Harry-Meghan: How To Watch The Wedding

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took place on Saturday 19 May 2018 at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in the United Kingdom. The couple reportedly exchanged vows in a private ceremony in their backyard three days before the official wedding. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, officiated the wedding, which was noted for its inclusion of African-American culture. The ceremony was attended by 600 guests, including A-list celebrities such as Serena Williams, Priyanka Chopra, and George and Amal Clooney. The wedding was widely publicised and televised, with an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion people.

The wedding dress

The dress was made in Paris by a small team of ateliers, with Waight Keller and Markle meeting for eight fittings over five months. The designer noted that the dress was "very collaborative" and that she and Markle "worked closely together on the design". Markle chose Waight Keller because she "wanted to highlight the success of a leading British talent" and because of her "elegant aesthetic" and "relaxed demeanour".

The dress was paired with a 16-foot-long silk tulle veil, which was hand-embroidered with 55 flowers, representing the 53 countries of the Commonwealth, as well as Wintersweet, which grows in front of Nottingham Cottage, where the couple lived, and the California Poppy, the state flower of California, where Markle was born. The veil took 500 hours to complete, with the embroiderers washing their hands every 30 minutes to ensure it remained immaculate.

The dress was accessorised with the Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau Tiara, made in 1932 for Queen Mary, and loaned to Markle by Queen Elizabeth II. The centre brooch, a wedding gift to Mary of Teck from the County of Lincoln in 1893, was surrounded by large and small brilliant diamonds. Markle also wore white gold and diamond earrings and a bracelet made by Cartier.

Markle's hair was styled by Serge Normant, who rolled it up with "face-framing fringe tucked behind her ears". Her makeup was done by Dior makeup artist Daniel Martin, who opted for a natural look, described as "a soft brown eyeshadow" with minimal makeup on the face. Her nails were painted a "neutral pink-y beige" for the ceremony.

The ceremony

The bride was then joined by Prince Charles, who walked her down the aisle to meet Prince Harry at the altar. Prince Harry wore the frock coat uniform of the Blues and Royals, and told his bride, "You look amazing", to which she replied, "Thank you."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, officiated the ceremony, which included a passionate address by the Most Rev Bishop Michael Curry, the first African-American presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church. Bishop Curry opened his speech with the words of Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr: "We must discover the power of love, the redemptive power of love. And when we do that, we will be able to make this old world a new world. Love is the only way."

After the signing of the registers, the newlyweds, now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, sang the national anthem with their guests. They then shared their first married kiss on the steps outside the chapel, before travelling through Windsor in a carriage procession.

The reception

The first of two wedding receptions for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was hosted by the Queen at St George's Hall, where 600 guests were invited to attend. The menu included salmon, asparagus, panna cotta with quail egg, pea and mint risotto, ten-hour slow-roasted Windsor pork belly, champagne and pistachio macaroons, orange crème brûlée tartlets, and miniature rhubarb crumble tartlets.

Elton John performed at the reception, singing several songs, including "Tiny Dancer", which he dedicated to Meghan. Prince Harry introduced John by joking, "Does anyone here know how to play the piano?".

Prince Harry also gave an impromptu speech, which a guest described as "very off-the-cuff, which was lovely".

The second reception was hosted by the Prince of Wales at Frogmore House for the couple and their 200 closest friends. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in a vintage blue Jaguar E-type convertible, adorned with a special license plate bearing the date of their wedding.

Meghan changed into a custom halter gown with an open back by Stella McCartney for the second reception. The dress was made of silk crepe and featured a small train. She accessorised with 18-karat white gold Cartier drop earrings and an aquamarine cocktail ring that once belonged to Princess Diana.

Prince Harry changed out of his military attire and into a black tuxedo.

The wedding cake, designed by Claire Ptak, broke from royal tradition. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex opted for a lemon sponge cake with elderflower syrup, Amalfi lemon curd, and a Swiss meringue buttercream topping infused with elderflower. The cake was decorated with 150 fresh flowers, including peonies and roses.

Idris Elba served as the DJ at the second reception. He later admitted to feeling nervous about the gig, as Harry and Meghan were "good friends" and he "wanted to make sure they had a great time". Elba also revealed that Meghan had sent him a playlist ahead of the reception.

A source told People that Elba had all the A-list guests "busting a groove" and that "It was a huge dance party, everyone was letting loose and had a blast".

The guest list

The wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry was always going to be a star-studded affair, with 600 guests in attendance at the ceremony and a lunchtime reception, followed by a more intimate gathering of 200 of the couple's closest family and friends in the evening.

Relatives of the groom

Also in attendance were Harry's aunt and uncle, the Princess Royal and Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence; his first cousin and wife, Peter and Autumn Phillips; his first cousin and her husband, Zara and Michael Tindall; his paternal uncle (godfather) and his ex-wife, the Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York; his first cousins, Princess Beatrice of York and Princess Eugenie of York and her fiancé, Jack Brooksbank; his paternal uncle and aunt, the Earl and Countess of Wessex; his first cousin, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor; his first cousin, Viscount Severn; and his second cousin, Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, among others.

Relatives of the bride

The bride's mother, Doria Ragland, attended the wedding and accompanied her daughter on the car ride to the ceremony.

Members of reigning and non-reigning royal families

Friends of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

The couple's friends in attendance included Markus Anderson, a long-time friend of Meghan; Victoria Aitken, the former wife of Harry's uncle, the Earl Spencer; Cressida Bonas, a friend and ex-girlfriend of Harry's; Chelsy Davy, another ex-girlfriend of Harry's; Abigail Spencer, a long-time friend of Meghan's; Priyanka Chopra, a friend of Meghan's; James Corden and his wife, Julia Carey; Serena Williams and her husband, Alexis Ohanian; George and Amal Clooney; and Oprah Winfrey, among others.

Notable guests

Other notable guests included David and Victoria Beckham; Elton John and his husband, David Furnish; James Blunt and his wife, Sofia Wellesley; Patrick J. Adams and his wife, Troian Bellisario; Tom Hardy and his wife, Charlotte Riley; Carey Mulligan and her husband, Marcus Mumford; and Idris Elba and his fiancée, Sabrina Dhowre.

Flower girls and page boys

The wedding party included Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, niece of Harry; Rylan Litt, goddaughter of Meghan; Remi Litt, goddaughter of Meghan; Ivy Mulroney, goddaughter of Meghan; Florence van Cutsem, goddaughter of Harry; Zalie Warren, goddaughter of Harry; Prince George of Cambridge, nephew of Harry; Brian Mulroney, son of a close friend of Meghan's; John Mulroney, son of a close friend of Meghan's; and Jasper Dyer, godson of Harry.

The cake

The wedding cake was a lemon and elderflower cake, breaking from the tradition of fruit cake at royal weddings. The cake was designed and baked by Claire Ptak, owner of East London bakery Violet Cakes. Ptak was chosen in part because of her focus on organic ingredients and low-intervention baking, which resonated with the couple.

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