Meghan Markle chose not to have a maid of honour at her wedding to Prince Harry, instead opting for a bridal party of children. Markle's bridesmaids included Prince William and Kate Middleton's daughter, Princess Charlotte, and her brother, Prince George, who was a page boy. The other bridesmaids were Markle's goddaughters: Remi and Rylan Litt, Ivy Mulroney, Florence van Cutsem, and Zalie Warren. Markle's decision to forgo adult bridesmaids aligns with British royal wedding traditions, where attendants are typically children.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Date of wedding | May 19, 2018 |
Location of wedding | St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle |
Number of bridesmaids | 6 |
Ages of bridesmaids | Between 2 and 7 |
Names of bridesmaids | Princess Charlotte, Zalie Warren, Florence van Cutsem, Remi Litt, Rylan Litt, Ivy Mulroney |
Parents of bridesmaids | Zoe and Jake Warren, Alice and Major Nicholas van Cutsem, Benita and Darren Litt, Jessica and Benedict Mulroney |
Relationship to Meghan Markle | Goddaughters, niece |
Dresses designed by | Givenchy Haute Couture by Clare Waight Keller |
Shoes by | Aquazurra |
Gifts from Meghan Markle | Monogrammed shoes |
What You'll Learn
Meghan Markle's bridesmaids were all children
Meghan Markle chose not to have a maid of honour in her bridal party, so as not to choose between her best girlfriends. Instead, she had 10 bridesmaids and page boys, and they were all children.
The young bridesmaids who helped Meghan Markle on her big day each left with a special gift from the new Duchess of Sussex. The six girls, aged between two and seven, performed their duties impeccably at the royal wedding. The bridesmaids all wore white leather Aquazurra shoes, monogrammed with their initials and the wedding date. The shoes were a gift from the Duchess to the young ladies as a keepsake of the special day.
The bridesmaids included William’s daughter Princess Charlotte, three, Harry’s god-daughters Zalie Warren, two, and Florence van Cutsem, three, Meghan’s god-daughters Remi and Rylan Litt, aged six and seven, and Ivy Mulroney, four.
The page boys didn't leave empty-handed either. As a special memento, each page boy had their initials embroidered in gold on their shoulder straps.
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Markle's friends received gifts to mark her big day
Meghan Markle's wedding to Prince Harry was one of the most highly anticipated events of 2018. The couple's nuptials were attended by famous Hollywood friends and members of the royal family. While Markle did not have any adult bridesmaids, she surprised her closest friends with special presents to mark her big day.
Markle chose not to have a maid of honour in her bridal party, so she didn't have to choose between her best girlfriends. However, she included her closest friends by having their children as bridesmaids and page boys. The six bridesmaids, aged between two and seven, were: Prince Harry's goddaughters, Zalie Warren and Florence van Cutsem; Meghan's goddaughters, Remi and Rylan Litt; and Ivy Mulroney, the daughter of Meghan's best friend, Jessica Mulroney. Prince William and Kate Middleton's daughter, Princess Charlotte, was also a bridesmaid.
The six bridesmaids all received a special gift from the Duchess of Sussex to remember the occasion. Markle gave the young ladies a pair of white leather Aquazurra shoes, monogrammed with their initials and the wedding date. The page boys also received a gift, with their initials embroidered in gold on their shoulder straps.
Markle also gave her closest friends a special present to mark her big day. She had six yellow gold bracelets made by her friend, designer Lisette Polny from Zofia Day. Markle's friends, including the Duchess of Cambridge, received the bracelets as a keepsake of the momentous occasion.
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Markle's bridesmaids wore ivory silk dresses
Meghan Markle's wedding to Prince Harry on May 19, 2018, was a grand affair, with the bride's gown being one of the most talked-about aspects of the ceremony. Markle chose to forgo the tradition of having adult bridesmaids and instead opted for six young bridesmaids, aged between two and seven. The young bridal party included Princess Charlotte, Florence van Cutsem, Zalie Warren, Remi and Rylan Litt, and Ivy Mulroney. The bridesmaids wore white dresses with short sleeves and full skirts, designed by Ajay Mirpuri. The dresses were made of silk with three-quarter-length sleeves, an open boat neckline, and a train with a built-in triple silk organza underskirt. The silk cady fabric was developed by designer Clare Waight Keller, who also created Markle's wedding gown.
The bridesmaids' dresses were altered by Mirpuri and his team just days before the wedding due to a disagreement over the fit. In his memoir, Spare, Prince Harry describes a text exchange between Markle and his sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, in which Middleton states that her daughter Charlotte's dress does not fit properly. The situation left Markle in tears, but Mirpuri and his team worked long hours to ensure that all the bridesmaids' dresses were ready in time for the big day.
The young bridesmaids performed their duties impeccably and were gifted monogrammed white leather Aquazurra shoes by the Duchess of Sussex as a memento of the special occasion. The shoes were personalised with the bridesmaids' initials and the wedding date.
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Markle's decision to not have adult bridesmaids was unusual
Meghan Markle's decision not to have adult bridesmaids was certainly unusual, but perhaps not unexpected. Royal weddings tend to feature children as attendants, and Meghan had a bevy of adorable tots to choose from.
Markle's bridal party included Prince Harry's goddaughters, Florence van Cutsem, aged three, and Zalie Warren, aged two, as well as Meghan's own goddaughters, Remi and Rylan Litt, aged six and seven respectively. Ivy Mulroney, the four-year-old daughter of Meghan's good friend Jessica Mulroney, was also a bridesmaid.
The inclusion of these children, all connected to the couple in some way, was a sweet touch and a nod to royal tradition. Royal expert Marlene Koenig noted that "most royal brides do not have adult bridesmaids" and that "if you look at the royal weddings since [Queen] Elizabeth's, you will find that most of the bridesmaids are early teens or children."
While it is customary for the bride to be surrounded by her closest friends, Markle chose to honour her friends in other ways. She reportedly gave her closest girlfriends, including the Duchess of Cambridge, special bracelets made by her designer friend Lisette Polny. This was a thoughtful way to include her friends without having adult bridesmaids.
In the end, Markle's decision to forgo adult bridesmaids may have been a practical one. With a bevy of celebrity friends and a close-knit circle of girlfriends, she may have found it difficult to choose just one or two attendants. A palace spokesperson explained that "she has a very close-knit circle of friends and she didn't want to choose one over another."
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Markle's goddaughters were also bridesmaids
Meghan Markle chose not to have a maid of honour in her bridal party, so as not to have to choose between her best girlfriends. Instead, she had 10 bridesmaids and page boys, all of whom were children with close ties to the couple. Markle's goddaughters Remi and Rylan Litt were bridesmaids, along with Prince Harry's goddaughters Florence van Cutsem and Zalie Warren. Remi and Rylan are the daughters of Markle's close friend Benita Litt, while Florence is the daughter of Major Nicholas and Alice van Cutsem, and Zalie is the daughter of Mrs Zoe Warren and Mr Jake Warren. Ivy Mulroney, the daughter of Markle's good friend Jessica Mulroney, was also a bridesmaid.
The six bridesmaids, aged between two and seven, wore high-waisted dresses made of ivory silk radzimir with puffed sleeves and double silk ribbon bows at the back. Their outfits also included pockets and their skirts were pleated to give a relaxed silhouette. The dresses were designed to have the same timeless purity as Markle's dress. The girls' shoes were by Aquazurra, monogrammed with the bridesmaids' initials and the wedding date—a gift from Markle to the children as a keepsake.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Meghan Markle had several bridesmaids at her wedding to Prince Harry. However, they were all children. Markle chose not to have a maid of honour as she did not want to choose one friend over another.
Meghan Markle's bridesmaids included Prince William and Kate Middleton's daughter, Princess Charlotte, who was three years old at the time of the wedding. Charlotte's brother, Prince George, was a page boy. Other bridesmaids included Florence van Cutsem, Remi and Rylan Litt, Ivy Mulroney, and Zalie Warren.
According to British and European royalty expert Marlene Koenig, most royal brides do not have adult bridesmaids. Koenig notes that it would be unusual for a royal bride to have a woman in her late 30s as a maid or matron of honour.