Kensington Palace has revealed that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will marry on Saturday, May 19 at Windsor Castle.
The couple have chosen to ignore royal tradition and walk down the aisle on a Saturday so more people in the UK and across the globe can watch on TV or even come to Berkshire on their wedding day.
A royal aide told journalists: ‘They remain hugely grateful for the messages of support they have received from people all over the world’.
But football fans are bemused because they will wed on FA Cup Final day even though Harry’s best man Prince William is FA President and usually presents its famous trophy to the winners at Wembley.
The date means Harry and his fiancee will not to marry on a bank holiday weekend, which had been demanded by many working Britons who’d like an extra day off in 2018.
And May 19 ensures that the wedding will not overshadow the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s third child in April and allow Kate the time to recover.
Date: May 19, 2018
Venue: St George’s Chapel, Windsor
Who will marry them?
Archbishop of Canterbury is said to have agreed
Best man: Prince William is the strong favourite
Bridesmaids: Meghan hasn’t revealed the list but it could include Star Wars actress Janina Gavankar, ex-Made in Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh, tennis champion Serena Williams, fashion designer Misha Nonoo and former Miss World Priyanka Chopra. The Duchess of Cambridge is a less likely choice.
What will it cost? At William and Kate’s wedding planners put the cost of a cake or cakes to feed guests at up to £50,000 – or as little as £10,000 for a ‘modest’ version.
The Duchess of Cambridge’s dress was said to have cost up to £250,000 while flowers for Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace were said to have been between £200,000 to £500,000.
Who will foot the bill?
The Queen has said she and the rest of the royal family will pay for the traditional wedding costs like the ceremony, flowers, music and the reception – but security is likely to be paid for by the taxpayer.
Security at Prince William and Kate’s wedded was as much as £20m, which dwarfed the £7.4m price of security at the G20 protests in London in 2009.
As a more direct comparison, the 1981 wedding between Prince Charles and Diana Spencer was estimated to have cost £4m – which equates to around £12m today.
