Greg Brown

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The Royal Wedding recap

May 21, 2018

Prince Harry, 33, and Meghan Markle, 36, are officially husband and wife. The world tuned in on Saturday (May 19th) as they became the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at London’s Windsor Castle.  The ceremony took place at the gothic St. George’s Chapel at noon. But it was no “ordinary” wedding, even by royal standards.

Harry’s princely status and Ms. Markle’s celebrity status (she starred on Suits for seven years) turned the wedding into a global event. Much attention was also devoted to the fact that Ms. Markle is American, a divorcee and biracial. The event was widely viewed as a determined effort on the part of Harry and Ms. Markle to bring the British monarchy into the modern day.

  • The projected audience in America for Harry and Ms. Markle’s wedding was nearly 23 million people (they woke up before 7 a.m. EST to watch live as the couple tied the knot!) The Nielsen Co. said that viewers were spread out over 11 different networks. These numbers were comparable to the number of viewers who tuned in to see Prince William marry Kate Middleton in 2011, though fewer people in Britain showed up to see this wedding in person.
  • The 600-strong guest list was a who’s who of royalty and Hollywood. Celebrity guests included Oprah Winfrey, Idris Elba, James Blunt, George & Amal Clooney, Priyanka Chopra, Victoria & David Beckham, Suits stars Patrick J. Adams & Troian Bellisario and Serena Williams.
  • In an apparent effort to be more inclusive, the couple invited 2,640 members of the public, including 1,200 ordinary people from around the U.K. to watch from inside the castle grounds as guests arrived.

THE DRESSES 

  • The palace issued a press release with details of the gown. For those curious: “Ms. Meghan Markle’s wedding dress has been designed by the acclaimed British designer, Clare Waight Keller. Ms. Waight Keller last year became the first female Artistic Director at the historic French fashion house Givenchy.”
  • Ms. Markle and the designer worked closely on the design, the Palace added.
  • Regarding Ms. Markle’s veil, Kensington Palace wrote on Twitter: “The veil is held in place by Queen Mary‘s diamond bandeau tiara, lent to Ms. Markle by The Queen. The diamond bandeau is English and was made in 1932, with the entire brooch dating from 1893.”
  • The 16-foot-long veil’s floral composition also represents each of the 53 countries of the Commonwealth.

THE FLOWERS

  • According the Palace, Harry “handpicked several flowers yesterday from their private garden at Kensington Palace to add to the bespoke bridal bouquet designed by florist Philippa Craddock.
  • “The spring blooms include Forget-Me-Nots which were Diana, Princess of Wales’ favorite flower. The couple specifically chose them to be included in Ms. Markle’s bouquet to honor the memory of the late Princess on this special day.”

HAIR AND MAKE-UP

  • Ms. Markle’s hair was styled by Serge Normant, with make-up by long-time friend and make-up artist Daniel Martin.

OTHER NOTABLE ATTIRE

  • According to the Palace, Clare Waight Keller also designed the six young Bridesmaids’ dresses in the Givenchy Haute Couture Atelier in Paris. The dresses were designed to have the same “timeless purity” as Ms. Markle’s dress. Ms. Markle and Harry also picked flowers for the Bridesmaids. One of the bridesmaids was Princess Charlotte, Prince William and Kate Middleton’s daughter.
  • The four Pages are wearing a miniature version of the Blues and Royals frockcoat, the Palace revealed. The uniform “draws its insignia from the Blues and Royals, which is an old Regiment of The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry.” Both are also wearing Blues and Royals frockcoats for the Wedding Day. One of the pages was Prince George, Prince William and Kate Middleton’s son.
  • The mother of the bride, Doria Ragland, wore a dress and day coat designed by creative directors of Oscar de la Renta, Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim.
  • The Queen was the last to arrive at the ceremony. She wore a lime silk dress and was accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, in a rare public appearance.

THE CEREMONY

  • Leading up to the ceremony there was a great deal of behind-the-scenes drama as Ms. Markle’s father Thomas was revealed to have staged “candid” photos with celebrity photographers.
  • Following that revelation and some serious heart issues, he did not attend, and was therefore unable to walk his daughter down the aisle. (He did watch from afar, saying later that he was “proud” and “emotional” watching his daughter get married).
  • In a departure from tradition, in what was widely viewed as a strong feminist statement, Ms. Markle walked most of the way un-chaperoned, followed by her 10 bridesmaids and page boys. When she reached the 15thcentury chapel’s Quire, Harry’s father Prince Charles accompanied her the rest of the way.
  • The wedding pomp and circumstance was a blend of Anglican prayers and tradition and passionate African-American-style preaching, with a sermon that drew a lot of attention on social media, much of which noted the royal “side-eye” being thrown during the impassioned sermon. The Queen’s “grumpy” expression went viral. Many insisted that Bishop Curry, the head of the Episcopal Church, “stole the show.”
  • Harry could be seen saying “wow” to Ms. Markle near the end of the sermon. They exchanged several humor-tinged and affectionate glances throughout the ceremony, and clasped hands for much of the time.
  • The newlyweds looked delighted as the left the chapel with their bridal party in tow. They shared a brief kiss before descending hand-in-hand down the chapel stairs to be whisked off via horse-drawn carriage, where they kissed again.

THE PARTY

  • After the ceremony came a luncheon hosted by the Queen, but then the real party happened that night when Prince Charles hosted an intimate party for 200 at his residence, the Frogmore House.
  • At the luncheon, Charles moved the assembled guests to tears as he discussed his “darling old Harry” and the wonderful man he’d become.
  • Harry also gave a speech, and guests applauded when he referred to Ms. Markle as “my wife.”
  • Ms. Markle changed into a Stella McCartney bespoke white gown for the evening reception, and wore a stunning aquamarine ring which once belonged to Princess Diana. She made a speech at the reception, which was also viewed as a nod to her feminist ideals.
  • At the evening reception, Elton John played and Prince William reportedly made a “naughty,” but well-received speech. Dinner was sit-down and the menu was organic.
  • DJ Sam Totolee also performed and there was a menu of “dirty burgers” as midnight snacks and a drink featuring ginger and rum named “When Harry Met Meghan.”
  • The evening concluded with a fireworks display. Afterwards, guests reportedly returned to London for an after-after party at Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone.

THE HONEYMOON 

  • The newlyweds will delay heading out on their honeymoon. Instead, they are set to attend a 70thbirthday party for Charles in a few days. Until then, they will head to their cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace. The destination of their honeymoon is unknown, with some guessing that they will go to Botswana and visit an exclusive safari camp where they spent time together in August.

THE NUMBERS

  • There were about 100,000 well-wishers lining the streets of Windsor to greet them. Of the estimated $42.8 million spent on the wedding, 94% of it was devoted to security.
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