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Everything You Wanted to Know About Harry and Meghan

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Everything You Wanted to Know About Harry and Meghan – Couple Profile and Wedding Info.

 

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is fast approaching and is set to be the most-talked-about event since, well, the last royal wedding, which saw the union of Harry’s older brother and heir to the throne, Prince William, and Kate Middleton.

Their romance has already been more unconventional than that of Will and Kate, not least due to Markle’s background (she’s a mixed-race American who has already been married once), the plans for their wedding, and the fact that she was welcomed into the royal family before marrying. This is probably due to the fact that Harry is only sixth-in-line to the throne, and therefore isn’t held as strongly to royal protocol as his older brother. And where some disapprove, many many more have fallen in love with the pair and think that their modern romance shows how far the monarchy has come in the last few years. So here’s a profile on England’s current IT couple.

Meghan

Meghan Markle is the woman everyone is talking about, so apologies, but we’ll probably focus on her more than Harry, who has been in the British public eye all of his life. She was born in 1981, named Rachel Meghan Markle, and was raised in Los Angeles by her mother, a social worker with a passion for teaching yoga, and her father, from whom she got her interest in film/TV, as he is as an Emmy-winning lighting director. At 36, she has already lived a happily independent and successful life before her love life shot her into international fame. By her own description, she is an actress, a writer, and editor-in-chief of her own lifestyle brand, The Tig, so being the fiancée of a prince clearly doesn’t define her, as she says she has always wanted to be a woman who works, not lunches.

 

Looking at her different events, dressed in loose, cropped jeans, soft blouses, and fashionable prom dresses, it’s hard to imagine her in a conservative skirt suit or “sensible” heel as she combines this Californian casual style with elegant simplicity in her engagement photos. It looks as though she may take over her future sister-in-law as the style icon of the Royals, following in the footsteps of fellow American actress-turned-princess Grace Kelly. Her LA roots also play a large part in the lifestyle she chooses to follow, as she is an avid promoter of healthy living, claiming that “most things can be cured with either yoga, the beach, or a few avocados”. This devotion to clean living is something that is putting her in favor with younger generations, which is positive for the connection of the Royals and British youth. She is also a gender equality campaigner, being a UN women’s advocate and publicly supporting the He For She campaign created by fellow advocate Emma Watson. This is a rare deviation from the norm with Royals, as they are usually not allowed to make any political statements. For example, Kate Middleton received backlash after not wearing black at the BAFTAs, which many other actresses did in support of the Time’s Up movement.

Prince Harry

Prince Harry is more traditional in his pursuits, with the “bad-boy” persona of his younger years mellowing as he got older. In 2005, he enrolled at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and in 2008 he began serving in Afghanistan, where he was stationed for two months. However, the work that Harry seems most invested in is his charity work; much like his girlfriend, Harry is something of an advocate. He, alongside his brother and Kate, leads a Royal foundation called Heads Together, which partners mental health charities to change to tackle stigma, raise awareness and provide vital services for those that suffer from issues like depression and anxiety. The campaign has been extremely successful, with studies showing that in May 2017, 1.5 million more people were talking about mental health compared to three months previous and over 800,000 men conversing with professionals about their problems.

Alongside his charitable activities, Harry is known to enjoy a bit of gambling as a hobby. A fan of blackjack, he can attract a large crowd when playing his hands, such as when he played at casinos in Las Vegas,  professing that he enjoyed the free drinks – which might have been behind him losing $300 during a short session. It is unknown whether Harry plays online, on sites like Vegas Casino, but it might be for the best that he focuses on the charity work; thanks to his wedding he is more in the public eye than he has ever been. And he seems good at it, being the creator of the Invictus Games, an international multi-sport event in which wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel take part. It is a large show, presenting the talents of those who are often considered past their prime or useless due to their injuries, showing the world that everyone has something to give.

The Engagement

By now, everyone has heard the story of Harry and Meghan’s engagement, a small, private proposal over a roast chicken that the couple was sharing on a cozy Sunday night at home. One very sweet addition to this story is that Meghan could barely let Harry finish the proposal before going in for hug saying “Yes, yes, can I say yes now?” as Harry laughed and asked her if he could put on the ring, that Meghan had clearly forgotten about in her joy. The couple have been dating for roughly 15 months, and have already shown the world that they are going to do Royal their way, but what about their wedding?

The Wedding of the Year

The date is set for Saturday 19th May 2018, and is to be held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle – a place that the couple says has become a “very special place” already in their relationship. The service will start at 12pm, and a lucky 600 guests have received written invitations to the nuptials, with 200 friends and family traveling to Frogmore House in the evening for a celebration. The invitations were produced by Barnard and Westwood, who have been in charge of printing for the Royal family since 1985. The invitations are printed in gold and black then burnished to bring out the shine, and gilded around the edge, with the lovely added touch of being printed on English paper (Harry) but using American ink (Meghan). We can only imagine what it would be like to receive one of those invitations!

There is, of course, huge speculation about what, or rather who Ms. Markle will be wearing on her wedding day, as her dress will not be revealed until she steps out of the car. That speculation has only doubled as she revealed that she will have two dresses, one more traditional for the wedding ceremony and then a more glamorous, less restrictive gown for the evening revelries. Burberry has been put forward as an option, as Markle is a fan of the fashion house, often stepping out in their pieces for engagements. Meghan’s close friend Isabel May was also Director of Communications for the brand and has apparently been helping her out behind the scenes in preparation for the wedding. Other frontrunners include Ralph and Russo, which she wore for her engagement photos, and Erdem, a Canadian designer who is favored by Meghan’s soon-to-be-sister, Kate Middleton. One of this issues with a Royal wedding dress is that it will be photographed and looked at for years to come, so it must strike the perfect balance between fashionable and timeless. However, there is no doubt that the always-elegant Meghan will decide on something that fits the occasion wonderfully. As for the groom, it is thought that he will be in uniform for the ceremony, as a former soldier and now Captain General of the Royal Marines.

As for the wedding itself, Harry and Meghan are leading the planning, alongside The Lord Chamberlain’s Office at Buckingham Palace. According to the couple, they want a wedding day that will reflect them, filled with fun and joy, giving them a chance to celebrate with the public. There are a few deviations from Royal tradition, as is to be expected from these modern sweethearts, but the core parts of the wedding will remain, although it is unlikely that gender equality advocate Meghan will agree to “obey” the prince. Although it is likely that she will carry lily of the valley in her bouquet, as Kate and Princess Diana did before her, she won’t wear the Cartier Halo tiara that Kate wore, and it is rumored that she may not opt to wear one at all. Another very talked-about difference is the cake; where it is traditional to have fruitcake, Harry and Meghan have reportedly opted for elderflower and lemon, made by Claire Ptak of Violet Cakes, London.

However the wedding turns out, it is sure to be a beautiful day, filled with celebrations of the love and joy that the young couple embodies.

 

 

 

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