On the 19th of May, 2018, the citizens of the United Kingdom celebrated the wedding of Prince Henry “Harry” Charles Albert David of England and American actress Meghan Markle on the steps of St. George’s Chapel in Windsor. The wedding broke many English traditions from the start to the finish, as the first biracial wedding of Great Britain was officiated.
Meghan Markle entered the Chapel through the West door to the State Trumpeters’ conventional fanfare. However, rather than walking down the aisle to a customary Bach or Wagner, Megan treaded along to a haunting cantata composed for the birthday of Queen Anne in 1714 by Handel. Meghan wore an exquisite white dress with an open bateau line, designed by the first female artistic director of Givenchy, Clare Waight Keller. She was adorned with a 16-foot-long veil, clutched on her hair with a diamond bandeau tiara borrowed from the Queen herself. Prince Harry was accompanied by his brother and best man Prince William, and was dressed in a customary frockcoat uniform of the Blues and Royals.
The first African-American head of the Episcopal Church in the US, Bishop Michael Curry officiated the wedding with a text inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. The royal couple even took this a step further by choosing the colloquial texts of Common Worship, rather than a phrasing from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer for their wedding vows. The wedding was attended by most of the royal family, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, their children, and Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by Prince Philip. Other famous guests including Oprah Winfrey, the Beckhams, and the Clooneys bore witness to the royal wedding as well.
Following the vows, the Queen bestowed upon Prince Henry the titles of Duke of Sussex, Earl of Dumbarton, and Baron Kilkeel; while Lady Meghan became the first-ever Duchess of Sussex. After the ephemeral kiss on the steps of the chapel, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex set off on an open carriage drawn by four Windsor Grey horses for a procession through Windsor. After the public celebrations came to an end, around 600 guests of the royal family were invited to Windsor Castel’s St. George’s Hall, where a reportedly delicious non-customary elderflower and lemon sponge cake, chosen deliberately by the Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan, was enjoyed by all the guests.