Soon it will be Royal Wedding time! No, I’m not talking about the awesome 1951 movie with Fred Astaire.
This is the Royal Wedding where His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales, better known as Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle will .
The date has been set – Saturday, May 19, 2018, and like the previous royal weddings of recent – Prince Harry’s brother, Prince William to Kate Middleton; and his parents, Prince Charles and Diana Spencer – the world is already anxiously waiting and speculating on the details.
So, with all of the traditions and other details associated with royal weddings, which ones will Harry and Meghan follow, and which (if any) will they not?
We already know about:
The Proposal
The Royal Marriages Act of 1772 prescribed the conditions under which the royal family would marry. It states “that no descendant of King George II, male or female, other than the issue of princesses who had married or might thereafter marry into foreign families, could marry without the consent of the reigning monarch.” (Source: Wikipedia)
Harry has asked Her Majesty for her permission to wed Meghan Markle, and the Queen has given her blessing.
The Location
Prince Harry and Meghan will be wed in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
In previous centuries, the traditional ceremony site was the Chapel Royal at St. James Palace. Queen Victoria, among several other royals, was wed in this small chapel (which seats 100).
As the weddings of royalty became more of a public spectacle, larger sites, most notably Westminster Abbey, which seats 2,000 (Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip); St. Paul’s Cathedral, which can hold 3,500 (Prince Charles and Diana); and although smaller in comparison, St. George’s Chapel, which seats about 800 (Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles).
And
The Cake
Traditionally, in Britain, the wedding cake for the royal couple is a fruitcake – a rich, dense cake made of a mix of candied or dried fruit, (such as cherries, pineapple, walnuts and raisins), nuts, and spices, that has been soaked in rum or brandy.
Queen Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten
The four-tiered wedding cake was nine feet tall and weighed 500 pounds. It was called ‘the 10,000 mile wedding cake’ because the ingredients used were brought in from South Africa and Australia.
Prince Charles and Diana Spencer
This five foot tall fruitcake with cream cheese frosting (yum!) was decorated with roses, lilies of the valley, and orchids, and the royal coat of arms.
Prince William and Kate Middleton
Their eight-tier fruitcake was decorated with hundreds of symbolic decorations including flowers representing the four nations of the United Kingdom – roses for England, thistle for Scotland, daffodils for Wales, and shamrocks for Ireland. They also went untraditional with a chocolate-cookie groom’s cake.
It’s been rumored that Harry and Meghan will choose a banana cake for their wedding. Apparently Harry and his brother William loved any type of banana flavored dessert. So will Harry and Meghan skip tradition altogether and only have banana cake? Or will they have two cakes – one the traditional fruitcake, with the second banana?
[ctt template=”1″ link=”46r5E” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]What do you think we’ll be seeing at the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle?[/ctt]
But . . .
. . . what about other aspects of their impending wedding?
The Wedding Party
Royal brides traditionally don’t have adult bridesmaids. Instead their bridesmaids are young girls around the age of 10 – 12. Queen Elizabeth had eight bridesmaids.
Diana had five.
Kate had four very young bridesmaids (two of them were aged 3). She and William broke wedding party tradition by having her sister Pippa as a maid of honor, and Harry as the best man (instead of a best man, they have a supporter).
It’s probably a safe bet that Harry will have his brother Prince William, and his nephew and niece Prince George and Princess Charlotte as their best man, page boy and bridesmaid. Will Kate also have a role?
The Bouquet
Will Meghan include a sprig of myrtle (the “Herb of Love”) in her bridal bouquet?
Every royal bride since Queen Victoria has done so. After her wedding, Victoria planted a myrtle shrub in her garden. Every royal bride since has carried a sprig taken from the same shrub.
Another bridal bouquet tradition, which was started by Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, (the Queen Mother), is to leave the bouquet at the grave of the Unknown Warrior after the wedding ceremony. The Queen Mum did so in memory of her brother who was killed in the First World War.
The Guest List
Perhaps the most asked question is “Who will Harry and Meghan invite?”
The guest list is important for any wedding. But when yours is one where guests typically are VIPS such as crown heads of Europe and other foreign royals, foreign leaders, church officials, diplomats and celebrities, as well as their family and friends, compiling the guest list is even more daunting and eclectic.
From her work in Hollywood, to his philanthropic endeavors – their “circle” includes several celebrities as close friends.
We won’t be surprised to see:
Meghan’s Suits co-stars Patrick J. Adams, Sarah Rafferty, and Gina Torres
Harry’s school pals Eddie Redmayne and Arthur Landon
Former Army pal James Blunt (Will he sing?)
Sir Elton John (Will he sing? Please sing.)
Meghan’s good friends Serena Williams, Misha Nonoo, and Janina Gavankar
Dominic West (who helped Harry raise money for ‘Walking with the Wounded’)
Former president and first lady Barack and Michelle Obama (huge supporters of Harry’s Invictus Games)
What do you think we’ll be seeing at the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle?
Hearts, Joy, Love!
Jean
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