Rhiannon Hendricks
The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took place on 19 May 2018 at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. The ceremony was televised and attracted a global audience of hundreds of millions, with an estimated 1.9 billion viewers worldwide. The wedding broke with several traditions, including holding the ceremony on a weekend and the bride giving a speech at the reception. Harry and Meghan secretly exchanged vows in a private backyard ceremony three days before their wedding. The couple's nuptials were attended by British royals and American A-listers, including Serena Williams, Priyanka Chopra, and George and Amal Clooney. The wedding cake was a layered lemon and elderflower cake decorated with peonies, designed by London-based cake designer Claire Ptak.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of Wedding | 19 May 2018 |
| Location | St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, UK |
| Bride | Meghan Markle |
| Groom | Prince Harry |
| Bride's Nationality | American |
| Groom's Nationality | British |
| Bride's Occupation | Actress, blogger, charity ambassador, advocate |
| Groom's Occupation | Member of the British Royal Family |
| Wedding Style | Traditional with African-American cultural elements |
| Wedding Cake | Lemon and elderflower cake |
| Wedding Cake Designer | Claire Ptak |
| Evening Reception Entertainment | DJ Idris Elba, The Atlantic Soul Orchestra |
| Wedding Guests | Serena Williams, Priyanka Chopra, Abigail Spencer, Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, Troian Bellisario, Cressida Bonas, Chelsea Davy, George and Amal Clooney, Carey Mulligan, Marcus Mumford, Victoria and David Beckham, Oprah Winfrey, James Corden |
| Wedding Audience | Peak UK viewing figures of 27.7 million; average UK audience of 11.5 million; 29 million viewers in the US; global audience in the hundreds of millions |
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What You'll Learn
Harry and Meghan's wedding: a fairytale ceremony
The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was a fairytale ceremony held on Saturday 19 May 2018 in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom. The wedding was highly publicised and televised, attracting a global audience of hundreds of millions and an estimated 1.9 billion viewers worldwide, making it one of the biggest televised events in history.
The bride, Meghan Markle, is American and worked as an actress, blogger, charity ambassador, and advocate before becoming a princess of the United Kingdom and gaining the style Her Royal Highness and the title Duchess of Sussex upon her marriage. The groom, Prince Harry, is a member of the British royal family and was conferred the titles of Duke of Sussex, Earl of Dumbarton, and Baron Kilkeel by his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, on the morning of the wedding.
The wedding ceremony was traditional, incorporating elements of African-American culture. It was officiated by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, using the standard Anglican church service for Holy Matrimony. Meghan's father, Thomas Markle, walked her down the aisle, and she was attended by a close circle of friends, including Serena Williams, Priyanka Chopra, and her Suits co-stars. Notably, Meghan made a speech at the evening reception, breaking with tradition.
The wedding cake was a layered lemon and elderflower cake decorated with shades of white and cream peonies, designed by London-based baker Claire Ptak and her team, who spent five days perfecting the confection. The evening reception featured performances by DJ Idris Elba and The Atlantic Soul Orchestra, who played Meghan's requested song, "Still D.R.E." by Dr. Dre, and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" by Whitney Houston. The event concluded with a display of small fireworks above Frogmore House.
Overall, the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was a grand and memorable occasion, captivating the world with its fairytale-like charm and attracting a massive global audience.
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The bride's fashion choices
The wedding dress of Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex, was designed by British designer Clare Waight Keller under the Givenchy fashion house. The dress was made of double-bonded silk cady cushioned by an underskirt in triple silk organza and featured a boat neckline, long sleeves, and a sweeping train. The silk veil was 16 feet long and was embroidered with 55 flowers representing the 53 countries of the Commonwealth, as well as Wintersweet, which grew in front of Nottingham Cottage, the couple's residence, and the California Poppy, the state flower of California, where the Duchess was born and raised. The veil was secured by a diamond bandeau tiara, made in 1932 for Queen Mary, which was lent to the Duchess by Queen Elizabeth II. The centre brooch had been a wedding gift to Queen Mary 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.
For the evening reception, the Duchess of Sussex wore a halter-neck, open-back dress by Stella McCartney and an emerald-cut aquamarine ring that formerly belonged to Princess Diana. Her hairstylist for the private party was George Northwood.
The wedding rings were created by Cleave and Company, with the Duchess's ring fashioned out of Welsh gold and Prince Harry's ring made of platinum.
The official engagement photographs were taken by Alexi Lubomirski, a former assistant to Mario Testino, at Frogmore House and were issued by Kensington Palace on 21 December 2017. In two of the three photographs released to the public, Meghan is shown wearing a black tulle gown with gold embroidery by Ralph & Russo.
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Celebrity guests
The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on 19 May 2018 was a grand affair, with a guest list of 2,000 people, including members of the public, friends, family, and several notable celebrities.
The celebrity guests included tennis champion Serena Williams and actress Priyanka Chopra, who were friends of the bride. Meghan's Suits co-stars were also in attendance, including Abigail Spencer, Gabriel Macht, and Patrick J. Adams, who attended with his wife, Troian Bellisario. Other celebrity guests included George and Amal Clooney, Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford, and Victoria and David Beckham.
The couple's wedding also included some famous musicians, with Elton John performing at the daytime luncheon and Idris Elba serving as the DJ for the event. Oprah Winfrey was also in attendance, and the couple later shared intimate details about their wedding in an interview with her.
In addition to the celebrities, Harry and Meghan also invited 500 members of the Royal Household, 1,200 inspiring citizens and young people, 200 guests from charities they were associated with, and 100 local schoolchildren. The guest list was extensive, and the wedding was a highly publicised event, with an estimated global audience of hundreds of millions of viewers.
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The reception
For the evening reception, Meghan Markle wore a halter-neck, open-back dress by Stella McCartney and an emerald-cut aquamarine ring that once belonged to Princess Diana. In a break with tradition, the bride gave a speech at the event, and her hairstylist for the private party was George Northwood. The Duke of Cambridge also gave a best man's speech.
DJ Idris Elba, who was invited by Harry, played songs from a playlist provided by Meghan, including "Still D.R.E." and Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody". The Atlantic Soul Orchestra also performed at the event. The reception ended with a display of small fireworks above Frogmore House.
The wedding cake was a layered lemon and elderflower cake decorated with peonies in shades of white and cream. The cake designer, Claire Ptak, was chosen in March 2018. The cake took five days to perfect, and Ptak worked with a team to create the couple's lemon sponge confection.
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The couple's prenuptial agreement
The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took place on 19 May 2018 at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in the United Kingdom. The ceremony was a traditional one, with a few modern touches, including the inclusion of African-American culture. The wedding was televised and watched by an estimated 1.9 billion people worldwide, making it one of the biggest televised events in history.
In the lead-up to the wedding, there was much speculation about whether the couple would sign a prenuptial agreement. This was partly due to the large sum of money at stake, with Prince Harry's net worth estimated at $25 to $40 million, and Meghan Markle's at around $50,000 per episode from her work on the TV series Suits. However, it was ultimately reported that the couple did not sign a prenuptial agreement before their wedding, which is consistent with royal tradition. Royal expert Katie Nicholl commented that prenuptial agreements are "commonplace with celebrity marriage, but this is not a celebrity marriage, it’s a royal marriage". Similarly, Duncan Larcombe, author of Prince Harry: The Inside Story, noted that in the event of a divorce, the true staggering wealth belongs to the Queen, so it wouldn't be divided up.
Despite not having a prenuptial agreement, there were still some discussions and considerations that the couple likely had to make, especially regarding citizenship and residency. Family law attorney Peter M. Walzer suggested that Meghan would need to decide whether she wanted to be a dual citizen, a citizen of one country, or the other, and that this would be a tough decision. Additionally, he pointed out that once an individual moves to a country, they can't just leave without the permission of the other parent. This would mean that if Meghan decided to move to England, she would be committing to raising her children there for the next 18 years or so.
In the event of a divorce, most negotiations would likely happen outside of court, as royal divorces in modern times try to make as few waves as possible. For example, Princess Diana received a new title, a financial settlement, and was entitled to royal security protection, which she declined.
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Frequently asked questions
The wedding took place on Saturday, 19 May 2018.
The wedding ceremony was held at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom.
Aside from the British royals, including Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II, several American celebrities were also in attendance. This included Meghan's pals Serena Williams and Priyanka Chopra, as well as her Suits co-stars.
Meghan wore a variety of outfits throughout the day. For the ceremony, she wore a dress designed by Givenchy's Clare Waight Keller. For the luncheon reception, she wore a halter-neck, open-back dress by Stella McCartney.
There are no indications that there will be a repeat of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding. The wedding was a highly publicized, one-time event that was televised globally, with an estimated audience of 1.9 billion people.
