Harry's Wedding: Start Time Revealed

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 first met in July 2016 on a blind date set up by a mutual friend, and got engaged in November 2017. The wedding was a grand affair, with 600 guests in attendance, including senior members of the royal family, and celebrities such as George and Amal Clooney, David and Victoria Beckham, Idris Elba, Elton John, Serena Williams, and Priyanka Chopra.

The wedding was held on a Saturday, breaking with royal tradition

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was held on Saturday, May 19, 2018, at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, breaking with royal tradition.

Historically, British royal weddings have been held during the week, with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip marrying on a Thursday, Prince Charles and Princess Diana on a Wednesday, and Prince William and Kate Middleton on a Friday.

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was not declared a bank holiday, and it fell on the same day as the FA Cup Final, which Prince Harry's brother, William, normally attends in his role as President of the Football Association.

The royal couple's decision to hold their wedding on a Saturday was a break with royal tradition, allowing more people to gather and celebrate the occasion. The event was not just marked by the royal family and invited guests but also by crowds who were able to assemble due to the weekend timing.

The choice of a Saturday wedding was one of several ways in which the nuptials broke with royal tradition. The ceremony was also notable for its inclusion of African-American culture, with a gospel choir singing "Stand By Me" and the couple walking out to Etta James' "This Little Light of Mine."

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was a historic occasion, marking the first time an American, a woman of colour, a divorced person, and a well-known actress married into the British royal family. The event attracted an estimated 1.9 billion viewers worldwide, making it one of the biggest televised events in history.

Meghan's father didn't walk her down the aisle

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was held on Saturday, May 19, 2018, at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. The bride's father, Thomas Markle, did not walk her down the aisle. It was announced on the Friday before the wedding that Meghan's father-in-law, Prince Charles, would accompany her down the aisle.

Thomas Markle's absence was attributed to health reasons, with Kensington Palace citing recent heart surgery as the cause. While some praised Meghan's decision to begin the walk down the aisle alone as a feminist statement, others pointed to the long history of brides being escorted by figures other than their fathers.

In early Christian weddings in England, the aisle walk was not a significant part of the ceremony. In medieval Europe, weddings could take place anywhere, with or without a church. It was not until the 13th century that the Church began to encourage the involvement of a priest in marriage ceremonies.

Over time, the wedding ceremony moved inside the church, and the walk down the aisle became more prominent. However, it was not customary for the father to give the bride away. Often, a brother or friend would accompany the bride, and in some cases, the groom would escort the bride.

In the 1700s and 1800s, fathers from non-upper-class families were expected to be at work and were not involved in the walk down the aisle. Even in more recent history, there are examples of brides being escorted by other family members or friends.

Meghan's decision to be accompanied by her father-in-law, Prince Charles, can be seen as a break with tradition and a reflection of her complex family situation. Ultimately, the choice to walk down the aisle alone or with an escort other than her father is a personal one that many brides have made throughout history.

The wedding cake was lemon and elderflower, not the traditional fruitcake

The wedding cake of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was a lemon and elderflower cake, a departure from the traditional fruitcake often served at royal weddings. The cake was created by London-based baker Claire Ptak, who was raised in California and owns Violet Cakes in London.

Ptak was chosen in part because of her focus on organic ingredients, which resonated with the couple. In a statement, Ptak said:

> I can't tell you how delighted I am to be chosen to make Prince Harry and Ms. Markle's wedding cake... Knowing that they really share the same values as I do about food provenance, sustainability, seasonality, and most importantly flavor, makes this the most exciting event to be a part of.

The cake was inspired by the spring wedding date, with 200 Amalfi lemons, 500 organic eggs from Suffolk, butter, flour, sugar, and 10 bottles of Sandringham Elderflower Cordial used in its creation. The elderflower cordial was a nod to the Queen, as the liqueur is made from flowers harvested at one of her private homes. The cake was also decorated with 150 fresh flowers, mostly British peonies and roses.

The cake was modest in size compared to other royal wedding cakes, consisting of one two-tier cake and two single-tier cakes. It was displayed on gold ornate stands from the royal family's collection. The cake took five days to bake and ice and cost $70,000.

The wedding wasn't declared a bank holiday

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took place on Saturday, May 19, 2018, at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Unlike the weddings of other senior royals, the day was not declared a bank holiday.

The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, which took place on Friday, April 29, 2011, was a bank holiday. Similarly, a bank holiday was declared for the wedding of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips in November 1973, and for the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1981.

However, there is no official precedent for royal nuptials to be declared bank holidays, especially if they are not state weddings, i.e., not for a direct heir to the throne. For example, while Prince Andrew had a lavish ceremony in Westminster Abbey, no bank holiday was declared. Likewise, when Prince Edward chose a lower-key ceremony at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, his wedding also wasn't marked with a bank holiday.

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed that the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle would not be a bank holiday, though the Prime Minister offered her "warmest congratulations" to the couple. The decision not to declare a bank holiday may have been influenced by the fact that Prince Harry is not a direct heir to the throne, as he is currently sixth in line.

While there was no bank holiday, pubs extended their opening times to mark the occasion, and it was estimated that the wedding generated £1 billion for the British economy, including an additional £300 million from foreign tourists and £50 million spent on merchandise and souvenirs.

The couple didn't kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took place on Saturday, May 19, 2018, at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in the United Kingdom. The couple did not share a kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace because their wedding venue, St George's Chapel, did not have a balcony. Instead, they shared their first married kiss on the steps of St George's Chapel after the ceremony.

The tradition of the royal wedding balcony kiss was started by Prince Harry's parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, in 1981. It was recreated by Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, the Duke and Duchess of York, in 1986, and by Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011. However, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle broke with this tradition, as their wedding venue, St George's Chapel, did not have a balcony.

In fact, it was reported that the couple would not be posing on any balcony for a photo op after their nuptials, according to a palace spokesperson. While the reason for this decision was not clear, it was speculated that it was simply due to the location of their wedding venue. Since Buckingham Palace, where the balcony shots are traditionally taken, is located about an hour away from Windsor Castle, it may have been too far for the couple to make the trip.

Instead of a balcony kiss, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shared their first married kiss on the steps of St George's Chapel after the ceremony. This moment was captured by photographers and broadcast to the world, becoming one of the most iconic images of their wedding day.

The couple's wedding day was a fairytale event that captivated the world, with an estimated 1.9 billion people tuning in to watch the ceremony. It was a departure from traditional royal weddings in some ways, including the absence of a balcony kiss, but it also incorporated elements of African-American culture and modern touches that made it unique and special.

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