19th May 2018, Windsor
The Royal Wedding of HRH Prince Harry and Ms Meghan Markle
At the time of the Royal Wedding I am so pleased to work with a member of the Royal Family - Lady Penny Mountbatten - on the first International Debutante Ball in London which is supporting Prince Harry’s charity, which is called Sentebale in memory of his mother Princess Diana (it means forget me not).
1. Prince Harry is a famous rebel of the royal family. Can his marriage to Meghan be expected to be carried in this rebellious spirit, or will he rather honor the traditions and rules of royal weddings?
LK: HRH Prince Harry and his bride have already broken one of the great British rules – which is never get in a way of a football match!
In truth the social calendar is so crowded that Megan and Harry had little choice, but there were bursts of outrage from the press and the royal followers who wanted to celebrate both, football and this great wedding.
Those I have spoken to say, that the wedding comes first!
2. To what extent is the wedding directed by the couple and to what extent does Buckingham Palace interfere?
LK: This marriage is a love match. Nobody would dare arrange a wedding for either of these two members of a wonderful couple! But at the same time if asked, Buckingham Palace would say that they could not have approved of this match more. It is an example of the Royal Family always reinventing itself and embracing the diversity of GB which is made up of so many different people who have arrived in these islands over so many years. The Royal Family is the symbol of the great British family and this is never more true to see Meghan and Harry marry each other.
3. Meghan Markle has been married once, will it affect the look of the wedding?
LK: For her first wedding a bride would traditionally wear white – colour of a virgin. These days any girl can choose any colour and there are no hints given by the Palace, so we can’t even rule out a white dress!
Meghan is the perfect person in Harry’s life. She is older, and many say wiser than her young bridegroom and we can rely on her to give the wedding a distinguished shape which will be about happiness for the couple as well as being a celebration for the nation.
4. Who determines the guest list? Do you know who will be on it? How does the royal family intervene in it?
LK: The guests will of course include all their special friends because it is their wedding. At the same time, it is a national event, so we can expect some leading politicians, society figures, and foreign diplomats as well as well-wishers who will be attending this celebration.
5. Do guests have to go through any "training" before the wedding? Is the etiquette different? What are the rules for guests? For example, what is the dress code - does it have fixed rules, or will it be specified on the invitation?
LK: The British are famously polite and always have the best manners whether at the wedding or any other event! They have been trained from the day they were born! There are some simple rules when meeting royalty. For example, a girl needs to curtsy and for gentlemen it is a bow.
Traditionally the men at a wedding wore morning dress. Morning dress includes black and grey stripy trousers and a long black tail coat often with a rose or carnation in a buttonhole sometimes with an extravagant waistcoat and tie.
At traditional weddings women always stand out because of their extraordinary and beautiful hats. No British woman would not go to a wedding without investing time, energy and sometimes lots of money in a fabulous hat.
6. What about wedding gifts? What wedding gifts are suitable for the royal wedding and what are inappropriate?
LK: Never bring a gift to a Royal Wedding. In fact, everyone must be careful about wedding gifts! Unless it is a young couple setting out home for the first time, you can assume that they have pretty much everything their need and that your company as their friend will be a sufficient gift. Any kind of decoration or painting is likely unsuitable because there will already be a well-designed decorative scheme in their home. A close friend of mine had her gift of a painting rejected by Prince William’s Mother in law – she is still recovering from the experience.
7. Did you get any details from the preparations - any behind-the-scenes information?
LK: Security on all weddings and particularly this wedding is pretty tight – everyone wants to get details ahead of the time the only thing that I can mention is the cake! Wedding cakes in Britain are the highlight of the event – indeed wedding cakes are so important that it is the custom for young debutantes who are about to be presented to royalty to curtsy to a cake. A wedding cake features in a tradition first created by Queen Charlotte in the 18th century. Queen Charlotte failed to turn up to her own party which is why the debutantes curtsied to the cake instead of her – but on this occasion I don’t think we will be short of royalty.
8. Do you know what Meghan's dress will be like? Is Meghan already a fashion icon?
LK: Megan is a style icon already and any shop she pops into any sight of her in a photo in a popular press or a fashion magazine immediately becomes identified as the one and only dress she will wear. Megan is a smart woman and she will keep her cards close to her chest because she knows that by keeping people guessing about the dress the interest will build and build.
9. Have you registered in the British public some resentment towards the wedding - financial demands, redundancy of the royal family?
LK: Commentators in search of a story will always stir up some rumours. But you only have to talk to the taxi drivers of London – who are the pulse of the nation – to know that there are no misgivings about this wedding. It is a celebration of the New Britain forging links between the UK and friends abroad that can be set against the horrible separatist spirit of Brexit.
10. How did the royal family receive Meghan Markle? According to the British media, this Canadian is the darling of the public majority, does it also apply behind the walls of Buckingham Palace?
LK: The Royal Family throw open their doors and their hearts. The sad story of Princess Diana has been a lesson to the entire nation, and ever since those tragic moments the Royal family and all the British people will hold close to their hearts anybody who one of the young royals will choose to date or wed.
11. If you were to compare the fiancées/wives of Princes Harry and William, Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan, what do they have in common and what makes them different? Are they "friends"? Could they be…?
LK: English rose vs American actress
12. Do you think Harry and Meghan will feel the pressure to conceive a child?
LK: His brother’s child Baby George is so cute that they will have to compete!
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