I remember very well traveling to Disneyland with my family when I was a little girl. My most precious memory from that time is when I dressed up as a princess and attended Cinderella’s Castle for dinner. I remember envisioning a fairytale wedding. In real life, very few people get the opportunity to feel like real royalty. Nevertheless, some lucky women get the chance to turn into real princesses. Meghan Markle is one of them. On Saturday, May 19th, she will marry Prince Harry of Wales at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor. Approximately 600 guests will be attending their wedding.
Royal Weddings: General Information
From a historical perspective, marriages in royal families were most of the time arranged. This allowed to ensure that the power and wealth remained in the hands of the royal dynasties. It was very rare, if not impossible, for a common person to join the royal family. Even if a prince or princess fell in love with someone from the crowd, their choice was usually rejected by the family. Yet with the arrival of the twentieth century, voluntary marriages (when members of the royal family choose their future spouses) have become more widespread.
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"The Royal Wedding 2018".
Prince Harry of Wales and Meghan Markle
The young couple met on a blind date which was arranged by a friend of theirs (“Prince Harry and Meghan Markle”). The date took place in July of 2016. During the couple’s interview for BBC, Meghan explained that she did not have a preoccupation with Harry’s status. In fact, she asked her friend whether he was kind – this is what really mattered to her. Meghan explained during the interview that in the United States the perception of royalty is much different from England: “Because I’m from the States, you don’t grow up with the same understanding of the royal family.”
Several days after their first date, they scheduled their next meeting. Their relationship flourished ever since. Only four weeks after the initial encounter took place, Prince Harry invited Meghan to stay with him in Botswana. He mentioned during the interview, “I managed to persuade her to come and join me in Botswana and we camped out with each other under the stars.” Furthermore, Harry had a feeling that Meghan was “the one” for him only weeks after they had met. While marrying a prince may sound lucrative, it comes with a price of its own.
During the past two years of their relationship they have struggled for privacy. In fact, during the interview Meghan explained that the first six months were the best, since during this period there was no publicity yet. Essentially, Meghan admits that adjusting to the publicity is difficult. Though she is familiar with it from a Hollywood perspective, being the prince’s fiancé is a much different type of fame (than when being a Hollywood diva). When one becomes part of the royal family, there is a significant amount of responsibility that comes along with the new status. Meghan explained during the interview that the attention she gets now exerts pressure on her. As a matter of fact, Harry even had to ask the press and online trolls to stop “the wave of abuse and harassment” that was being directed at Meghan.
While the couple was still dating, Meghan was often in Toronto to film her series called Suits. For Harry, being apart was difficult, since he fell in love with Meghan early on.
Despite the distance, the two maintained their relationship. Eventually, Harry invited Meghan to meet his father, King George, and the Queen of England, as well as his brother and Kate Middleton. The prince’s family welcomed Meghan with open arms. During the interview for BBC, Meghan recounted meeting the Queen for the first time: “It’s incredible to be able to meet her through his lens, not just with his honor and respect for her as the monarch, but the love that he has for her as his grandmother. She’s an incredible woman.”
On November 27th 2017, the couple finally announced their engagement. Soon after this, Meghan decided to close down her lifestyle blog called The Tig, which she started three years ago. This may have been one of the requirements that came along with marrying Harry; alternatively, Meghan could have been aware of the fact that after she became part of the royal family, she would have to change her lifestyle significantly. Since the engagement in November, Meghan was introduced to the British public, as well as the royal way of life. She has been attending official events alongside Harry as the couple prepared for their wedding.
The Big Day
On the day of the wedding, numerous guests will arrive. From Oprah Winfrey to David and Victoria Beckham. As usual, the whole country will be celebrating the event. Prior to the wedding, Harry and Meghan emphasized that anyone who wished to congratulate them should better contribute to charity instead of sending gifts. The wedding will take place at 12 P.M. at Windsor Castle. The Queen gave permission to hold the ceremony in the place of worship (Newbold). As the article by Newbold states, “one week prior to the ceremony, the Queen signed the Instrument of Consent – the official document granting her grandson permission to marry his fiancé.”
On the day of the wedding, 250 members from the armed forces will be involved “and up to 100,000 people are expected to line the procession routine” (“Royal Wedding 2018”). Since Meghan’s father is recovering from heart surgery, he will not come to the wedding. Therefore, she will walk down the first section of the isle by herself (which is quite unusual for the U.K.), later to be joined by Prince Charles at the Quire. In effect, the whole ceremony and celebrations are structured into a series of steps and rituals that are to be followed precisely.
- Goodey, Emma. “The Royal Wedding 2018.” The Royal Family, 9 May 2018, www.royal.uk/royal-wedding-2018.
- Newbold, Alice. “Royal Wedding 2018: Everything You Need to Know.” Vogue, 18 May 2018, www.vogue.co.uk/article/royal-wedding-2018.
- “Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: Engagement Interview in Full.” BBC News, 27 Nov. 2017,
www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-42139382/prince-harry-and-meghan-markle-engagement-interview-in-full. - “Royal Wedding 2018: Prince Charles to Walk Meghan Down the Aisle.” BBC News, 18 May 2018, www.bbc.com/news/uk-44168082.
- Siddique, Haroon. “Royal Wedding 2018: Harry and Meghan to Be Duke and Duchess of Sussex – Live.” The Guardian, 19 May 2018, www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live/2018/may/19/royal-wedding-2018-prince-harry-and-meghan-markle-marry-at-windsor-live.
- Vonberg, Judith, and Lauren Said-Moorhouse. “Royal Wedding 2018: What We Know So Far.” CNN, 18 May 2018, edition.cnn.com/2018/04/04/europe/royal-wedding-what-we-know-intl/index.html.
