Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding: Everything you need to know
Prince Harry will marry Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018. From the guest list to the wedding dress, here’s everything you need to know about this year’s biggest royal wedding.
Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle officially became husband and wife on May 19.
The wedding came after the couple announced their engagement in November.
Read on for a look at the royal wedding.
When was the wedding?
Prince Harry -- formally known as Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales -- married Markle on May 19 in an hour-long ceremony that started at 7 a.m. EDT, or noon local time.
The date was a Saturday -- unusual, as most British royal weddings take place on a weekday.
Where was the wedding?
The wedding took place at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
"The Dean of Windsor will conduct the service and The Archbishop of Canterbury will officiate as the couple make their vows," Kensington Palace announced on Feb. 12.
The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, the 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church, was chosen to give the address, Kensington Palace confirmed on May 12.
The wedding venue holds a central location in the history of the royal family. Windsor Castle, west of London, is one of Queen Elizabeth II's main residences. The 15th-Century chapel is as historic but more intimate than Westminster Abbey, where Prince William married Kate Middleton in 2011. The queen is also very involved in the College of St. George, according to its website.
When the engagement was announced, the palace said the wedding will "reflect [the couple’s] characters and personalities" and be a moment of "fun and joy."
After the ceremony, the royal couple undertook a carriage procession from St. George's Chapel through Windsor Town and then return to Windsor Castle.
"They hope this short journey will provide an opportunity for more people to come together around Windsor and to enjoy the atmosphere of this special day," the palace said.
Kensington Palace revealed on May 2 the Ascot Landau carriage would be used.
"The carriage is one of five Ascot Landaus in the Royal Mews," the palace said. "The carriages are used in official and ceremonial state events, such as Coronations, Royal Weddings and State Visits."
Wedding guests were slated to meet the pair for a reception at St. George's Hall.
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Harry’s father, Prince Charles, held a private reception later that evening for the newlyweds, with close friends and family members in attendance at an undisclosed location.
Prince Harry, 33, and Markle, 36, are “hugely grateful for the many good wishes they have received since announcing their engagement,” the palace said Feb. 12. “They are very much looking forward to the day and to being able to share their celebrations with the public.”
What about other aspects of the wedding?
Claire Ptak of Violet Cakes created the couple's wedding cake, Kensington Palace has revealed.
"Prince Harry and Ms. Markle have asked Claire to create a lemon elderflower cake that will incorporate the bright flavours of spring," the palace tweeted March 20. "It will be covered with buttercream and decorated with fresh flowers."
The chef "focuses on using seasonal and organic ingredients in her cakes," the palace said. "Ms. Markle previously interviewed Chef Ptak for her former lifestyle website The Tig."
Floral designer Philippa Craddock joined a team of florists from St. George’s Chapel and Buckingham Palace to create the displays for the royal wedding on May 19, Kensington Palace announced April 1. The designs included locally sourced foliage and have flowers and plants that are in season during May.
What needed to happen before the wedding?
Queen Elizabeth II needed to give her formal consent before the happy couple, who have already taken their engagement photos, could marry.
On March 14, during a Privy Council meeting, the queen did just that.
“I declare My Consent to a Contract of Matrimony between My Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales and Rachel Meghan Markle, which Consent I am causing to be signified under the Great Seal and to be entered in the Books of the Privy Council,” the statement released to the public the following day read.
The news comes after Markle was baptized on March 6 in the Chapel Royal at St. James Palace, according to a Daily Mail report. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby was asked to lead the 45-minute service.
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker-Bowles, attended the baptism as representatives of the crown.
Afterward, Markle was reportedly confirmed into the Anglican faith, allowing her to join her soon-to-be husband at Holy Communion.
And earlier in March, Markle reportedly had a private bridal shower ahead of her big day.
E! News reported that some of Markle's friends threw her a bridal shower at the Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire, England, in early March. Some of the guests reportedly included Lindsay Jill Roth, Heather Dorak and the actress' mother, Doria Ragland.
Additionally, Ragland "reportedly met Will, Kate, George and Charlotte at a wedding rehearsal within Windsor Castle. And today, she will have tea with Queen Elizabeth at Windsor castle," Town & Country reported.
The news comes after Markle announced just days before the wedding that her father, Thomas Markle, will not attend his daughter's big day. As a result, Prince Charles, Prince Harry's father, will walk his soon-to-be daughter-in-law down the isle, Kensington Palace announced.
Harry and Markle spent the night before the wedding apart. They have been living together in recent months since announcing their engagement.
What should I know about the invitiations and guest list?
The wedding invitations were mailed in March. Six hundred people were invited to the service and another 200 close friends received an invitation to an after party at Frogmore House, Kensington Palace announced on March 22.
The invitations were created by Barnard and Westwood, a printing company that has worked with the royal family since 1985. They featured letters in black ink with the Prince Charles’ Three-Feathered Badge printed in gold on the top. The invitations were burnished, gilded on the edges and completed with a gold border.
Harry's grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and other royals attended the wedding. You can read more about who attended here.
The Royal Mail sold royal wedding stamps ahead of the couple's big day, while the Royal Mint sold royal wedding coins.
What about wedding gifts?
The pair announced on April 9 that they would be accepting donations to seven charities they support as wedding gifts for their royal nuptials.
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“Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle are incredibly grateful for the goodwill they have received since their engagement, [and] have asked that anyone who might wish to mark the occasion of their wedding considers giving to charity, instead of sending a gift,” Kensington Palace wrote in a news release.
What do we know about Markle’s engagement ring?
Prince Harry designed the custom engagement ring he gave to his fiancée -- and it includes some special sentiments.
The center stone is from Botswana, where the two visited in August. But the two stones that flank the center jewel honor Prince Harry’s mother as they're from Princess Diana's collection.
The ring was made by court jewelers Cleave and Company, according to Town & Country magazine.
Was there anything special or unusual about the wedding date?
The timing of the wedding allegedly had to do with Prince Harry’s aging grandfather, Prince Philip.
Royal expert Kate Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight that the prince’s close bond with his grandfather is behind the timing and venue of the wedding.
The queen's husband has been recovering from hip replacement surgery and has not participated in any public events since being discharged from the hospital in mid-April.
Prince Philip, 96, did attend the wedding on May 19.
And another fact about the wedding date that is perhaps a little less romantic: May 19 is the date that Anne Boleyn, the former queen of England, was executed as ordered by her husband, King Henry VIII, in 1536.
May 19 is also the FA Cup final, one of the biggest English sports events of the year. Prince William, Harry’s older brother, is president of the Football Association and presented the trophy to the winner in 2017.
Fox News' Katherine Lam, Sasha Savitsky, Zoe Szathmary and Morgan M. Evans contributed to this report, along with The Associated Press.
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