The date of the royal wedding has been set!
Britain’s Prince Harry, 33, and Suits actress, Meghan Markle, 36, will marry on 19 May 2018, Saturday, according to a statement released by Kensington Palace on their Instagram page last Friday (15 December), as seen below.
The wedding will take place in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, the royal residence located just outside London in Berkshire which has been the family home of British kings and queens for almost ten centuries. Within the chapel are the tombs of ten sovereigns, including Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour, and Charles I. The couple had chosen the venue because it was “a special place for them”, having spent much of their time there since they met in July 2016.
Her Majesty, The Queen, Elizabeth II will attend the ceremony. The royal family are said to be paying for the core aspects of the wedding, such as the church service and reception. (On a side note, the chosen wedding date also happens to be on the same day as the English soccer’s FA cup final, which is usually attended by Harry’s elder brother, Prince Wiliam, as president of the Football Association who presents the trophy to the winning team. The details are still not finalised yet.)
“The couple, of course, want the day to be a special, celebratory moment for their friends and family,” Harry’s communications secretary Jason Knauf said last month and added that the couple are working though ideas so as to shape the day to allow members of the public to feel part of the celebrations. The wedding is likely to attract huge attention across the world, as did the marriage of Prince William to his wife Kate in 2011 which was watched by an estimated two billion people.
(Also see Kate’s gorgeous engagement ring, and where to get a lookalike, here.)
The soon-to-be bride, who attended a Catholic school as child but identifies as a Protestant, will be baptised and confirmed into the Church of England before the wedding and intends to become a British citizen while retaining her US citizenship.
Markle will also join the queen and other senior Windsors for their family Christmas celebrations at her Sandringham estate in eastern England – a first for a royal fiancee, as such invitations are normally only extended after the wedding.
Prince William, and Meghan Markle first announced their engagment (at home while roasting chicken!) on 27 November 2017.