Royal Wedding Guest List: Who Gets An Invite?

Royal weddings are a grand affair, with a strict dress code and a long list of celebrity attendees. The public's fascination with the British royal family is undeniable, with people travelling from across the globe to witness the nuptials. Royal weddings are steeped in tradition, from the bridal attire to the wedding bands, and the bouquet to the cake. While some traditions have been adapted over time, others have been passed down through generations, with each wedding offering a unique twist.

Royal wedding attire

Royal weddings are steeped in tradition, and the dress code is no exception. If you're lucky enough to be invited to a royal wedding, expect a strict dress code to be outlined on the invitation. Here are the key things to know about royal wedding attire:

Women's Attire

For women, the dress code typically calls for day dresses and hats. The dresses should be conservative, as the wedding is usually held in a church. Colour is encouraged, but black and white are discouraged, with white being reserved for the bride and black avoided as it is a colour of mourning. The hats are a sign of respect and are expected to be elaborate and festive. Fascinators are also acceptable, but they should be over the top and make a statement. For the evening celebrations, women can expect to change into longer, fancier dresses, and this is when tiaras may be worn instead of hats.

Men's Attire

For men, the dress code typically includes uniforms, morning coats, or lounge suits. Military men are encouraged to wear their uniforms, as are other men with uniforms of any kind. If a guest does not have a uniform, a morning coat with all its trimmings is recommended. This includes a tail coat, waistcoat, and tie. Alternatively, a lounge suit, which is simply a nice suit, is also acceptable. Polished black shoes are a must for men, and hats are deemed inappropriate.

Royal wedding food and desserts

Royal weddings are often an opportunity to showcase the best of British produce, with dishes that are both luxurious and personal. The wedding breakfast (a traditional mid-morning or afternoon reception) and evening reception usually feature different menus, with the former being more low-key and the latter being more extravagant.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip

The wedding menu of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 1947 was modest due to the country still being in a period of rationing after World War II. The breakfast menu included "Filet de Sole Mountbatten" (a filleted sole named after Prince Philip's family name), followed by "Perdreau en Casserole" (partridge in casserole), served with green beans, salad, and pomme noisette (fried balls of pureed potatoes). For dessert, they had "Bombe Glacée Princesse Elizabeth" (a dome-shaped ice cream dessert named after the then-Princess Elizabeth and made with strawberries, which were off-season for the November wedding). The strawberries were grown in a hothouse by palace staff.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana

The wedding menu of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1981 featured French cuisine. The starter was "Quenelles de Barbue Cardinal" (fish dumplings made from brill and served in lobster sauce). The main course was named after the royal bride: "Suprême de Volaille Princess de Galles" (Princess of Wales chicken supreme), which was a chicken breast stuffed with lamb mousse. For dessert, they served strawberries with Cornish cream, followed by 27 wedding cakes, including a five-foot-tall fruitcake.

Prince William and Kate Middleton

The wedding menu of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011 also showcased British produce. The evening reception started with marinated South Uist salmon and Lyme Bay crab for the starter. The main course was Saddle of North Highland Mey Select organic lamb, served with Highgrove spring vegetables, English asparagus, Jersey Royal potatoes, and sauce Windsor. For dessert, the couple enjoyed a trio of Berkshire honey ice cream, sherry trifle, and chocolate parfait.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

The wedding menu of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in 2018 incorporated produce from the Queen's estates. The first reception featured sweet and savoury canapés, including grilled English asparagus wrapped in Cumbrian ham, heritage tomato and basil tartare with balsamic pearls, and Scottish langoustines wrapped in smoked salmon with citrus crème fraiche. This was followed by bowl food, such as pea and mint risotto, and ten-hour slow-roasted Windsor pork belly.

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank served dishes from around the world at their third wedding reception, including rice dishes from Nicaragua, mini hamburgers from the United States, Argentine beef, Italian pizzas, Spanish paella, and crepes from Switzerland.

Other Notable Royal Wedding Desserts

Other royal wedding desserts over the years have included:

• Strawberries and cream, which has become a regular feature of royal weddings.
• "Eggs Drumkilbo", a traditional Scottish recipe combining hard-boiled eggs with lobster and seafood sauce, served at the wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson.
• "Duchesse Elizabeth" (strawberries and cream), served at the wedding of Queen Elizabeth's parents, George VI and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, in 1923.
• "Fruit Princess Wands", cut-out fruit shapes on a bamboo skewer, served at Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's wedding watch party.
• "Mini Wedding Cakes", made by stacking cookies together to appear multi-tiered and filling them with icing, also served at the wedding watch party.

Royal wedding guest list

The guest list for a royal wedding is a highly anticipated aspect of the event, with people speculating about who will make the cut. While the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was a smaller affair than the 2011 nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton, it still included several notable attendees.

The Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

The royal couple kept political leaders off their guest list, but there was one exception: Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, who co-founded the Sentebale charity with Prince Harry to support children living with HIV in Southern Africa. The wedding also included representatives from various charities, such as Dave Henson, a former Invictus Games captain, and Map Ives, the director of Rhino Conservation Botswana.

The Queen and Prince Philip were expected to attend, along with Prince Charles, who hosted a party for 200 of the couple's closest friends and family members. Prince William was Prince Harry's best man, and their older children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, participated as a page boy and bridesmaid, respectively.

Meghan Markle's mother, Doria Ragland, accompanied her daughter to the wedding and was a notable presence. Markle's father, on the other hand, was notably absent due to health issues and staged photoshoots.

Princess Diana's family was also in attendance, including her brother, Earl Charles Spencer, and her two sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes. Lady Jane gave a reading during the ceremony, honouring the memory of Princess Diana.

The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton

The royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton attracted an estimated 600,000 tourists to London, many of them from the United States. While the guest list for this wedding is not as widely discussed, it is known that the couple hosted two private receptions, with celebrity guests and performances.

Royal wedding locations

Royal weddings are often seen as important occasions of state, attracting significant national and international attention. The venues for these weddings are usually steeped in history and grandeur. Here is a list of notable royal wedding locations:

St. Paul's Cathedral, London

St. Paul's Cathedral is one of the most iconic wedding venues in recent history. It was the chosen location for the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1981. The cathedral, built between 1675 and 1710, boasts the second-largest dome in Europe and is decorated with frescoes and mosaics. It has also been featured in films, including "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." While it is possible to get married at St. Paul's Cathedral, there are strict criteria for doing so, and only certain groups of people are eligible.

Westminster Abbey, London

Westminster Abbey has been the venue of choice for several royal weddings, including that of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, as well as the more recent wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Prince William and Kate Middleton) in 2011. It has also served as the British royal family's coronation venue since 1066. With its Gothic design and stained glass windows, the abbey is technically deemed a "royal peculiar," meaning it is under sovereign control rather than belonging to a specific diocese. Similar to St. Paul's Cathedral, there are strict rules about who can marry at Westminster Abbey.

St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle

St. George's Chapel, located on the grounds of Windsor Castle, has hosted several royal weddings in recent years, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018, Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank in 2018, and Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999. The chapel has a capacity of 800 guests and features Gothic-style architecture and a vaulted stone ceiling. It is also the place where Prince Harry was baptised.

Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace

The Chapel Royal at St. James's Palace was the traditional royal wedding venue of choice for many years, starting with Queen Anne's wedding in 1683. Notable weddings held here include Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1840, and King George V (then Prince George) in 1893. The palace itself was the residence of many British monarchs before Queen Victoria's reign. The Chapel Royal is still used by the royal family for charity events.

Kensington Palace, London

Kensington Palace, the London residence of Prince William, Kate, and their children, offers several spots for weddings and receptions, including the King's Gallery, the King's Drawing Room, and the Sunken Garden, where Prince Harry and Meghan posed for their engagement photos. The Orangery is the only spot licensed for civil ceremonies and can accommodate 150 guests for the ceremony and up to 300 for a reception.

Other notable royal wedding locations include:

• The Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge Windsor (where Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi were married)
• Windsor Guildhall, Windsor (where Prince Charles and Camilla had their civil ceremony)
• Hillsborough Castle, Northern Ireland (the Queen's official residence when visiting Northern Ireland)
• Hampton Court Palace, Surrey (the former home of King Henry VIII)
• Kew Palace, London (the former home of King George III, Queen Charlotte, and their children)
• Osborne House, Isle of Wight (the family home of Queen Victoria)

Royal wedding traditions

Royal weddings are steeped in tradition, with many rituals and customs that have been passed down through generations. Here are some of the most notable traditions:

Wedding Attire

The bride's wedding attire is a key aspect of royal weddings. Queen Victoria changed the course of bridal fashion when she opted for a white dress during her marriage to Prince Albert in 1840. Since then, white wedding gowns have become the norm for royal brides. Tiaras are also customary, often borrowed from the royal collection and serving as the "something borrowed" item. The groom usually wears a military uniform adorned with sashes and medals.

Wedding Bands

Royal wedding bands are traditionally made from Welsh gold. The wedding rings of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, Princess Anne, and Diana, Princess of Wales, were crafted from the same nugget of Welsh gold.

Bridal Bouquet

Since Queen Victoria's time, royal brides have carried a sprig of myrtle in their bouquets. The myrtle represents love, fertility, and innocence and is taken from a plant at Queen Victoria's former holiday home on the Isle of Wight.

Tomb of the Unknown Warrior

Since the 1920s, royal brides have honoured fallen soldiers by laying their bridal bouquets on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. This tradition was started by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, in memory of her brother, Fergus, who died in World War I.

Official Photographs

Official photographs are a long-standing tradition at royal weddings. The first royal wedding to be extensively photographed was that of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, capturing the public imagination through postcards and photographs.

Cake

Royal weddings often feature decadent cakes, with fruitcake being the traditional choice. However, in recent years, some couples have opted for more experimental flavours, such as lemon and elderflower.

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