Lucy At Harry And Meghan's Wedding?

Lucy Preston, a character from NBC's Timeless, was indeed at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding. The actress who plays her, Abigail Spencer, is a good friend of Meghan Markle, having worked with her on Suits.

Abigail Spencer's relationship with Meghan Markle

Abigail Spencer and Meghan Markle's friendship goes way back—even before Markle became a royal. The two actresses met at an audition over a decade before Markle married Prince Harry and later starred together in Suits. Spencer even contributed to Markle's former lifestyle blog, The Tig.

Spencer was one of the 2,500 people invited to the royal wedding in 2018. She was spotted entering the church alongside Priyanka Chopra, another one of Markle's famous friends. While Spencer has been secretive about what it was like to attend the event, she did hint at what she gave Markle as a wedding gift, saying that the couple would love it if people donated to one of the charities they were involved in.

Spencer has continued to spend time with the Sussexes. In 2019, she was spotted with Markle during the royal's brief trip to NYC before baby Archie was born and was part of her baby shower. She later joined the couple hiking on Canada's Victoria Island in 2020.

Spencer has also spoken out about how royal life impacted Markle. In the Sussexes' Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, she shared her perceptions of Markle after she joined the royal family, saying that she saw the press "building her up, and then there was a shift and they started to tear her down." She added that it was a "really dark time" and that she wanted to turn the narrative around by showing the world who the real Meghan Markle was.

Spencer and Markle have a lot in common. Aside from being born on the same day, hours apart, in the same year, they also share an aesthetic sense. Spencer has said that Markle has "incredible taste" and has influenced her fashion choices.

Spencer has had a successful career in TV acting and has even crossed over into writing. She started her career on All My Children in 1998 and has since had recurring roles on popular shows such as Mad Men, True Detective, Suits, and Grey's Anatomy.

The guest list for the wedding

Royal Family Members:

The royal family members in attendance included close relatives of the groom, Prince Harry, such as:

• Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh (paternal grandparents)
• The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall (father and stepmother)
• The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (brother and sister-in-law)
• Prince George of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (nephew and niece)
• The Princess Royal and Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence (paternal aunt and uncle)
• Zara and Michael Tindall (cousin and her husband)
• The Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York (paternal uncle and his ex-wife)
• Princess Beatrice of York and Princess Eugenie of York (first cousins)
• The Earl and Countess of Wessex (paternal uncle and aunt)
• Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn (first cousins)
• Descendants of King George V and other extended family members.

Celebrities:

The celebrity guests at the wedding included:

• George and Amal Clooney
• Oprah Winfrey
• Idris Elba and Sabrina Dhowre
• James Blunt and Sofia Wellesley
• Priyanka Chopra
• David and Victoria Beckham
• James Corden and Julia Carey
• Tom Hardy and Charlotte Riley
• Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford
• Elton John and David Furnish
• Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian
• Patrick J. Adams and Troian Bellisario
• Abigail Spencer
• Chelsy Davy
• Cressida Bonas
• Nacho Figueras and Delfina Blaquier
• And many others.

Friends of the Couple:

Friends of the couple who attended the wedding included:

• Markus Anderson
• Heather Dorak and Matt Cohen
• Misan Harriman and Camilla Holmstroem
• Tiggy Pettifer and Charles Pettifer
• Benita Litt and Darren Litt
• Alexi Lubomirski and Giada Lubomirski
• Guy Pelly and Lizzie Wilson
• Genevieve Hillis
• Tom Inskip and Lara Inskip
• Lucy Meadmore
• And many others.

In addition to the 600 guests at the ceremony, over 2,000 members of the public were invited to the grounds of Windsor Castle to celebrate the royal couple's special day.

The wedding dress

The dress was designed in an off-shoulder style and was reportedly inspired by the gown worn by Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy in 1996. Markle described her vision for the dress as "a bateau neckline, a cropped sleeve, [and] a very timeless, classic feeling." She also wanted the dress to be modest, given the setting of St. George's Chapel.

The design process was highly collaborative between Markle and Waight Keller, with the latter noting that she respected Markle's vision for the dress. The process required 3,900 hours of design for the veil, eight fittings, and five months of collaboration between the two. The dress was estimated to cost about $265,000, which Markle paid for herself.

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

The wedding cake

The cake was created by East London baker Claire Ptak, owner of Violet Cakes. Ptak is a California native who focuses on using seasonal and organic ingredients in her bakes. She is known for her moist sponge cakes with incredible fillings and her dedication to low-intervention baking and organic ingredients resonated with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. In a statement, Ptak expressed her delight at being chosen to create the royal wedding cake, highlighting the shared values of sustainability, seasonality, and flavour between herself and the couple.

The cake was a lemon and elderflower masterpiece, inspired by the spring wedding date. It included 200 Amalfi lemons, 500 organic eggs, butter, flour, sugar, and 10 bottles of Sandringham Elderflower Cordial, a nod to Queen Elizabeth II as the liqueur is made from flowers harvested at one of her private homes. The cake consisted of three separate pieces: one two-tier cake and two single-tier cakes, adorned with 150 fresh flowers, mostly British peonies and roses.

The royal couple's choice of flavour was a departure from the traditional fruit cake typically served at royal weddings. The lemon and elderflower cake was a lighter, more modern option, celebrating the season with its bright, spring-inspired flavours. The cake was not only delicious but also aesthetically pleasing, with a stark white exterior of elderflower Swiss meringue buttercream and fresh blooms and green foliage.

The cost of the cake was estimated to be around $70,000, a small fortune that reflects the top-end ingredients and attention to detail that went into creating this royal confection.

The wedding ceremony

As Meghan entered the chapel, a fanfare was played, and she was joined in procession by her bridesmaids and page boys, including Prince George and Princess Charlotte. She was then met by Prince Charles, who walked her down the aisle to the altar, where Prince Harry was waiting. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, officiated the ceremony, which was conducted according to the Christian liturgy for Holy Matrimony as set out in Common Worship of the Church of England.

The ceremony included a gospel choir, Karen Gibson and The Kingdom Choir, who sang "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King. The Most Rev Bishop Michael Curry, the first African-American presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church, gave an address titled "The Power of Love," quoting Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

During the ceremony, Prince Harry wore the frock coat uniform of the Blues and Royals, with the permission of the Queen. Meghan was walked down the aisle by her father-in-law, Prince Charles, who accompanied her to meet Prince Harry at the altar. The couple exchanged vows, with Meghan omitting the word "obey" from hers, and rings, designed by Cleave and Company. Meghan's ring was made of Welsh gold, while Prince Harry's was made of platinum.

After the ceremony, the newlyweds emerged at the West Steps of the chapel, where they shared their first kiss as husband and wife. They then travelled in an open-top Ascot Landau carriage through the streets of Windsor, waving to the thousands of well-wishers who had gathered to celebrate their special day.

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