Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wedding will be at Windsor Castle next May will be televised for the public
PRINCE Harry will wed Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle next May, with the Los Angeles-born actress set to become a Brit.
They will swap vows in St George’s Chapel in the castle grounds — although the exact date has not been announced.
Meghan, 36, will study to be a British citizen and take the citizenship test “in due course”.
The Royal Family will pay for the wedding at St George’s Chapel and Meghan will be baptised and confirmed beforehand.
She and Harry, 33, announced their engagement on Monday.
As details of their wedding were announced, a spokesman for Meghan and Harry also revealed.
- THE ceremony will be televised to involve the millions of people who have wished the couple well.
- MEGHAN will be baptised and confirmed in the Church of England “in due course”.
- THE couple will commission a photographer for official engagement pictures.
- MEGHAN may spend Xmas with the Royal Family at Sandringham.
- SHE is ditching all her previous charities to start royal life “with a clean slate”.
The couple said they wanted a “fun and joyful” wedding and it would be “safe to assume it would be televised” as they wanted to involve their millions of well-wishers.
The Prince and his fiancee chose “very special” St George’s as they have spent time there during their 18-month relationship. Harry’s old army regiment the Blues and Royals also has a base in Windsor.
Divorcee Meghan, a protestant who went to a private Catholic high school, will be baptised and confirmed before the wedding. The Duchess of Cambridge, then Kate Middleton, was confirmed in a private ceremony at St James’s Palace a month before marrying Prince William in 2011.
Meghan and Harry, 33, shunned a larger ceremony at Westminster Abbey or St Paul’s Cathedral, where Harry’s father Prince Charles wed late mum Princess Diana in 1981.
Charles had a blessing at St George’s after he married Camilla in a civil ceremony at the nearby Guildhall in 2005.
It is anticipated Harry and Meghan will opt for a late May wedding, as it will leave a bit of “breathing space” for Kate — expecting her third child in April.
The couple’s spokesman said: “As was the case with the wedding of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, The Royal Family will pay for the core aspects of the wedding, such as the church service, the associated music, flowers, decorations, and the reception afterwards.”
Suits actress Megan’s divorced parents Doria Ragland and Thomas Markle will also be there.
And it is likely Prince George, four, and Princess Charlotte, two, will be a pageboy and bridesmaid.
It also emerged yesterday that Meghan will ditch all her previous charity work, including World Vision and the UN.
The only patronage she will take on after her wedding will be to join Kate, William and Harry as patron of their Royal Foundation.
Over the next few months Meghan will travel to visit family and friends before “settling permanently at Kensington Palace”.
She and Harry — who were spotted visiting a gym in Chelsea, West London — will mark their first official engagement together on Friday.
They’ll visit Nottingham’s Full Effect charity, through which the prince forged links with the city, and meet the public in a walkabout.
A spokesman for Harry said he is “looking forward to introducing Ms Markle to a community that has become very special to him”.
St George’s Chapel is a so-called Royal Peculiar, with the Dean of Windsor responsible only to the sovereign. The Palace said the Queen had given her permission for the wedding to take place there.
Harry was also christened in the chapel in 1984 at three months old. According to Church of England rules, that means he can wed there.
The last royal wedding there was for Harry’s cousin, Peter Philips — Princess Anne’s son. He married Canadian Autumn Kelly in 2008. Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones also married there in 1999.
It is expected the reception will be held in 180ft St George’s Hall, usually used for state banquets and restored after the 1992 castle fire.
The couple’s spokesman said: “This wedding, like all weddings, will be a moment of fun and joy that will reflect the characters of the bride and groom. Prince Harry and Ms Markle are leading the planning process for all aspects of the wedding.
“We look forward to sharing details in the months ahead.”
The gothic 15th century chapel will be a stunning and intimate backdrop for their big day – which the royal family is footing the bill for.
The chapel holds about 800 guests compared with the 2,000 capacity of Westminster Abbey where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wed in 2011.
The couple posed for the cameras outside Kensington Palace yesterday after announcing their plans to get hitched next year.
The history of St George's Chapel
ST George’s Chapel is a 15th century church located in the grounds of the Queen’s beloved Windsor Castle.
It holds about 800 guests, making it an intimate venue for the couple’s nuptials.
The chapel also holds a special place in the heart of the Queen, who uses it as a place of worship and spends a great deal of time at home in the castle.
The family have also celebrated many occasions in St George’s.
Harry was christened in the chapel in December 1984 when he was three months old.
The last royal wedding was for Harry’s cousin, Peter Phillips – son of the Princess Royal – who married Canadian Autumn Kelly in 2008.
Before that Harry’s father, the Prince of Wales, and stepmother, the Duchess of Cornwall, had their televised religious blessing there in 2005.
It has also been the setting for many historic funerals including the Queen Mother’s private committal service in 2002, and in the same year, Princess Margaret’s small, private funeral.
The funeral of the Queen’s father, King George VI, took place at St George’s in 1952.
It was revealed that the romantic prince proposed with a ring he designed himself, which features three jewels, the centre of which is a diamond from Botswana.
The outside two stones are diamonds from the personal collection of Diana, Princess of Wales.
The smitten couple have enjoyed a whirlwind romance since being introduced in summer 2016.
Prince Harry said he had no idea who his actress bride-to-be was before the pair were set up by a mutual friend.
In their first ever joint interview, Harry told the BBC: “I’d never even heard of her until this friend said ‘Meghan Markle’ – I was like ‘right OK give me a bit of background.’
“I’d never watched any of Suits. I was beautifully surprised when I walked into that room and saw her.
“I thought I’m really gonna have to up my game, sit down and make sure I have good chat.”
The actress will move in with her prince in Kensington Palace’s Nottingam Cottage.