Britain's royal wedding: Things to know about Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their nuptials
Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace in London on Nov. 27, 2017. Credit: Getty Images Europe / Chris Jackson
Here are answers to the most frequently asked (Googled) questions about the upcoming royal wedding, beginning with top questions according to insights by Google Trends. This article will be updated.
When is Harry and Meghan's wedding?
Saturday, May 19, 2018. (Not a public holiday in the U.K., unlike April 29, 2011 — Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding date — which was a public holiday.)
Who is Meghan Markle?
An American actress best known for her role on the USA Network show “Suits,” on which she played paralegal Rachel Zane from 2011 until 2018. Art imitated life on the season 7 finale: Markle’s character got married on the actress’ last episode before effectively retiring from acting.
How did Prince Harry and Meghan meet?
On a blind date. Harry revealed as much during the couple’s extensive BBC interview (their first-ever joint interview) shortly following news of their engagement in November 2017.
How old is Meghan Markle?
36. Her birth date is Aug. 4, 1981, making her about a month shy of three years older than her fiancé.
What will Meghan's title be?
Contrary to popular assumption, she will not be a princess. (Only women born into the royal family — looking at you, Princess Charlotte — are bestowed that title.) If tradition follows, which it almost certainly will, knowing this family, Prince Harry will be given a new title on the wedding day, and Meghan will be given one in line with that. Just like Prince William and Kate Middleton became, respectively, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on their wedding day.
According to reports, Duke of Sussex, a title that is vacant and hasn’t been used in the royal family since the 19th century, is reserved for Harry.
That’s a long way of saying: Meghan’s title will probably be Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Sussex.
What time does the royal wedding start?
Coverage begins at 4 a.m. Eastern Time on some networks (CBS, NBC, BBC America), thanks to a five-hour time difference from London. The ceremony will begin at 7 a.m. Eastern Time
Is the royal wedding televised? How and where do I watch?
Everything you need to know about that is right here.
Where is the wedding?
At St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, a royal residence in the town of Windsor, which is about 20 miles west of London.
Will Meghan Markle’s family be in attendance?
Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, will be there. She arrived in London on Wednesday, and had tea with Harry's father Prince Charles and his wife Camilla the same day.
Ragland met Prince William, Kate and their two oldest children, Prince George, 4, and Princess Charlotte, 3, at Windsor Castle on Thursday afternoon.
She has not yet met Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, but Buckingham Palace officials said she will meet the queen for tea on Friday at Windsor Castle.
After conflicting reports during the week leading up to the wedding about whether Meghan's father, Thomas Markle, would be there to walk her down the aisle, the bride-to-be confirmed he would not.
“Sadly, my father will not be attending our wedding,” Markle said in a statement put out by Kensington Palace on Thursday. “I have always cared for my father and hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health.” She also thanked “everyone who has offered generous messages of support” and said she and Harry are looking forward to “sharing our special day with you on Saturday.”
In the days before, it was revealed that Thomas Markle was paid to pose for staged paparazzi photos sold to news outlets. According to TMZ.com, he later told the website he deeply regretted allowing the pictures to be taken and acknowledged they looked "stupid." Thomas Markle also told TMZ he had been having heart problems, and would undergo surgery Wednesday morning.
Meghan's two half-siblings, Samantha Markle and Thomas Markle Jr., have said they did not receive invitations to the wedding.
Meghan’s sister has given several interviews since Meghan and Harry’s engagement, and appeared on the U.K.'s Channel 4 program, “Meet The Markles,” saying, “There are some members of the family who have an air of entitlement about even a wedding invite, I don’t understand why we didn’t get one but I don’t expect or demand one."
Her brother, Thomas Markle Jr., also reportedly wrote an explosive open letter to Prince Harry, published by In Touch Weekly, telling him "it's not to [sic] late" to call off the upcoming nuptials, which he called a "fake fairy tale.”
Who will walk Meghan down the aisle?
Since Thomas Markle will not be at the wedding, Kensington Palace announced Friday that Harry’s father, Prince Charles, will walk Meghan down the aisle at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor on the big day.
What will Meghan’s dress look like?
Unfortunately for us, the full details of Meghan's dress won’t be revealed until she arrives at the chapel. But there has been plenty of speculation.
On Friday, Page Six quoted British bridal designer Caroline Castigliano, who predicted Stella McCartney could have designed Meghan's dress as she would be a "perfect fit" for the bride-to-be's style.
Another educated guess: British design house Ralph and Russo, who designed the dress Meghan wore in her engagement photos.
For professional insight (and for fun), Newsday turned to a few local wedding planners to see what Meghan's dress, and other wedding details, would look like if the royal wedding happened on Long Island.
What will the wedding cake taste like?
Meghan and Harry selected pastry chef Claire Ptak, owner of London-based bakery Violet Cakes, to create their wedding cake, which will be a trendy lemon and elderflower cake. For those who want a firsthand account of what that tastes like, Stew Leonard’s is selling a replica of the cake ahead of the royal nuptials.
Who’s in the wedding party?
Prince William will be Harry’s best man (returning the favor Harry paid him in 2011), but Meghan will not have a maid of honor. There won’t be any other adults in the wedding party, but a number of children will serve as page boys and bridesmaids — including Princess Charlotte and Prince George.
Their brother, Prince Louis, was born last month and will not be attending.
The palace says there will be six bridesmaids ranging from 2 to 7 years old and four page boys, ranging from 4 to 7.
What will happen after the vows?
Once Harry and Meghan say their “I do’s” and are officially married, they will take a carriage ride through the town of Windsor. Similar to the procession that Prince William and Duchess Kate took after their 2011 nuptials, the ride should only last about 25 minutes.
Unlike William and Kate, and Prince Charles and Princess Diana before them, Harry and Meghan’s big day will not include a "balcony kiss" at Buckingham Palace. (St. George's Chapel does not have a balcony of its own, and is about an hour's drive from the palace.) So the carriage procession is expected to be the major just-married moment of the day.
After the procession, Harry and Meghan will return to a reception at St. George's Hall and will attend a private reception for friends and family, hosted by Prince Charles, later in the day.
With AP
