The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took place on 19 May 2018 at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. The ceremony began at 12 pm and was attended by celebrities including David Beckham, Elton John, and Oprah Winfrey. The couple exchanged vows in front of 600 guests, including the Queen, and more than 30 royals and famous faces.
What You'll Learn
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding ceremony began at midday
- The couple were married at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
- The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, officiated the ceremony
- The wedding reception was held at St George's Hall
- The bride wore a white gown with a boat neck and a long veil
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding ceremony began at midday
The wedding ceremony of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle began at midday on Saturday, May 19, 2018, at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. The ceremony was officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and lasted for about an hour.
The couple's wedding day schedule was as follows:
- 9 am: Members of the public who had been invited to watch the ceremony from the castle grounds started to arrive.
- 9.30 am to 11 am: Wedding guests began arriving at St George's Chapel via the castle's Round Tower and entered through the South Door.
- 11.20 am: Members of the Royal Family took their places via the Galilee Porch, some arriving on foot and others by car.
- 11.40 am: Prince Harry and his brother and best man, the Duke of Cambridge, arrived at the chapel's West Steps on foot.
- 11.55 am to 11.59 am: The Queen arrived as the last member of the Royal Family, in line with protocol.
- 12 pm: Meghan Markle arrived at the West Steps of Windsor Castle and was walked down the aisle by her father, Thomas Markle.
- 1 pm: The newlyweds emerged from the chapel and stepped into a carriage for a procession through the streets of Windsor.
- 1 pm onwards: The congregation headed to a lunchtime reception at St George's Hall, hosted by the Queen.
- 7 pm: The bride and groom departed Windsor Castle for their evening reception at Frogmore House, hosted by Prince Charles.
The ceremony was attended by 600 guests, including the Queen, more than 30 royals, and celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Serena Williams, George and Amal Clooney, and David and Victoria Beckham.
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The couple were married at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took place at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, on Saturday, May 19, 2018. The couple exchanged vows in front of 600 guests, including the Queen, more than 30 royals, and famous faces such as Oprah Winfrey, Serena Williams, George and Amal Clooney, and David and Victoria Beckham.
St George's Chapel, completed in 1528, is set in the lower ward of Windsor Castle—one of the most famous and iconic landmarks of the British royal family. The chapel offered the couple a more low-key venue than Westminster Abbey, where Prince William and Kate Middleton got married. St George's Chapel can accommodate 800 guests, while the Abbey seats 2,000.
The ceremony began at midday and was officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. The couple's wedding included a blend of British pageantry and modernity, with the Prince and Ms Markle referred to simply as "Harry and Meghan" throughout the service. The Archbishop of Canterbury led the vows, and the couple exchanged rings—Prince Harry chose to wear a wedding ring, which is not a given for royal men. Ms Markle did not promise to obey her husband in the vows.
After the ceremony, the newlyweds emerged at the West Steps of the Chapel and shared a kiss to the delight of onlookers. They then embarked on a carriage procession through Windsor, offering the public a glimpse of the married couple. The carriage procession travelled along a route including Castle Hill, High Street, Sheet Street, Kings Road, Albert Road, Long Walk, and back to Windsor Castle.
Following the procession, the couple returned to St George's Hall for a lunchtime reception hosted by the Queen. In the evening, Prince Charles hosted a private reception for the couple and close friends and family.
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The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, officiated the ceremony
Welby's role in the royal wedding was not his first time officiating a high-profile ceremony. In 2023, he presided over the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla. He was the first Archbishop of Canterbury in around seventy years to preside over a coronation service.
Welby's personal life has also been the subject of public interest. In 2016, he discovered through a DNA test that his biological father was not Gavin Welby but Anthony Montague Browne, the private secretary of former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Welby's mother, Jane Gillian Portal, worked as Churchill's personal secretary until her marriage to Gavin Welby in 1955.
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The wedding reception was held at St George's Hall
The hall was filled with the sound of music and laughter as guests enjoyed the festivities. Prince Charles gave a speech that moved many to tears, and Sir Elton John performed a few songs, including "Tiny Dancer," which he dedicated to Ms. Markle. The newlyweds then shared their first dance as a married couple before cutting their wedding cake.
The hall was decorated with floral displays, including white peonies, white garden roses, and foxgloves, designed by floral designer Philippa Craddock. The atmosphere was one of celebration and joy as family and friends gathered to honour the happy couple.
The wedding reception at St George's Hall was a memorable event, filled with love, laughter, and joy as everyone celebrated the union of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
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The bride wore a white gown with a boat neck and a long veil
The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took place on Saturday, May 19, 2018, at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, United Kingdom. The bride, Meghan Markle, wore a white gown with a boat neck and a long veil. The dress was designed by British designer Clare Waight Keller under the fashion house Givenchy. It was made of "double-bonded silk cady cushioned by an underskirt in triple silk organza" and had a sweeping train. The silk veil was 16 feet (4.9 m) long and was embroidered with 55 flowers, representing the 53 countries of the Commonwealth, along with Wintersweet, which grows in front of Nottingham Cottage, and the California Poppy, the state flower of California. The veil was secured by a diamond bandeau tiara, made in 1932 for Queen Mary, and lent to Markle by Queen Elizabeth II. The centre brooch had been a wedding gift from the County of Lincoln in 1893. The tiara is a platinum band made up of eleven sections and a detachable centre brooch with interlaced opals and diamonds. The shoes were also from Givenchy and had a pointed couture design.
The bride's hair was styled in an updo with "face-framing fringe tucked behind her ears" and was done by Serge Normant. Her makeup was done by Dior makeup artist Daniel Martin, who described the look as "a soft brown eyeshadow" with minimal makeup on the face. Her nails were painted in a "neutral pink-y beige" shade. The bride's bouquet, designed by Philippa Craddock, contained "forget-me-nots, scented sweet peas, lily of the valley, astilbe, jasmine and astrantia, and sprigs of myrtle from a plant grown from the myrtle used in the Queen's wedding bouquet". The flowers were chosen by the groom, who handpicked forget-me-nots in honour of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
The bride's jewellery included white gold and diamond earrings and a bracelet made by Cartier. For the "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" bridal tradition, Markle had a piece of fabric from Princess Diana's wedding dress sewn into her dress, her bracelet and earrings as the "new", the Queen's tiara as the "borrowed", and a piece of fabric from the dress she wore on her first date with Prince Harry stitched into the veil as the "blue".
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Frequently asked questions
The ceremony began at midday (UK time).
Harry and Meghan got married at St George's Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Harry and Meghan got married on Saturday, May 19.