Harry's Wedding: The After-Party Details

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding celebrations included not one, but two receptions. The first, a luncheon hosted by the Queen, was held in St. George's Hall at Windsor Castle, where the ceremony took place. Around 600 guests attended, including A-listers such as Serena Williams, Priyanka Chopra, and George and Amal Clooney. The second reception, hosted by Prince Charles, was a more intimate affair, with 200 close friends and family gathering at Frogmore House on the castle grounds. The newlyweds arrived at the evening reception in style, driving a vintage blue Jaguar E-type convertible.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding reception guest list

The wedding reception guest list for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's nuptials included a mix of relatives, celebrities, and notable figures. The event was held at St. George's Hall and Frogmore House, with around 600 guests in attendance. Here is an overview of the guest list:

Relatives of the Groom:

• Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh (Harry's paternal grandparents)
• Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall (Harry's father and stepmother)
• Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Harry's brother and sister-in-law)
• Prince George of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (Harry's nephew and niece)
• Princess Royal and Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence (Harry's paternal aunt and uncle)
• Peter and Autumn Phillips (Harry's first cousin and his wife)
• Zara and Michael Tindall (Harry's first cousin and her husband)
• Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York (Harry's paternal uncle and his ex-wife)
• Princess Beatrice of York and Princess Eugenie of York (Harry's first cousins)
• Earl and Countess of Wessex (Harry's paternal uncle and aunt)
• Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn (Harry's first cousins)
• Descendants of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
• Various other distant cousins and relatives

Relatives of the Bride:

Doria Ragland (Meghan's mother)

Members of Reigning Royal Families:

Prince Seeiso and Princess Mabereng Seeiso of Lesotho (co-founders of the Sentebale charity with Prince Harry)

Members of Non-Reigning Royal Families:

The Hereditary Prince and Princess of Oettingen-Spielberg

Notable Figures and Friends:

• Sir John Major and Dame Norma Major
• Sir Nicholas Soames (grandson of Winston Churchill)
• Anba Angaelos, Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London
• David Conner, Dean of Windsor
• Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church
• Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Honorary Chaplain to the Queen
• Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury
• Oprah Winfrey
• George and Amal Clooney
• David and Victoria Beckham
• James Blunt and Sofia Wellesley
• Priyanka Chopra
• Idris Elba and Sabrina Dhowre
• Nacho Figueras and Delfina Blaquier
• James Corden and Julia Carey
• Elton John and David Furnish
• Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian
• Tom Hardy and Charlotte Riley
• Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford
• Patrick J. Adams
• Abigail Spencer
• Joss Stone
• Gina Torres
• Chelsy Davy (Harry's ex-girlfriend)
• Cressida Bonas (Harry's ex-girlfriend)
• And many more friends and acquaintances of the couple

The guest list also included flower girls, page boys, and members of the public, charities, and local communities.

The luncheon reception hosted by the Queen

During the reception, guests were treated to a lemon elderflower cake created by pastry chef Claire Ptak, owner of the London-based bakery Violet Bakery. The cake incorporated "the bright flavours of spring" and was decorated with buttercream and fresh flowers.

Prince Harry gave an emotional speech during the lunch, in which he professed his love and admiration for his new wife, Meghan. He also reportedly said that they make "a great team" and that he "can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you". Prince Charles also gave a speech, cracking jokes about changing Prince Harry's diapers when he was a child.

Entertainment was provided by Sir Elton John, a close friend of Prince Harry's mother, Princess Diana. He sang four of his biggest hits: "Tiny Dancer", "Circle of Life", "Your Song", and "I'm Still Standing".

The private evening reception at Frogmore House

The reception was a star-studded affair, with guests including George and Amal Clooney, David and Victoria Beckham, Idris Elba, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hardy, and James Corden. The dinner was organic, per Prince Charles' request, and the light-bite canapes were themed 'spring meets summer'. The menu also included candyfloss, 'dirty burgers', and a cocktail named 'When Harry Met Meghan', made with ginger and rum.

The event featured a DJ set by Sam Totolee, who played Whitney Houston's 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' for the couple's first dance. There were also fireworks, and reports of an after-party at Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone, London.

The entertainment at the reception

The newlyweds, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, had not one but two receptions following their wedding ceremony at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. The first was a luncheon hosted by the Queen at St. George's Hall, and the second was a private evening reception hosted by Prince Charles at Frogmore House on the castle grounds.

The luncheon reception at St. George's Hall was a formal affair with 600 guests in attendance. The guests were treated to a performance by singer Elton John, who sang "Your Song", "Tiny Dancer", and "Circle of Life". Prince Harry and his father, Prince Charles, both gave speeches. Harry reportedly gushed about Meghan in his speech, professing his love and admiration for his new wife. He also said that they make a "great team" and that he "can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you".

The evening reception at Frogmore House was a more intimate gathering with 200 close friends and family. The entertainment included:

• DJ Sam Totolee, who also played at Pippa Middleton's wedding
• Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" for the couple's first dance
• A naughty" best man's speech by Prince William
• A performance by special musical guests, rumoured to be Elton John again
• Fireworks at 11 pm

The evening reception was described as a huge dance party with A-list guests letting loose on the dance floor. The music was reportedly a mix of house music (Prince Harry's favourite) and songs chosen by Meghan, including "Still D.R.E." and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody".

The wedding cake

Ptak created a lemon and elderflower masterpiece for the royal wedding, incorporating the bright flavours of spring. The cake was covered in buttercream and adorned with fresh flowers. It was assembled at Windsor Castle on the morning of the wedding and presented on a striking gold stand. The cake consisted of lemon sponge, elderflower syrup drizzle, Amalfi lemon curd, and Swiss meringue buttercream with elderflower. The ingredients included 200 lemons from the Amalfi Coast, 500 organic eggs, 20kg of butter, 20kg of flour, 20kg of sugar, and 10 bottles of elderflower cordial from the Queen's Sandringham estate.

The choice of a lemon and elderflower cake was a break from tradition, as most royal wedding cakes are typically fruit cakes. However, Harry and Meghan wanted a cake that reflected the spring season. The cake was well-received and was considered a gorgeous dessert.

In addition to the main wedding cake, it is also common for royal couples to have a groom's cake. For example, at Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding in 2011, they served a traditional eight-tiered wedding cake and a groom's cake made of chocolate biscuits.

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