IT WAS a wedding to remember when Caroline Gunston and Jonathan Peel married in 1971 — and it hit the headlines.

Now the Isle of Wight High Sheriff, Mrs Peel remembers how her big day featured in the national papers due to her sweet little bridesmaid, Lady Helen Windsor.

Lady Helen's mother, the Duchess of Kent, is Mrs Peel's cousin.

Isle of Wight County Press: Lady Helen Windsor, a bridesmaid at the wedding of Caroline and Jonathan Peel in 1971.Lady Helen Windsor, a bridesmaid at the wedding of Caroline and Jonathan Peel in 1971.

Mr Peel's work as a record and film producer added an extra layer of celebrity to the proceedings, with his friend Kenny Everett there to see the couple tie the knot.

The Peels married on Shrove Tuesday, February 23, at St. Michael’s, Chester Square, London.

They had to get married before Lent as Mrs Peel’s grandfather, Sir Derrick Gunston, was adamant they should not get married during Lent – as no flowers would have been allowed.

Isle of Wight County Press: A newspaper clipping of Caroline and Jonathan Peel's wedding, with Lady Helen Windsor as bridesmaid.A newspaper clipping of Caroline and Jonathan Peel's wedding, with Lady Helen Windsor as bridesmaid.

Predominantly an Island couple, both had grandparents and parents living in Bembridge, and Mr Peel’s father, Denys Peel, was High Sheriff in 1988.

Mr Peel's work meant they had to be based in London but every holidays they rushed down as soon as the schools broke up, and knew the Island would be their forever home.

Mr Peel was busy with his work, and hugely successful. He won two BAFTAs, and a film he produced won two Primetime Emmys.

Mrs Peel had a variety of careers, from setting up a charity which then became part of Mencap, to doing the books for various friends and small companies, and finally co-running a company called Contact London.

The couple have three children, Victoria, Lucy and Edmund, and four grandchildren.

They moved permanently to the Island in 2012.

Mrs Peel was already involved with the Bembridge Guild of the RNLI, and was instrumental in topping up the appeal for the new Bembridge station in 2010 by raising more than £250,000 at a ball in London. She has organised other successful fundraising events for the Island Board of the RNLI.

She is also a trustee of the Ventnor Botanic Friends Society.

Mr Peel, while continuing to work, has also busied himself with regenerating the Island branch of the Royal Society of Arts, being president of the Solent Cruising and Racing Association, and the chief course setter for the White Group in Cowes Week.

Isle of Wight County Press: Mr and Mrs Peel. Picture by Ben Wood.Mr and Mrs Peel. Picture by Ben Wood.

Since taking up the role of High Sheriff last April, with a ‘virtual’ declaration via Zoom, Mrs Peel has thrown herself into helping organisations struggling during the pandemic.

She sent out an appeal last April, which brought in much-needed funds to the High Sheriff’s Trust, which is part of the Crisis Committee set up by Geoff Underwood.

Causes helped include Aspire, St George's School, Nine Acres School, Operation Geranium, and a young person who had been excluded from school.

In conjunction with the Crisis Committee, the trust helped Sight for Wight, Ability Dogs, SPI IOW, Haylands Farm, Age UK, Pop Up Soup Kitchen, Real Junk Food Project and Wight Dash.

Causes helped already this year are Network Ryde, Jigsaw Family Support Centre, Cowes Sea Cadets by funding bursaries for two cadets, Newport Minster to fund training for ten mental health volunteers, Nettlestone and Seaview Men in Sheds and Jigsaw Community Centre.

Mrs Peel is into the last two months of her appointment, but is aware there are still urgent projects that need funding.

To contribute, find the JustGiving page on www.highsheriffiw.co.uk or email iwhighsheriff@gmail.com