grandmother had brought her.

‘I just love them all to bits,’ she said. ‘Obviously I am being called on for more and more baby sitting duties but it’s wonderful.

‘Laura was rather thrown when she was told she was having twins, but we have never had them in the family before and I for one can’t wait.’

In documentary The Real Camilla: HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, the royal also called being a grandmother ‘wonderful.

She added: ‘It’s very nice because you haven’t got the full responsibility. You can give them a wonderful time, spoil them, give them all the things their parents won’t allow them to have and then give them back again.’ 

In 2018, The Duchess of Cornwall praised the ‘fantastic’ air ambulance service and revealed it rescued one of her own grandchildren as she opened the Wiltshire Air Ambulance’s new base. 

Though she did not reference her ‘granddaughter’ by name, the Duchess mentioned that Laura was also present in the helicopter.

Therefore the child, who was taken to a hospital in Yorkshire following an emergency call, was almost certainly Eliza Lopes, 10 – Laura’s only daughter. 

‘I just really wanted to say a huge thank you to everybody who has been involved with this wonderful project,’ The Duchess began by saying.

‘I know what fantastic work the air ambulance does. I’ve seen it and I have known friends that have literally been saved by it.

‘Even in Yorkshire my granddaughter was taken off in the Yorkshire one, one year, and luckily she was sorted and alright, but it gave my daughter such confidence to be aboard it.’

While Eliza’s mother Laura prefers to stay out of the spotlight, she enjoys a warm relationship with her step-brothers, who both made a big effort to attend her wedding to former Calvin Klein underwear model Harry in 2006. 

Laura is a graduate of History of Art and Marketing from Oxford Brookes, and has pursued a career in gallery management, as well as a stint as motoring correspondent for Tatler in 2001.

In 2005, she co-founded the Eleven Gallery in Belgravia with Charlie Phillips and prefers to concentrate on her career and motherhood than courting the limelight. 

Her husband Harry comes from suitably aristocratic stock as both his grandfathers were barons.

He will one day inherit Gnaton Hall, near Plymouth and the 3,000-acre Skelpick estate in the Scottish Highlands. 

TOM PETTIFER

Tom Pettifer was eight-years-old when he was pictured laughing as he arrived with pageboy William Lowther-Pinkerton and bridesmaids Lady Louise Windsor and Margarita Armstrong-Jones (pictured)

Tiggy Pettifer and Tom Pettifer attend the wedding of Prince Harry to Ms Meghan Markle at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018 in Windsor (pictured)

With his bleach blonde bowl hair cut, Tom Pettifer was aged eight when he was pictured laughing as he arrived with pageboy William Lowther-Pinkerton and bridesmaids Lady Louise Windsor and Margarita Armstrong-Jones.

Appearing in high spirits, Tom – the son of Princes William and Harry’s former nanny, Tiggy Legge-Bourke – made the most of the moment and waved to the public as he accompanied Prince Harry in the official carriage. 

Tiggy, who now lives on Glanusk Estate in Wales, was a constant by the princes’ side while they were growing up.

Her royal role saw her skiing with the princes in the swish Swiss resort of Klosters, holidaying on yachts and taking Harry on safari in Botswana, but she retired in 1999 when she married former British army officer Charles Pettifer.

She has remained close to both the royals over the years, and reportedly met Meghan before they married.

The Duke of Sussex is godfather to her son Tom, and both Tiggy and Tom were pictured attending the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018 in Windsor.

WILLIAM LOWTHER-PINKERTON  

William, the son of Prince William and Kate’s former aide, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, was ten at the time of the wedding and is now 17. Pictured, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their page boys and bridesmaids as they prepare to begin their journey by carriage procession to Buckingham Palace

William, the son of Prince William and Kate’s former aide, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, was ten at the time of the wedding and is now 17. 

He appears to live a life away from the spotlight.

His father Jamie, a former SAS Major, has been a private secretary to William and Harry since 2005, and has been a constant help and confidant to the young princes.

Married with four children – including William – and living in a pretty old rectory in Suffolk, he was the most senior member of William’s team until he resigned as from his full-time post, becoming a one-day-a-week consultant, instead.

Trained at Sandhurst, the discreet former Irish Guard was attached to the SAS for two decades and served in the Gulf War, where he gained a reputation as a particularly capable officer.

He was equerry to the Queen Mother from 1984-1986, and has also run risk management training courses for journalists and travellers, schooling them in what to do if you are shot at and how to avoid being kidnapped. 

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