Prince Harry, sixth in line to the British throne, and American actress Meghan Markle exchanged marriage vows Saturday, May 19. Here is your complete guide to the royal wedding 2018: From the dress and guests to the scene at Windsor, England and Markle’s alma mater. Our live blog has got you royally covered.
Royal wedding highlights:
- For Harry and Meghan, it’s all smiles in official royal wedding portraits
- Look back at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s early relationship milestones
- The dress: Duchess of Sussex walks down the aisle wearing Givenchy’s Clare Waight Keller
- Hat acts: Hats and fascinators worn to the royal wedding
- Star cellist, 19, was to perform in L.A., but then Meghan Markle called
A royal wedding TV spectacle where the new world met the old and showed a rethinking of the monarchy
The royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was grand in many ways, but perhaps the most striking aspect were the myriad collisions of American and British culture.
The wedding was an unprecedented mix of royal pomp, British tradition, African American culture and Hollywood celebrity. Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, named a TV star the Duchess of Sussex before the native Angeleno was wed by the archbishop of Canterbury in a ceremony that opened with the soft serenade of a string section and ended with a gospel choir’s rousing rendition of “Stand by Me.”
In between was the animated sermon of the Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, the first African American to serve as presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. He took a solemn royal ritual dating back to the Anglo-Saxons and infused it with the new world.
Hats and fascinators worn to the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Oprah Winfrey, Amal Clooney, Serena Williams and, of course, Queen Elizabeth wore hats or fascinators to Saturday’s royal wedding. Here’s a look at some of the day’s most memorable pieces.
Meghan Markle wears Givenchy’s Clare Waight Keller dress for her royal wedding
Ending months of speculation, the Duchess of Sussex walked down the aisle of St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in a wedding gown designed by Givenchy’s artistic director Clare Waight Keller, a designer whose name had been absent from the shortlist of British designers and brands favored for the high-profile occasion, including Stella McCartney, Ralph & Russo, Burberry and Erdem.
Although Givenchy is a French label, Waight Keller is British, having taken the creative reins at the house just last year. She’s the first woman to do so in the brand’s history.
According to a statement released by Kensington Palace just minutes after the first images were revealed of the new duchess’ dress on her way into the chapel, Markle chose Waight Keller because she “wanted to highlight the success of a leading British talent who has now served as the creative head of three globally influential fashion houses — Pringle of Scotland, Chloé and now Givenchy.”
Meghan Markle’s early years remembered at Immaculate Heart viewing party
Immaculate Heart High School freshman Kya Adams, 14, said she didn’t know who Meghan Markle was before she and Prince Harry started dating. But leading up to the wedding, Adams’ theology teacher Maria Pollia, who also taught Markle, told her a story that stuck with her. As a sophomore, Markle had watched some upperclassmen bully a girl in her grade. She walked up to them and said, “We don’t do that here.”
Her mother Starsha Adams said she was pleased to see the blend of cultures during the wedding ceremony.
“It just doesn’t just show African American culture — it shows American culture overall,” she said.
Royal wedding sermon from Bishop Michael Curry draws tears at Meghan Markle’s high school
Kari Wuhrer brought her 12- and 9-year-old daughters to Immaculate Heart High School to watch their first royal wedding, hugging them close and wiping away tears as they listened to Bishop Michael Curry, the head of the Episcopal Church, preach about the power of love.
During a time when much news has been negative, Wuhrer said she wanted to show her daughters a happy moment in history. She said they look up to Meghan Markle.
Wuhrer said Markle has made some “questionable choices — like we all have” and as such is a relatable positive example.
“How Harry looked at her was heartbreaking, it was so beautiful,” she said. “He could have chosen anyone and he chose this woman who has probably created an uproar over there. That’s unfortunate, but it takes chaos to create change.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ride through Windsor in post-wedding procession
Immaculate Heart students praise nontraditional royal wedding
Immaculate Heart High School sophomore Frida Gaspar, 15, woke up at 3 a.m. to be at the Los Feliz school to watch the wedding of Price Harry and Megan Markle. She said she doesn’t usually pay close attention to famous people, but that she wanted to support Markle as an alumnus — “one of our sisters, basically.”
The teen said she was surprised but happy that Queen Elizabeth II gave her blessing. She also said she was glad to see the wedding break with tradition by including a black choir and Anglican Bishop Michael Curry, an African American.
Gaspar and her friend Daniella Bueno, 15, said they identified with Markle’s dedication to giving back.
Bueno said she remembers reading that Markle called for women to be strong and independent.
“That’s what we’ve been taught here, to be women who don’t really need anyone’s validation,” she said.
For the Record:
A previous version of this article misidentified Daniella Bueno as Frida Bueno.
Story was originally published on May 19 at 5:25 a.m.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are wed amid pomp and pageantry at Windsor chapel
Prince Harry, sixth in line to the British throne, and American actress Meghan Markle exchanged marriage vows Saturday in a tradition-imbued ceremony that was seen by millions worldwide but filled with intimate moments, including the groom’s almost bashful-sounding aside as the bride arrived at the altar: “You look amazing.”
Huge crowds gathered under sunny skies outside Windsor Castle, and invited guests in frippery and finery filled St. George’s Chapel within the castle walls for the noontime royal wedding.
“I will,” both Harry and Meghan said, smiling, as each was asked if they would wed the other. The audience greeted the vows with ripples of joyous laughter.
“Two young people fell in love, and we all showed up,” said Bishop Michael Curry, the African American head of the Episcopal Church, in a rousing address that invoked the biblical Solomon and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Immaculate Heart celebrates Meghan Markle’s philanthropic work at royal wedding viewing party
Immaculate Heart President Maureen Diekmann said school leaders are glad to host any event that brings the students together. The viewing united middle and high schoolers, though few seniors attended as their prom had been Friday night.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and they’ll remember this forever,” she said.
Students booed when the priest asked anyone opposed the couple’s marriage. They cheered again when Markle and Harry each said “I do.”
Before Markle and Prince Harry began dating, Diekmann said, the school’s theology department regularly showed video of Markle’s United Nations 2015 women’s conference speech.
In the speech, Markle discusses having watched a commercial for dish-washing liquid that included the tagline “Women all over America are fighting greasy pots and pans.”
The commercial left the elementary schooler so angry that she wrote letters to then-U.S. First Lady Hillary Clinton, TV journalist Linda Ellerbee, attorney Gloria Allred and the manufacturer. A month later, Proctor & Gamble swapped out the word “women” for “people.”
“It was at that moment that I realized the magnitude of my actions,” she said. “At the age of 11, I had created my small level of impact by standing up for equality.”
Since the royal couple began dating, Diekmann said, the students have learned more about Markle and her philanthropic work.
“I think they’re just proud that she’s such a strong and independent woman,” she said. “This (wedding) is just a fun part of it. She’ll have a much bigger stage on which to champion these causes so that’s a good thing too.”
Diekmann said an Italian reporter interviewed a 7th grade student last week. At the end, the reporter asked, “Do you want to be a princess?”
“No,” she said. “I want to be an engineer.”
‘Suits’ stars — and a ‘Real World’ grad — show up in full force to support Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle may have left her “Suits” role behind as she prepares to become a member of the British royal family, but her former castmates were there in full force to support her Saturday at her wedding to Prince Harry. Among those from the show in attendance included her TV husband, Patrick J. Adams, her onscreen BFF Sarah Rafferty, Gabriel Macht, Gina Torres, Abigail Spencer and guest/former “Real World: London” cast member Jacinda Barrett, who is married to Macht. See more photos of the “Suits” ensemble below.
Plenty of wannabe brides in the crowd at royal wedding
There are many wedding dresses in Windsor, if only one bride.
Immaculate Heart students cheer on alumna Meghan Markle at viewing party
As wedding guests filtered into Windsor Castle less than an hour ahead of the royal wedding, students filtered into Immaculate Heart High School in Hollywood — Meghan Markle’s alma mater — to watch.
Students and parents at the all-girls school laid out blankets and pillows in the auditorium. They wore pajamas, some topped with tulle headpieces or wide-brimmed hats.
More than a dozen television cameras formed a perimeter around the fewer than 50 families. A spread of cakes, cookies, cocoa and other snacks lined the back wall. Some had brought their own food and thermoses.
Cheers erupted inside the auditorium when the bride, inside the royal car, flashed on the projection screen.
Big names arriving at Windsor Castle
Thousands of well-plumed guests and enthusiastic royal fans streamed into Windsor on Saturday to capture their piece of the extravaganza that is the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Oprah Winfrey, Idris Elba, Elton John, George and Amal Clooney and David and Victoria Beckham were among the first guests to arrive at Windsor Castle. They are among 600 celebrities, royalty, athletes and family friends invited to the gothic St. George’s Chapel for the ceremony.
‘Everyone is wishing them well’
Early-morning trains to Windsor, the castle town that is the venue for Saturday’s royal wedding, were filled with fans of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Joyce Tickner, 59, and her friend Joan Ball, 63, were waiting on the platform before 6 a.m. — six hours before the ceremony at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. The two live in Shepperton, about 20 miles from Windsor.
“Yes, it’s early, but we’re very nosy — we don’t want to miss a thing!” Tickner said.
Another pair of friends, nurses Janet Gordon, 64, and Laura Marshall, 49, traveled from Lincoln, about two hours north of Windsor, hoping to catch a glimpse of the couple. Gordon sported a homemade hat with likenesses of the prince and Markle knitted into it.
Both said they were delighted for Harry, the sixth in line to the throne.
“Everyone is wishing them well,” Marshall said. “I think people feel really happy for him.”
So that’s what you call them
One royal riddle has been solved.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be known, post-wedding, as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The dukedom was conferred upon Harry by his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Harry’s full title is a bit of a mouthful: Duke of Sussex, Earl of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel, the latter two used in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
When Harry’s elder brother William married Kate Middleton in 2011, the queen also bestowed a dukedom upon him. He and his wife are known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Meet the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
Two from Tampa
Britain’s Prince Harry and American Meghan Markle set to exchange vows
On the eve of his wedding to Meghan Markle, Prince Harry emerged from behind the thick stone walls of Windsor Castle on Friday to greet well-wishers clustered outside.
It was an unconventional gesture — but by royal standards, it’s an unconventional match.
The prince, sixth in line to the British throne, is marrying an American divorcee who’s had a successful TV acting career. She’s even slightly older: 36 to his 33.
They’re just wild about Harry and Meghan cutouts
Crowds gather early at Windsor Castle
The workout that helped get Meghan Markle in shape for her wedding day
All eyes will be on the bride Saturday when actress Meghan Markle is set to marry Britain’s Prince Harry.
And while there’s been much speculation about what the dress will look like, what color it will be, and who designed it, we know this much: Markle will be one fit bride.
Markle is a well-known fitness fanatic. Since her fairy-tale engagement came to light, everything about her — her hair, makeup, clothing and yes, fitness — has been making headlines because fans want the look.
Royal wedding dress code: What is a prince to wear?
While speculation is mounting around Meghan Markle and what she’ll wear down the aisle on the big day, WWD is taking a look at royal groom Prince Harry, and how he might dress on May 19.
According to Joseph Waving, military manager at Savile Row tailor Gieves & Hawkes, Prince Harry will most certainly be wearing a uniform, but he doesn’t know which one it will be because the prince is a member of many different forces.
“He did actively serve in the Army Air Force, so it’s more likely to be that, but it’s difficult to tell,” said Waving. “For Prince William’s wedding he wore the Blues and Royals uniform, and that’s the ceremony uniform (rather than) day-to-day uniform that they wear while serving.”
At L.A.’s Immaculate Heart school, the mission is to tell the world about ‘the real Meghan’ Markle
Meghan Markle stood out to the students and teachers of her Los Feliz Catholic school long before she started standing out to the world.
Ever since her engagement to Prince Harry last November, the school has gotten many, many calls to know more.
It could drive those on campus crazy. But mostly it doesn’t.
Who made Meghan Markle’s wedding dress? Few know for sure, but bookmakers put the odds on Ralph & Russo
It might sound like the title of a Sherlock Holmes story, but the Mystery of the Royal Wedding Dress Designer is, if not as elaborate as a Holmes tale, then certainly as thrilling, judging from the feverish media coverage the topic has garnered ahead of Saturday’s nuptials of Great Britain’s Prince Harry and Los Angeles-born “Suits” actress Meghan Markle.
And just like the dapper detective, fashion hounds have been sniffing out clues at every possible opportunity. When Markle wore a Stella McCartney cape dress for Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London last month, that label was suddenly a contender. But the subsequent choice of a bespoke Emilia Wickstead skirt suit for a commemoration service at Westminster Abbey a few days later proved equally tantalizing to royal watchers — especially because Wickstead created a universally admired wedding gown for the Duke of Wellington’s daughter, Charlotte Wellesley, two years ago.
Other names being bandied about include Erdem, Burberry and Alexander McQueen; the last of those labels was responsible for the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress in 2011.
Prince Charles will walk Meghan Markle down the aisle
Prince Charles will walk Meghan Markle down the aisle at the royal wedding — stepping in after the father of the bride fell ill just days before the ceremony.
Kensington Palace said Friday that Markle’s future father-in-law, the heir to the British throne, would walk the American actress down the aisle at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor for her wedding to Prince Harry. The palace says he “is pleased to be able to welcome Ms. Markle to the Royal Family in this way.”
The decision comes after feverish speculation about who would have the honor after the bride announced that her father, Thomas Markle, wouldn’t attend because of poor health. The bookies had suggested that Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, was the favorite.
From the Met Gala to Saturday’s royal wedding, high-profile headgear is moving back to center stage
It’s a simple and oft-overlooked accessory, but between Rihanna’s bishop’s mitre at the May 7 Met Gala in New York and the fascinator frenzy sparked by Saturday’s British royal wedding where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will tie the knot amid a sea of stylish headgear, the hat is making a comeback.
Of course, in Britain, where hats are still mandatory in many settings such as church weddings and Buckingham Palace garden parties, many would argue they never went away. “Without a hat at English society events, ladies will feel underdressed,” said London-based milliner Lady Laura Cathcart, who has designed headpieces for some of Harry and Meghan’s wedding guests.
That makes it the perfect opportunity to see how hats can be one of the hardest-working accessories in a woman’s wardrobe, bestowing elegance, boosting confidence and improving posture. “You feel like you’ve got this little exclamation point on your head of like, ‘Hi, here I am,’” said New York-based milliner Genevieve Foddy. “If you’ve never worn one before, you put one on [and] you just stand up a little bit taller.”
A visual recap of royal weddings
Royal weddings have long been occasions of fascination and splendor. Here’s a look at the marriages of key members of the British royal family beginning with Queen Victoria’s 1840 union with her first cousin Prince Albert.
Royal wedding: Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s 1947 wedding
On Nov. 20, 1947, Princess Elizabeth, 21, and Prince Philip Mountbatten, 26, married at Westminster Abbey in London.
See more photos of their wedding »
The invitation says ‘day dress with hat.’ Here are hats from other royal nuptials
In the above montage are, from top left, Victoria Beckham; Princess Letizia; Charlene Wittstock, the fiancee of Prince Albert II of Monaco; Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II; Anne, the Princess Royal; Queen Margrethe of Denmark; Queen Sofia of Spain; Carole Middleton, Kate’s mother; Princess Beatrice; Princess Eugenie; and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.
This post was updated with more photos and links. It was originally published May. 15, 2018, 3:00 P.M.
Sorry, but a wedding — no matter how royal it might be — will not create ‘Princess Meghan’
It’s shouting into the headwinds of romantic swoonery, but Saturday’s wedding will not create “Princess Meghan.”
Quaint and odd they may be, but the rules of the royal road are both clear and strict, and neither tabloids nor TV will change them. In the House of Windsor, princesses are born, not made – or married.
No members of the British royal family can put the title “prince” or “princess” in front of their names unless they are born royal. So technically, there can be no “Princess Meghan,” just as there was no “Princess Diana.”
Yet, confusingly, Meghan Markle, like Kate Middleton, will have the style of “princess of the United Kingdom” — essentially her job description — but not the title. It’s one more nugget of headache-inducing royal arcana that someone can be a princess without being called “princess.”
What will she be called, then?
Traditionally, just before a marriage, the monarch puts out what are called “letters patent,” a kind of royal wedding gift to the son or grandson, making him a royal duke.
It sounds like a demotion from “prince,” but it isn’t. It’s a bonus. A royal dukedom is a super-duper-dukedom.
Under Windsor house rules, that royal dukedom — the rumor is the Queen will make Prince Harry the Duke of Sussex — spares Meghan Markle from bearing the clumsy title of “Her Royal Highness Princess Henry of Wales.” Instead, she would be “HRH the Duchess of Sussex,” just as the former Kate Middleton is “HRH the Duchess of Cambridge.”
The title doesn’t come with any land — they won’t be getting the county of Sussex as a wedding present — and the couple would be only the second Duke and Duchess of Sussex in modern royal history. The first, Queen Victoria’s favorite uncle, walked her up the aisle at her wedding, because her father was dead.
It really is a kind of strange magic that a woman in a white dress says a few words in a church and becomes a royal highness. But when a princess born to royal rank marries a commoner, his status does not rise to match hers. Sexist, right? When Princess Margaret married a photographer, the Queen made the new husband an earl, in part so their children — the grandchildren of a monarch — would not be plain “Mr.” and “Miss.”
The Queen has been paring back the scale of the royal family to match modern sentiment, so it’s probable that any children Meghan and Harry have will not be royal highnesses, but simply Lord or Lady Whatever. That’s what the Queen did with the children of her youngest son, Edward.
Got it? Good. Now, cut this out and carry it in your wallet, and win those bar bets with the bold but accurate declaration, “There’s no such person as Princess Meghan!”
The royal wedding: Fairy tale or ‘Game of Thrones’?
If the sheer volume of air time devoted to the run-up to the royal wedding is any indication, Americans apparently do want to immerse themselves in a ceremony full of arcane tradition for a royal sixth in line to the throne.
Blame or thank a world gone mad. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding is a fortuitously timed distraction from the disturbing deterioration of our own democracy, which appears to be crumbling like the British Empire we once fought to escape. But it’s also a curious escape hatch given that the last few royal nuptials to elicit this much attention from American TV audiences were hardly idyllic or dreamy affairs.
The “Game of Thrones” blood-soaked “Red Wedding” is still at the top of that list, followed by King Joffrey’s less bloody but still colorful demise. Then there’s “The Crown’s” near-loveless union between Queen Elizabeth II and Philip, “Victoria’s” fraught marriage, the pairing that ripped apart a nation in “The White Queen” and the ill-fated string of matrimonies that made marriage a blood sport in “The Tudors.” And we haven’t even hopped the channel yet to the infidelity capitol of “Versailles.”
Bring a little royal wedding sparkle home
If you weren’t one of the 800 people invited to the May 19 wedding of Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle, no need to fret. The airwaves will be saturated with coverage, so lay out the Champagne, tea and scones on pieces that represent the best of British design. Long after the confetti has been swept up outside Windsor Castle, these furnishings and accessories, all made in or inspired by Britain, can serve as your own commemorative collection.
If you really want to lay out the finery — the latest from venerable porcelain brand Wedgwood is its Paeonia Blush collection incorporating tiered cake stands and delicate teacups.
The brand — around since 1759 — plunged into its archives to create the design, which incorporates elements of chinoiserie and the peony — said to be the bride’s favorite flower and expected to be a star attraction in her floral arrangements on the big day. The Paeonia blush coral teapot is $229.95 at wedgwood.com
How will Meghan and Harry mash up California style and British (royal) tradition?
For native Angeleno Meghan Markle and Britain’s charming Prince Harry of Wales, the first stop on the way to happily ever after will be setting up housekeeping inside Nottingham Cottage, a.k.a. Nott Cott, a (comparatively) modest-sized, rose-covered brick cottage behind a white picket fence on the grounds of Kensington Palace.
Previously home to William and Kate, Nott Cott’s newlyweds will now put their own stamp of style on the royal residence that is rumored to have low ceilings and an absence of air conditioning.
So how do you marry effortlessly chic SoCal style with the formality of British tradition under one red-tiled roof?
Meghan Markle says father won’t attend wedding due to health
Meghan Markle announced Thursday that her father will not be at her marriage to Prince Harry due to health problems.
“Sadly, my father will not be attending our wedding,” she said in a statement released by Kensington Palace. “I have always cared for my father and hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health.”
The palace has not revealed details about 73-year-old Thomas Markle’s health issues, but the celebrity website TMZ says he is hospitalized in California after undergoing a procedure to clear blocked coronary arteries.
He reportedly told the website he was OK but needed to rest. Thomas Markle had been scheduled to walk his daughter down the aisle when she weds the prince Saturday at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
It is possible Doria Ragland, Meghan Markle’s mother, will fill that role instead. No replacement has been officially named.
Meghan Markle’s statement came as military personnel rehearsed a procession on the streets of Windsor. Planners used Thursday’s practice session to finalize some of the details of Saturday’s gala wedding.
A royal wedding that reboots the fairy tale that anyone can be a princess — and this time we mean it
In the two minutes it will take Meghan Markle to walk down the aisle of St. George’s Chapel on Saturday to marry Britain’s Prince Harry, the totems of tradition that have marked British royal marriages for decades, if not centuries, will topple once and for all.
Markle is a commoner — more shocking, an American. She’s black, she’s divorced and, at 36, she’s the older woman. (Harry is 33.) And she’s an actress; Markle just logged her final season on the TV legal drama “Suits.” A few monarchs ago, “actress” would have been one rung above strumpet.
From all appearances, none of this matters to Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles or any of the other members of the royal family. Less than a century ago, King Edward VIII felt compelled to abdicate his throne to marry an American divorcee (Wallis Simpson). As recently as the ’80s, Charles, supposedly, felt pressured into marriage with the proper, unblemished Diana — a miserable mismatch.
Meghan Markle’s father won’t attend her wedding after all: Kensington Palace addresses report
Kensington Palace has addressed a report alleging that Meghan Markle’s father will no longer walk her down the aisle on Saturday after he was embroiled in a paparazzi scandal over the weekend and suffered a heart attack last week.
“This is a deeply personal moment for Ms. Markle in the days before her wedding,” a spokesman for the palace said in a statement to The Times on Monday.
“She and Prince Harry ask again for understanding and respect to be extended to Mr. Markle in this difficult situation.”
The palace did not specify whether the “difficult situation” stemmed from the health scare, the scandal or both.
TMZ said Monday that Thomas Markle’s plans to attend the festivities this weekend were waylaid by the fallout from staged paparazzi images. Early this month, the palace confirmed that he would walk his daughter down the aisle.
Queen formally consents to Prince Harry’s wedding by signing fancy marriage document
It’s happening: Queen Elizabeth II has officially approved her grandson Prince Harry’s marriage to American actress Meghan Markle.
The 92-year-old British monarch signed a handwritten document consenting to this coming weekend’s union, Buckingham Palace said.
The palace released images of the vellum document, called the Instrument of Consent, on Friday, a little more than one week before the couple’s nuptials at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor. It features the queen’s signature on the upper right.
Toast Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at one of London’s finest afternoon teas
Jolly old England is even more lighthearted these days, thanks to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who have made Britain a fun and fashionable place to be — even if you’re not on the guest list for the upcoming nuptials.
London-bound travelers can stage their own mini celebrations at an afternoon tea. Toast the happy couple and eat your fill of scones, finger sandwiches, clotted cream and cakes at prices from $43 to $94 per person.
If tea isn’t your beverage of choice, skip it and head straight for the Taittinger — high-end afternoon teas always offer Champagne, coffees and other beverages besides tea.
Watching the royal wedding on telly? Here’s what you need to know about St. George’s Chapel and Windsor Castle
As I boarded the train at London’s Waterloo Station, I could not get that infernal pop song by the Dixie Cups, out of my mind.
I was indeed going to the chapel, but not to get ma-a-a-rried. I was going to get a good look so that when the clock strikes noon on Saturday, I can toast my TV with a glass of bubbly knowing a bit more about the site of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s royal wedding.
St. George’s Chapel is on the grounds of Windsor Castle, the oldest continuously inhabited royal residence on the planet. With 13 acres, the castle is also the largest.
Romance is in the air at London’s green spaces
Like love and marriage, London’s green spaces are inextricably linked to Britain’s royal family — and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, are no exception. This spring there is much talk of romance in the run-up to Meghan Markle’s marriage to Prince Harry. What better place to feel the love than among the acres of blossoms, rolling green lawns and ancient woodland that make up these royal gardens.
Kew, founded in 1840, is London’s largest UNESCO World Heritage site and contains the world’s biggest collection of rare and exotic plants. Here, you can find musk roses, sweet violets, bergamot and heartsease — otherwise known as the love potion in Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”— among lily pads the size of coffee tables and flowers so tiny you need a magnifying glass to see them.
Early in May, Kew’s magnificent Temperate Greenhouse — the largest Victorian glasshouse on Earth — was unveiled after a five-year restoration and showcases more than 10,000 exotic plants from around the world. On the surrounding grounds, cornflowers, foxglove and lily of the valley will be in full force this month, and the air, even in smoggy London, will be scented with apple blossom.
Look back at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s early relationship milestones
The royal wedding is nearly upon us. Fervor and excitement continue to swell as L.A. girl and former “Suits” actress Meghan Markle draws closer to becoming a member of the British royal family. It seems like only yesterday we were hearing whispers of a rumored romance between Prince Harry and Markle, and now they are days away from walking down the aisle.
In preparation for the big day, let’s recap their romance with a look at all the couple’s reported milestones — including when their relationship was revealed, their first public outing together, Markle’s Vanity Fair cover, her first encounter with the royal family, their engagement and more.
Throwing your own royal wedding watch party? We’ve got recipes
If you’re going to a royal wedding watching party, or throwing one yourself, you know that the food will take the spotlight — after we all get a look at the wedding dress, of course.
To help craft the perfect menu — a Cali-British mash-up worthy of Los Angeles’ own Meghan Markle and Britain’s Prince Harry — we turned to Gaby Dalkin, creator of the popular Los Angeles lifestyle and food blog “What’s Gaby Cooking.” Her new cookbook, “Everyday California Food,” is a celebration of the way we eat here in Southern California, reflecting the region’s diversity, the abundance of fresh, vibrant produce, and the fact that we’re always tinkering with our diets. (Translation: Vegans, meat eaters, the no-carb and the all-carb crowds will all find something in its pages.)
“I can’t wait for it,” Dalkin said of the wedding. “I will be watching, absolutely. I love Meghan Markle, she a fascinating and independent woman. And she’s ours, she’s L.A.”
The style transformation of Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle’s style didn’t have to change too much after becoming the fiancée of Britain’s Prince Harry, but we can see a few updates since the engagement was announced. Some of her red-carpet choices include her silver dress at the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards in 2015, which made a bold statement with a deep front V-cut. Her style has become more cautious and elegant, as a princess is more likely to do. Here’s a look at some of Markle’s ensembles before and after her royal engagement.
When Harry Met Meghan: the royal wedding is the perfect Hollywood ending for a very Hollywood story
In Hollywood, the best love stories are the ones that involve an Unlikely Couple — two people so divided by family or fate, time or class, personality or geography that it seems impossible they will ever get together.
Saturday’s royal wedding provides a happy ending made possible by Hollywood, so it makes sense that it involves a couple who faced most, if not all, of those obstacles. Certainly, from the viewpoint of a storyteller, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry of Wales are the unlikeliest couple of all.
Until fairly recently, Meghan, 36, was a little-known star of “Suits,” a popular but by no means prestige show on USA. She is from Los Angeles, and she is divorced; her first husband is a television producer. She is into yoga, avocados and the beach. She identifies as a feminist; before “Suits,” her biggest claim to fame was that by writing to then-First Lady Hillary Clinton at age 11, she helped change the sexist language of a dish detergent ad.
Meghan Markle’s rise to Hollywood stardom
Meghan Markle is about to become British royalty in a matter of weeks, but she’s no stranger to the spotlight. The Los Angeles native has been acting for more than a decade, most famously as Rachel Zane on USA Network’s “Suits” for seven seasons. However, Markle’s impending nuptials with Prince Harry also mean her days in Hollywood are numbered. She recently exited the legal drama as she prepares to retire from acting to focus on her humanitarian work. With her acting days officially in the rearview mirror, it’s time to take a closer look at her star-making climb.
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Where to watch the royal wedding at L.A.-area pubs and tea parlors
Royal wedding devotees — at least those unwilling to crash the real festivities by insisting they know Meghan Markle from Immaculate Heart High School, and get removed by the Household Cavalry — can still enjoy the pomp and pageantry with fellow fans at several spots around Southern California.
Here are a few we found:
The Cat & Fiddle pub in Hollywood is hosting an all-night “Royal Wedding Slumber Party,” and owner Paula Gardner is encouraging patrons to come celebrate in pajamas, onesies, lingerie and fascinators — the precarious and ostentatious ladies’ headgear constructed for such special events.
Accidentally royal: 11 films to watch before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s big day
It’s safe to say Meghan Markle took the road less traveled on her way to becoming British royalty. For starters, she’s American (an Angeleno, to be specific). Second, she’s an actress (not exactly a noble profession, no offense to Hollywood). And last but not least, she’s walked the down aisle before, having been married to producer Trevor Engelson from 2011 to 2013. But as Markle well knows, Hollywood loves few things more than an unlikely princess or, in this case, duchess. Ahead of her May 19 wedding to Prince Harry, Markle might be able to learn a thing or two from these other stories about accidental royalty.
Royal wedding watch 2018: All the specials to see before the big day
Meghan Markle has officially stepped away from her TV career, but her appearances on the small screen are just heating up. With her wedding to Prince Harry officially less than two weeks away, Hollywood is going all in on specials and retrospectives as one of its own prepares to become a member of the British royal family. Thankfully for viewers, there are myriad choices, as varied as Lifetime’s upcoming movie about the couple and a special edition of “20/20” set to air the night before the big day. Check out the handy guide below to get all the details on what’s airing when.
From L.A. girl to British royalty: Meghan Markle is now the talk of the town
By late afternoon Monday, the black-and-red “No Trespassing” sign hanging on Doria Ragland’s front gate was probably feeling more like a plea than an order.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s romance makes for an ideal Lifetime movie
The engagement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle caused a media frenzy in November 2017, and Lifetime took notice. The cable channel immediately fast-tracked a film about the unlikely couple — him a member of the British royal family and she a divorced biracial American actress — and gave the writers just two weeks to submit a first draft.
The film, premiering May 13, charts the romance of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (played by Murray Fraser and Parisa Fitz-Henley, respectively) from the early secretive days of their relationship to the engagement that grabbed headlines around the world. The film comes six days ahead of the couple’s May 19 nuptials.
Here’s how Meghan Markle said goodbye to ‘Suits’ ahead of the royal wedding
Ahead of her highly anticipated royal wedding, Meghan Markle said “I do,” and farewell, on the Season 7 finale of USA Network’s “Suits.”
In the two-hour finale, Markle’s character, Rachel Zane, married her longtime love Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams). The episode was the last for both Markle and Adams, whose characters were written out of the legal drama after accepting an offer to run a firm in Seattle that specializes in class-action lawsuits against Fortune 500 companies.
“If we’re ever going to do something like this in our lives, now’s the time,” Rachel told Mike in the finale about making the jump (literally) from New York to Seattle.
What will be the signature looks of Meghan Markle as a princess?
If selecting an outfit is a daily challenge for many of us, consider for a moment the pressures of being a princess. Sure, you have a phalanx of designers fighting to dress you, but that doesn’t ease the burden, given that every ensemble must appear not only regal but relatable as well as comfortable yet stylish — all while adhering to an archaic set of royal protocols that vary by season, location and event.
It’s enough to make even the most blue-blooded aristocrat weep into her hat, let alone a born-and-bred California girl with more use for a Panama hat than a pillbox. However, Meghan Markle, the Los Angeles-born actress and former “Suits” star set to wed Britain’s Prince Harry on May 19, has tackled the challenge of royal dressing with aplomb since news broke of the couple’s engagement last November. She has displayed a smart sense of style that is elegant and authentic during her first flurry of official royal outings, although there has been the occasional sartorial hiccup along the way.
Celebrate the royal wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in style with these 12 U.K. brands
Meghan Markle might become the new patron saint of British fashion. After all, the actress, who will wed Prince Harry on May 19, wore a Ralph & Russo gown for her official engagement photos, and she has been spotted in brands such as Burberry and Jigsaw.
Now, as a consequence of the anticipated nuptials and all things English, fashion brands from across the pond are in the spotlight. Some of them are Markle’s personal favorites, while others have been worn by the royal adjacent (such as the watch sported by James Matthews, who married Pippa Middleton, sister-in-law of Prince William). In all cases, these are U.K. labels, many available locally, to keep an eye on as you take in or celebrate the latest royal wedding.
Etiquette and protocol highlights for royal wedding guests
Grab those nude stockings, ladies. You’ll be at a royal wedding, after all.
Although the May 19 nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be a lower-key affair than those of Will and Kate, guests at St. George’s Chapel will still be expected to follow church and royal protocol, or at the very least basic British tradition, etiquette pros said.
The invitations to 600 guests described the high church dress code thusly: For men, military uniforms, morning coats or lounge suits, otherwise known as business suits. For women, “day dress with hat.”
Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to be recorded for streaming and vinyl release
The royal wedding of Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle will be recorded and released within hours for immediate streaming, Decca Records has announced.
Decca said it will continue its tradition of capturing royal family milestones with the May 19 ceremony at Windsor Castle’s St. George’s Chapel. Physical copies of the recording, including vinyl, will hit retail outlets on May 25 with a collectors booklet.
Classical producer Anna Barry will oversee the wedding recording, which will include performances by British cellist Sheku Kanneh Mason, Welsh soprano Elin Manahan Thomas, the Choir of St George’s Chapel and the Christian gospel group the Kingdom Choir. An orchestra will include members of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the English Chamber Orchestra and the London-based Philharmonia.
Not invited to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding? Here are five places where you can feel like a royal
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will marry in Windsor Castle at noon local time (4 a.m. in Los Angeles) on May 19. If you weren’t one of the 2,640 commoners invited to attend, don’t despair. Here are five ways to feel like royalty, whether you stay in the U.S. or travel to London.
If you aren’t heading to Windsor Castle, live large at the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans. The luxury hotel offers a $51,918 package May 17-20 that covers first-class airfare from anywhere in the continental U.S., three nights in the Presidential Suite, a hat-fitting at a local milliner, a chauffeur and car at your disposal, traditional tea, and a lunch and tour of M.S. Rau Antiques. Watch the wedding in your suite too.
Info: Windsor Court Hotel, 300 Gravier St., New Orleans; (800) 262-2662
Find out how Meghan Markle bid farewell to ‘Suits’ ahead of royal wedding
Ahead of her highly anticipated royal wedding, Meghan Markle said “I do,” and farewell, Wednesday on the Season 7 finale of USA Network’s “Suits.”
In the two-hour finale, Markle’s character, Rachel Zane, married her longtime love Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams). The episode marked the last for both Markle and Adams, whose characters were written out of the legal drama after accepting an offer to run a firm in Seattle that specialized in class-action lawsuits against Fortune 500 companies.
“If we’re ever going to do something like this in our lives, now’s the time,” Rachel told Mike in the finale about making the jump (literally) from New York to Seattle.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement portraits
As if Prince Harry and fiancée Meghan Markle weren’t picturesque enough, the couple had to go and release their stunning engagement portraits to further show off how picture-perfect they are.
The British prince and “Suits” actress initially shared two official portraits on Thursday to mark their engagement, Kensington Palace said. Then, to show gratitude for all the positive feedback they received, the pair shared with their well-wishers an additional candid portrait via Twitter.
“The couple are so grateful for the warm and generous messages they have received during such a happy time in their lives. As a way to say thank you, they have decided to share this candid photograph from the day of their portrait sittings directly with all of you,” the palace said on Twitter.