Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Wedding By the Numbers
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are now called the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. They got married on Saturday, May 19, 2018, at the 15th-century St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. She walked up 22 steps to the chapel while 7-year-old twin pageboys carried her 16.5-foot veil.
They invited 600 guests to their intimate ceremony, including 33 celebrities and 30 members of the royal family, which included Harry’s 96-year-old grandfather, Prince Philip who made his first public appearance since having a hip replacement five weeks ago.
Only one member of Meghan’s family attended. It was her 61-year-old mother, Doria Ragland who traveled 11,000 miles from her native California to London.
Cast members of “Suits” were well represented. Meghan had a starring role on the legal drama for seven seasons until she gave up acting after she became engaged in November 2017.
Wedding Party
There was no maid of honor. Meghan said she had too many possibilities; therefore, she chose not to select anyone. Prince Harry’s older brother was William. Harry was William’s best man in April 2011 when William and Kate Middleton married.
There were 10 children following Meghan up and down the aisle. It is a royal custom to have children in the wedding party. The children ranged in age from 2-7 years old.
The oldest of the children were only seven which included a set of twin boys who lifted Meghan’s 16.5 feet veil as she went up the stairs and down the aisle.
The bride and groom selected five of the 10 children.
Bridesmaids
- Zalie Warren, 2, Harry’s goddaughter
- Princess Charlotte, 3, Harry’s niece
- Florence van Cutsem, 3, Harry’s goddaughter
- Remi Litt, 6, Meghan’s goddaughter
- Rylan Litt, 7, Meghan’s goddaughter
- Ivy Mulroney, 4, Meghan’s best friend Jessica Mulroney’s daughter
Pageboys
- Prince George, 4, Harry’s nephew
- Jasper Dyer, 6, Harry’s godson
- Brian Mulroney, 7, a twin of Jessica Mulroney
- John Mulroney, 7, a twin of Jessica Mulroney
About 250 members of the British Armed Forces were involved in the wedding. Most of them came from units that have a connection with Prince Harry.
Wedding Gown and Train
The bride’s wedding gown was the creation of British designer Clare Waight Keller of Givenchy, a French fashion house. No price has been publicly released, but it is speculated to have cost around $540,000.
It took four months for the designers and her team to complete the dress. Workers did not know who they were making the dress for.
The 16.5-foot train had 53 different flowers that represented the countries of the Commonwealth of which she and her new husband will be ambassadors. She also included two of her favorite flowers that grow in her native California. They are the wintersweet and the California poppy. The flowers were symbols of Megan’s past and her future.
It took hundreds of hours to hand sew the flowers on the veil. The workers had to wash their hands every 30 minutes to make sure the fabric remained free of dust and dirt.
Wedding Cake
California native pastry chef Claire Ptak had a team of 6 bakers helping her make the three-part layered cake that took a week to make and was completed on Saturday morning. Ptak’s East London’s Violet Bakery used the following ingredients in the lemon and elderflower wedding cake:
- 500 organic eggs from Suffolk
- 200 Amalfi lemons
- 20kg each of butter, flour, and sugar,
- 10 bottles of Sandringham Elderflower Cordial
Number of Well-Wishers
More than 100,000 people lined the streets in the small town of Windsor. The town has a population of about 30,000. Needless to say, the town was full of people who were there for that special occasion. Some of them started camping out five days before the wedding.
They were able to see the newlyweds during their 25-minutes carriage ride after the ceremony. They rode on a 19th-century Ascot Landau carriage pulled by four Windsor Grey horses.