Planning Unlike the
wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, the wedding day of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was not declared a
bank holiday. The wedding was on the same date as the
FA Cup Final, which Prince Harry's brother
William normally attends in his role as President of
the Football Association. Holding the royal wedding on a weekend was a break with the royal tradition of having weddings on a weekday. On 12 February 2018, Kensington Palace announced that the ceremony would commence at 12:00 Midday
BST.
Venue The wedding took place on Saturday, 19 May 2018, at
St George's Chapel,
Windsor. The chapel had previously been the venue for the weddings of Prince Harry's uncle, the
Earl of Wessex, as well as that of his cousin,
Peter Phillips, and for the blessing of the marriage of the then Prince of Wales and the
Duchess of Cornwall, Harry's stepmother.
Cost The royal family announced that they would pay for the wedding. The costs for the cake, the florist, and the catering had been estimated to be £50,000, £110,000, and £286,000 respectively, and the overall cost was expected to be around £32 million. The security costs were expected to be lower than those of the
2011 wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. By the end of May, it was estimated that the security costs were "between £2 million and £4 million". The police and crime commissioner could also apply for special funding if the costs were to exceed 1% of the
Thames Valley Police force's annual budget, but at the time the cost was "well below the £4 million required to make a claim". The
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead reportedly spent £2.6 million on cleaning the town and roads. It was later estimated that the wedding generated £1 billion for the British economy, including an additional £300 million brought in by foreign tourists for travel and accommodation and £50 million spent on merchandise and souvenirs.
Wedding attire The wedding invitations specified a dress code for men of "Dress Uniform,
Morning Coat or
Lounge Suit"; for women, "Day Dress and Hat".
Bride and bridesmaids The wedding dress was designed by the British designer
Clare Waight Keller under the aegis of the fashion house
Givenchy. It was made of "double-bonded silk cady cushioned by an underskirt in triple silk
organza" and had a
boat neckline, long sleeves and sweeping
train. The silk veil was long and was embroidered with 55 flowers, representing the 53 countries of the
Commonwealth, as well as
Wintersweet, which grows in front of
Nottingham Cottage, where she and Harry lived, and the
California Poppy, the state flower of California. It was secured by a diamond bandeau
tiara, made in 1932 for
Queen Mary and lent to Markle by Queen Elizabeth II. The tiara is a platinum band, made up of eleven sections, and a detachable centre brooch with interlaced opals and diamonds; the brooch was a wedding gift from the
County of Lincoln in 1893. The shoes were also from Givenchy, and had a pointed couture design.
Robert Hardman wrote in his 2026 book,
Elizabeth II, that Meghan and Harry had asked for the tiara to be sent over so the bride could practice putting it on, but their requests were denied by the Queen, who suggested that she could practice using a plastic tiara as had been done for the
2011 royal wedding. Markle's hair was rolled up with "face-framing fringe tucked behind her ears", styled by Serge Normant.
Dior make-up artist Daniel Martin did Markle's makeup for the occasion; the look was described as "a soft brown eyeshadow" with minimal makeup on the face. The bride's bouquet, designed by Philippa Craddock, contained "
forget-me-nots, scented
sweet peas,
lily of the valley,
astilbe,
jasmine and
astrantia, and sprigs of
myrtle from a plant grown from the myrtle used in the Queen's wedding bouquet". After the wedding the bridal bouquet was placed on the
Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at
Westminster Abbey, following royal tradition that began with
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. For the customary bridal themes of "
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue", Markle had a piece of fabric from
Diana's wedding dress sewn into her dress (the "old"), her bracelet and earrings (the "new"), the Queen's tiara (the "borrowed"), and a piece of fabric from the dress she wore on their first date stitched into the veil (the "blue"). The young bridesmaids also wore high-waisted silk dresses designed by Clare Waight Keller which had puff sleeves. In his memoir
Spare, Harry stated there was a disagreement between Meghan and his sister-in-law
Catherine over flower girl dresses as Catherine felt her daughter
Charlotte's dress needed to be completely remade four days before the wedding. Speaking to
The Times, Ajay Mirpuri, the tailor brought in to fix the dresses, confirmed that they were a "mess" and said his team worked on them for three consecutive days until 4am.
Groom, best man and page boys Prince Harry and the Duke of Cambridge wore the
frock coat uniform of the
Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) in which both were commissioned, and Prince Harry served for 10 years, including in combat in Afghanistan. The groom asked for and received the Queen's permission to keep his beard, as
beards were then only permitted under exceptional circumstances in the British Army. Prince William, also with the rank of major, had the
cypher on his shoulder straps and gold
aiguillettes on his right shoulder (indicating his position as an
aide-de-camp to the Queen), and wore the star of the
Order of the Garter, the ribbons of the two jubilee medals, and his
RAF wings. The pageboys wore uniforms by Dege & Skinner that resembled the uniform of the Blues and Royals worn by the groom and best man. Each boy had his initials on the shoulders in place of rank badges. There was initially no confirmation as to whether Prince William would miss the
FA Cup Final, which he would normally attend in his role as President of
The Football Association, or if he would be able to attend both the wedding and the football match. A statement from Kensington Palace that the timing of the wedding would not clash with the match was released in December 2017. However, it was confirmed that the Duke would not be attending the final that day. There were suggestions that the bride's friend
Jessica Mulroney, daughter-in-law of former Canadian Prime Minister
Brian Mulroney, would be her
matron of honour. In early May 2018, there was confirmation that there would be no maid or matron of honour, and that the
bridesmaids and
page boys would all be children. A total of ten bridesmaids and page boys were chosen, with the bride and groom each selecting five: two of Markle's godchildren, seven-year old Rylan Litt and her six-year-old sister Remi, as well as Brian, John and Ivy Mulroney, the three children of her friend Jessica Mulroney, were chosen by the bride, while Prince Harry's nephew and niece,
Prince George and
Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, as well as his godchildren Florence van Cutsem, Zalie Warren and Jasper Dyer, were selected by the groom. On 18 May 2018, Kensington Palace announced Prince Charles would accompany Markle down the aisle, after she confirmed her father,
Thomas Markle Sr., would not be attending the wedding due to his recent heart surgery. The bride spent the night before the wedding at
Cliveden House along with her mother, while the groom stayed at
Coworth Park Hotel with his brother. Markle made her way to the church accompanied by her mother. ; the Blues and Royals, Prince Harry's old regiment, and part of the
Household Cavalry, rode as an escort in the procession. Approximately 250 members of the
British Armed Forces were involved in the wedding, the majority coming from units that have a connection with Prince Harry: • Members of the
Household Cavalry formed a staircase party at the chapel, and also rode as escort. • Street liners came from: • 1st Battalion,
Irish Guards • 1st Battalion,
Royal Gurkha Rifles •
3 Regiment, Army Air Corps •
Royal Navy •
Royal Marines •
RAF Honington Wedding service The wedding
service was conducted according to the
Christian liturgy for
Holy Matrimony as set out in
Common Worship of the Church of England, mother Church of the
Anglican Communion. From 8.00 am, the public started to arrive at the grounds of Windsor Castle. The main congregation and the guests all started to arrive at the chapel at 9.30 am, followed by members of the Royal Family. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were the last members of the Royal Family to depart for the ceremony, as is tradition, arriving at the chapel at 11.52 am. Shortly after, Markle arrived with the party of junior attendants. She proceeded down the aisle followed by the attendants, where the Prince of Wales met her to escort her through the
quire of the chapel. He accompanied her to the altar, where Prince Harry was standing. Prince Harry's maternal aunt,
Lady Jane Fellowes, read a
scripture lesson from
The Song of Solomon in the
Christian Bible. The
Dean of Windsor,
David Conner, conducted the service with the
Archbishop of Canterbury,
Justin Welby, performing the marriage ceremony. The sermon was delivered by
Michael Curry, presiding bishop and primate of the
Episcopal Church (the American member church of the
Anglican Communion). Curry's 14-minute address, which quoted
Martin Luther King Jr., emphasised the redemptive property of love.
Chaplain to the Queen Rose Hudson-Wilkin and
Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London
Anba Angaelos offered the prayers. The
marriage vows were those published in
Common Worship, and included the promise "to love and to cherish" each other. This was sealed by the exchange of rings. After the signing of the registers, Harry and Markle together with the guests sang the
national anthem. The couple paused briefly to bow and curtsey to the Queen before walking down the aisle. They were followed in procession by other members of the bridal party, and their families.
Music Hymns sung at the wedding included "
Lord of All Hopefulness" and "
Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer". Prince Harry was seen wiping away a tear during the congregational singing of the latter, which was a favourite of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, and was sung at
her funeral in 1997; it was also the opening hymn to William's
wedding in 2011. Two choirs, an orchestra, the chapel organ, played by
Luke Bond, and fanfare trumpeters provided music for the service. The orchestra was made up of musicians from the
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the
English Chamber Orchestra and the
Philharmonia Orchestra. In addition to the
Choir of St George's Chapel, the Kingdom Choir, a
gospel group led by
Karen Gibson, sang "
Stand By Me" in what was described as "an incredible and powerful moment", as the couple were sitting down. The Kingdom Choir was asked by Prince Charles to perform at the service. The State Trumpeters of the
Household Cavalry, who played a fanfare, included Kate Sandford, the first female state trumpeter at a British royal wedding. The music was under the overall direction of
James Vivian, the chapel's Organist and Director of Music; and the orchestra was conducted by
Christopher Warren-Green. The bride walked down the aisle to "Eternal source of light divine" (from Handel's
Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne), sung by soprano
Elin Manahan Thomas, with the trumpet
obbligato performed by David Blackadder.
Family celebrations Following the ceremony, there was a carriage procession through Windsor. Two receptions were held; the first, for those attending the ceremony, was hosted by the Queen and took place in
St George's Hall after the carriage procession. Singer
Elton John performed for the guests, and the groom and the Prince of Wales each gave a speech. A second reception at
Frogmore House, for family and close friends and hosted by the Prince of Wales, occurred later in the day. Harry drove his new wife to the reception at Frogmore in a loaned silver blue
Jaguar E-Type Concept Zero. For the evening reception, the Duchess of Sussex wore a halter-neck, open back dress by
Stella McCartney and an emerald cut aquamarine ring formerly belonging to Diana, Princess of Wales. George Northwood was her hairstylist for the private party. Elba, who was invited by Harry, notably played "
Still D.R.E." at Meghan's request during the reception. The setlist given to him by Meghan also included
Whitney Houston's "
I Wanna Dance with Somebody". The event ended with small
fireworks displayed above Frogmore House. The
wedding cake was a layered lemon and
elderflower cake decorated with
peonies in shades of white and cream. The cake designer
Claire Ptak, based in London, was chosen in March 2018. Three official wedding photos were released. They were taken by photographer Alexi Lubomirski at Windsor Castle following the ceremony.
Guests In April 2018, it was announced that an "official list" of domestic and international political leaders was not required for the wedding and that
Prime Minister Theresa May,
Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn, and other leaders would not attend the ceremony.
President of the United States Donald Trump and former president
Barack Obama were also not invited. This was in contrast to the
wedding of Prince Harry's elder brother, which had a large number of such guests due to his position as a future monarch. The only politician invited was the former Prime Minister
Sir John Major as he previously was "a special guardian on legal matters to Princes William and Harry after the death of their mother". Approximately 1,200 members of the public were invited to greet the couple outside the chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle. The invitees outside the chapel were "people from charities, Windsor Castle community members, people from the royal households and the Crown Estate, and local school children".
Sarah, Duchess of York, the former wife of
Prince Andrew, was invited to the wedding even though she had not been invited to the weddings of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011,
Peter Phillips and
Autumn Kelly in 2008, or
Zara Phillips and
Mike Tindall in 2011. However, she was not invited to the evening reception at Frogmore House hosted by Prince Charles and was reportedly "deeply upset" by her omission. Amongst non-royal notable guests were Harry's friends
George and
Amal Clooney,
Idris Elba,
Tom Hardy,
James Corden,
Sir Elton John,
Joss Stone,
Will Greenwood,
James Haskell,
Johnny Wilkinson,
Clive Woodward,
Nachos Figueras,
David and
Victoria Beckham,
James Blunt,
Marcus Mumford and wife
Carey Mulligan. Markle's
Suits co-stars
Patrick J. Adams,
Gina Torres,
Abigail Spencer,
Sarah Rafferty,
Rick Hoffman and
Gabriel Macht, as well as her non-work friends
Serena Williams,
Ben and
Jessica Mulroney,
Jill Smoller,
Janina Gavankar,
Misha Nonoo and
Oprah Winfrey. Two ex-girlfriends of Harry's,
Cressida Bonas and
Chelsy Davy, were also invited. Members of the
Middleton and
Spencer families were also present. Foreign royal guests included
Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, Harry's friend with whom he co-founded the charity
Sentebale to help
AIDS-stricken orphans in Lesotho, along with his wife
Princess Mabereng.
Gifts for guests The 2,640 members of the public invited to Windsor Castle for the wedding were gifted gift bags to commemorate the event. The bag had the initials of the couple, date and venue location printed on the exterior. Inside was an order of service booklet for the wedding, a gold chocolate coin, a bottle of water, a
fridge magnet, a 20% off voucher for the Windsor Castle gift shop and a tube of handbag
shortbread.
Charitable donations In April 2018, the couple requested that, rather than sending wedding gifts, people should make a donation to one of seven charitable organisations, none of which they had a formal association with: •
CHIVA (Children's HIV Association): The small charity supports more than 1,000 young people living with HIV in the UK and Ireland. •
Crisis: The national homeless body works with thousands of people a year to help rebuild their lives. • The
Myna Mahila Foundation: The organisation, based in Mumbai, helps empower women through offering stable employment and breaking cultural taboos around menstrual hygiene. Myna Mahila also teaches women life skills such as maths, English and self-defence. •
Scotty's Little Soldiers: The charity supports children who have lost a parent while serving in the British Armed Forces. •
StreetGames: The organisation uses sport to help young people and communities become healthier and safer. •
Surfers Against Sewage: The national marine conservation body works to protect oceans, beaches, waves and wildlife. • The
Wilderness Foundation UK: Vulnerable teenagers from urban communities are taught about the great outdoors and rural employment opportunities. The
Sytner Group also made a MINI 3dr Hatch known as the Harry and Meghan Royal Wedding Memorabilia Car, which was sold at an auction in 2018 and its proceeds were donated to HIV charities at the couple's request. ==Coverage==