Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

ONE A BRIGHT sunny Saturday in May, Prince Harry, 33, and divorced American television actress Meghan Markle, 36, were married in a lively ceremony at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, Windsor, a town on the River Thames in southeast England, just west of London.

The wedding comes just six months after the two announced their engagement to the world. Harry proposed to Meghan (who has already been married once before) following a whirlwind 16-month romance after going on a blind date in London in early July, 2016. The two were introduced by a mutual acquaintance whom some claim to be Harry’s friend Violet von Westenholz, while others have speculated it to be fashion designer Mischa Nonoo. After the couple’s second date, things moved rather quickly, with Harry’s invitation for Meghan to accompany him on a trip to Africa just three or four weeks later, and the rest, as they say, is history. The besotted prince answered, “The very first time we met.” When asked when he knew she was the one.

The coolbride wore Givenchy (more on that below) and a tiara borrowed from The Queen, and the groom was a nervous wreck. Fidgety and at times teary, the lovesick prince was breaking hearts around the world, and that was even before he whispered to the (startlingly calm) bride when he saw her for the first time at the alter, “You look amazing.” It was all terribly romantic.

600 guests were in attendance, including The Queen and more than 30 members of the Royal family, as well as a few celebrities, including David and Victoria Beckham, George and Amal Clooney, Serena Williams, Tom Hardy, and even Oprah. The ceremony was history-making in its blend of old traditions (the archbishop of Canterbury, the vows) with new, which included an address by the Most Reverend Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church of the United States, a rendition of “Stand By Me” by The Kingdom Choir, and a stirring performance by 19-year-old cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason. Lady Jane Fellowes, the sister of Prince Harry’s late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, gave a reading from the Song of Solomon.

A global TV audience of 1.9billion was said to have watched this most romantic and fairytale-like of events, which everyone seemed to enjoy immensely, that is, with the exception of Harry’s ex-girlfriend of seven years, lawyer Chelsy Davy, who seemed understandably reflective about the whole thing. (Update: It has been recently and widely reported that Harry and Chelsea had one last tearful telephone conversation just before the wedding to say good bye; the reason why their relationship fell apart was that the latter could not handle the intense media scrutiny that came with being with the former.) Cressida Bonas, another one of Harry’s exes was also in attendance. Scroll through for other interesting facts and thoughts about this momentous occasion.

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18Jane Barlow
A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18Getty Images

THE DRESS

After months of speculation (would it be Stella McCartney? Ralph & Russo?) the designer of the bride’s much anticipated wedding gown was revealed to be British designer Clare Waight Keller, the first female Artistic Director at French fashion luxury house Givenchy (a TIG favourite). The minimalist gown was designed to featured a bateau neckline with three-quarter sleeves, a sculpted waist, and a soft, round train supported by a triple-silk organza underskirt. The gown was made in Paris, using a special double bonded silk cady fabric that was developed exclusively for the gown.

Markle had approached the designer in January 2018 and already “had an idea of what she wanted,” said Keller in an interview on ITV on the morning after the wedding. She also said that her and Meghan “worked very closely together” to create the design. The House of Givenchy released a series of statements informing the public that they had wanted to create “a timeless piece to emphasize the iconic codes of the House throughout its history as well as to convey modernity through sleek lines and sharp cuts. The pure lines of the dress are achieved using six meticulously placed seams. The graphic open bateau neckline gracefully frames the shoulders and emphasizes the slender sculpted waist.”

The dress itself, once revealed, was a great point of contention seemingly around the world. Many were a little disappointed (us included) believing it to be a little too minimalistic for the occasion, and there was generally a consensus that it was rather ill-fitting. And while it certainly looked like it might have been taken it a little further in the sleeves and waist, overall, it was, indeed, a thoroughly modern choice with a strong reference to the past, which, given the situation, might have been perfect. Plus, we loved everything Clare Waight Keller did at Chloé and would never want to take away from what will certainly be the biggest achievement of her career.

THE BOUQUET

The diminutive bespoke bridal bouquet of spring blooms was designed by florist Philippa Craddock. Prince Harry handpicked a few flowers from their private garden at Kensington Palace the day before (such a lovely touch) to add to the bouquet, including Forget-Me-Nots which were Diana, Princess of Wales’ favourite flower. The bouquet, which featured an all white collection of flowers, was pulled together in a relaxed style and included scented sweet peas, lily of the valley, astilbe, jasmine and astrantia, and sprigs of myrtle, tied together with a naturally dyed, raw silk ribbon.

The bouquet also includes stems of myrtle, a royal tradition which dates back to the wedding of Queen Victoria’s daughter, Princess Victoria, when she married in 1858. The myrtle in the bride’s bouquet is from stems planted by Queen Victoria in 1845, at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, and from a plant grown from the myrtle used in The Queen’s wedding bouquet of 1947. According to the palace, many royal brides across the generations have chosen to carry sprigs of Myrtle, which represents love.

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

Andrew Matthews AP

THE VEIL 

A delicate, trailing veil five meters (16ft) long was created from silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers in silk threads and organza that included a flower from each of the 53 countries in the commonwealth. “A lot of the work she’s probably going to do in the future will be connection to the Commonwealth, and so that was something I really thought could be quite compelling,” Keller stated. “The delicate floral beauty of the veil was a vision that Meghan and I shared, a special gesture embracing the commonwealth flora, ascending the circumference of silk tulle.”

According to the royal family’s website, in addition to the flora of the Commonwealth, Ms. Markle also selected two personal favourites: Wintersweet, which grows on the grounds of Kensington Palace in front of Nottingham Cottage, and the California Poppy, the State flower from Ms. Markle’s place of birth, California.

Symmetrically placed at the very front of the veil, crops of wheat are delicately embroidered and blend into the flora, to symbolise love and charity.

THE ARRIVALS

for the wedding ceremony

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

Princess Diana’s neice, model Lady Kitty Spencer arrives in a hand-painted Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda dress, Philip Treacy headpiece and Bulgari jewels; Kitty is the eldest daughter of Diana’s brother Earl Charles Spencer and former model Victoria Lockwood | photo via @thecut

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

International Law and Human Rights Barrister, Amal Clooney, and her husband, film star George Clooney arrive at the wedding of Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle in a honey yellow midi dress with side tie detail in silk Cady, worn with head dress by Stephen Jones Millinery | via @stellamccartney

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18@brcbeckham

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18Victoria and David Beckham arrive for the wedding, she in a dress from her own label, and he in Dior Homme by Kim Jones; P.S. Read their Love Story here | photo via @britishvogue

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge arrives to the ceremony

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18@voguehommes

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18Doria Ragland, mother of the bride, and Meghan’s only family member in attendance, wore custom Oscar de la Renta | photo via @oscardelrenta

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18Prince Harry, and his brother and best man, the Duke of Cambridge, wore the frockcoat uniform of the Blues and Royals, tailored by Savile Row’s Dege & Skinner. It is said that Harry needed special permission from The Queen to keep his beard, as it is customary to be clean-shaven when in uniform.

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18Ms. Meghan Markle arrives from Cliveden House Hotel to St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle; the former television actress will become HRH The Duchess of Sussex, and a member of the royal family | photo via @kate_midlleton

THE WEDDING CEREMONY

St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18@tatlermagazine

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18Prince Charles, the groom’s father, accompanies Meghan Markle for the second part of the aisle, after Thomas Markle, Meghan’s father, decided not to attend the wedding at the last minute | photo via @theelegantduchess

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18@instylemagazine
A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18
@voguebrasil
A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18@theelegantduchess

THE TIARA

The bride wore Queen Mary’s English diamond and platinum bandeau tiara, borrowed from The Queen. The diamond bandeau is English and was made in 1932, with the centre detachable brooch of ten brilliant diamonds dating from 1893. The diamond bandeau was made for Queen Mary and specifically designed to accommodate the centre brooch. This brooch was given as a present to the then Princess Mary in 1893 by the County of Lincoln on her marriage to Prince George, Duke of York. The bandeau and the brooch were bequeathed by Queen Mary to The Queen in 1953.

This tiara, while lovely, is not a favourite. Much prefer the and The Spencer Tiara that Lady Diana wore on her wedding day. The Poltimore Tiara is also utterly spectacular. Read more about the royal tiaras here.

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18photo via @voguebrasil

After the ceremony, a kiss on the steps of St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle | @voguebrasil

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18The Cambridges, Prince William and Catherine, Prince George and Princess Charlotte | photo via @cambridgeroyal

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, who wore a pale yellow Alexander McQueen coat dress & Princess Charlotte, who was a bridesmaid, in a Givenchy dress in Ivory silk Radzimir, high-waisted with short puff sleeves and hand finished with a double silk ribbon detail tied at the back in a bow. The shoes are white leather by Aquazurra | via @suzymenkesvogue

THE CARRIAGE PROCESSION

through the streets of Windsor

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18Town & Country
A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18@kensingtonroyal
A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18@theelegantduchess
A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Meghan Markle | 19.05.18
@theststyle

After the service, the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex travelled through the streets of Windsor in an open-top Ascot Landau for a carriage procession on a route lined by thousands of well-wishers. The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead said more than 100,000 people visited the town on the day of the wedding.

After the carriage procession, the wedding party and family would pose for official wedding portraits in green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle.

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18@elleuk
A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18@katemidleton
A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18@theststyle

THE OFFICIAL WEDDING PHOTOS

by Alexi Lubomirski

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

From back to front: The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Doria Ragland, Prince William, Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II, Kate Middleton, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, and bridesmaids and page boys from the wedding party. Photography by Alexi Lubomirski

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18Alexi Lubomirski
A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18Alexi Lubomirski
A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18Alexi Lubomirski

And a final shot just with the bridal party: George and Charlotte and (not in order of appearance): Florence van Cutsem, 3, Remi Litt, 6, Rylan Litt, 7, Ivy Mulroney, 4, Jasper Dyer, 6, and twins Brian and John Mulroney, 7.

THE RECEPTION

After the ceremony, all 600 guests were invited to a lunchtime reception at St George’s Hall, hosted by The Queen. The best man, the Duke of Cambridge, acted as compère. Sir Elton John performed, there were langoustine canapés, Windsor lamb, champagne and pistachio macarons. It was said that Prince Charles brought the room to tears with his speech about his ‘darling old Harry’ and how he remembered like it was yesterday that he was a baby. The reception also included the cutting of the lemon and elderflower wedding cake.


THE MENU

Instead of a formal sit-down dinner, food was served in bowls with small fork to facilate conversation and walking about; the bowl food part of the menu included a choice of:

Fricassee of Free Range Chicken with Morel Mushrooms and Young Leeks
Pea and Mint Risotto with Pea Shoots, Truffle Oil and Parmesan Crisps
10-hour Slow Roasted Windsor Pork Belly with Apple Compote and Crackling

As well as the three bowl food dishes, there were also, as mentioned above, canapés including Scottish langoustines wrapped in smoked salmon with citrus crème fraiche, croquette of confit Windsor Lamb, roasted vegetables and shallot jam, and champagne and pistachio macarons.

All the ingredients have been sourced from companies holding a royal warrant.

THE WEDDING CAKE

that broke with centuries of tradition

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

The wedding cake served at the Reception. It was designed by Claire Ptak and features elderflower syrup made at The Queen’s residence in Sandringham from the estate’s own elderflower trees, as well as a light sponge cake uniquely formulated for the couple. The cake had three tiers and a filling made from Amalfi lemon curd; it was decorated with Swiss meringue buttercream and 150 fresh flowers including peonies and roses arranged in a non-traditional way. | via @kensingtonroyal

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18@rachelashwell

THE OUTFIT CHANGE

& getaway car

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle leave their afternoon reception for an evening party at Frogmore House in a change of outfit. The new Duchess of Sussex wears a bespoke high-neck lily-white dress by Stella McCartney (which, again, looked like perhaps it might need taking in at the waist?) and shoes by Aquazurra. Only 200 of the 600 wedding guests were invited to the evening party. | via @bazaaruk

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

The Asprey aquamarine that Meghan wore to the evening reception came from Princess Diana’s own jewellery collection: a tribute to the late mother of the groom, and a wedding gift from Harry to his new wife | photo via @bonsrapazes

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

@fashiondesfemmes

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

The newlyweds left for the evening reception at Frogmore House in Windsor in a silver blue Jaguar E-Type Concept Zero; originally manufactured in 1968, it has since been converted to electric power.

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18@portermagazine

THE SCRAPBOOK

a look back in time…

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

His Royal Highness Prince Charles first met Lady Diana Spencer in 1977 but it wasn’t until 1980, when they ran into one another at a polo match, that he started to consider her as his future wife. Their engagement was announced on February 24, 1981, with the sapphire engagement ring now owned by Kate Middleton. The couple wed at St Paul’s Cathedral in London on July 29, 1981 | Getty Images via @vogueaustralia

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

His Royal Highness Prince Charles first met Lady Diana Spencer in 1977 but it wasn’t until 1980, when they ran into one another at a polo match, that he started to consider her as his future wife. Their engagement was announced on February 24, 1981, with the sapphire engagement ring now owned by Kate Middleton. The couple wed at St Paul’s Cathedral in London on July 29, 1981 | Getty Images via @vogueaustralia

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

Catherine Middleton and Prince William first met while studying at St Andrews University in Scotland and became engaged on 16 November 2010. The couple, who now share three children, wed on April 29, 2011 at Westminster Abbey | Getty Images via @vogueaustralia

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18July 18, 1986 | Tim Graham/Getty Images

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

When Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip married on November 20, 1947 at Westminster Abbey in front of 2000 guests they were known to the world as Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten. The couple have been married for 70 years | Getty Images via @vogueaustralia

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18
Jane Barlow/PA.

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18

A Royal Wedding: Prince Harry & Ms. Meghan Markle | 19.05.18
via @ellecanada