Prince Charles to walk Meghan Markle down the aisle
May 18, 2018
After confirming that her father would not be attending her wedding to Britain's Prince Harry on Saturday, US actor Meghan Markle asked Prince Charles to walk her down the aisle instead.
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"Meghan Markle has asked His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales to accompany her down the aisle of the Quire of St George's Chapel on her Wedding Day," Kensington Palace said in a statement on Friday.
Meghan Markle had confirmed on Thursday that her father, Thomas, would not be able to show up at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle on Saturday, when the former star of TV drama Suits will tie the knot with Prince Harry, sixth-in-line to the throne.
The Emmy Award-winning TV lighting director had emitted a series of contradictory statements this week about whether he would be attending the highly anticipated ceremony, with the Los Angeles-based celebrity website TMZ.com saying he was hospitalized after having undergone heart surgery on Wednesday.
Markle and her mother Doria Ragland Image: Getty Images/G. Robbins
It had been speculated that Doria Ragland, Meghan Markle's mother, would be asked to walk her daughter down the aisle instead. An African-American social worker and a yoga instructor with dreadlocks and a nose ring, the mother of the bride has been described as a "free spirit" by her daughter.
Having the father of the groom take the honor is yet another twist in a royal wedding that is breaking with long-established traditions.
96-year-old Prince Philip to attend
Some 600 guests, including all the senior British royals and various celebrities, are expected at Saturday's event.
Queen Elizabeth's 96-year-old husband Prince Philip also confirmed on Friday that he would be attending the wedding — just a few weeks after undergoing a hip replacement operation. The Duke of Edinburgh has largely retired from public duties and it had not been clear whether he would be feeling well enough to attend.
Markle's half-brother and half-sister Thomas and Samantha are however not invited. Thomas Markle Junior has said Markle is "probably embarrassed" by them.
Earlier this month, the estranged brother had sent an open letter to Prince Harry, published in celebrity gossip magazine In Touch, in which he described the upcoming nuptials as "the biggest mistake in royal wedding history," and his half-sister as a "jaded, shallow, conceited woman that will make a joke of you and the royal family heritage."
The 51-year-old American publicly apologized through an interview with the Daily Mirror tabloid, describing the letter as a "moment of madness."
The most important detail for royal watchers on May 19 will be what Meghan Markle wears when she marries Prince Harry. Here's a look at some of the styles her predecessors have chosen.
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Coupon Queen
When then-Princess Elizabeth married Prince Philip in 1947, wartime rationing was still in effect. Elizabeth used ration coupons, some donated from young women across the country, to purchase the silk for her Norman Hartnell gown. The dress was adorned with crystals and more than 10,000 seed pearls imported from the US. The train was 13 feet (4 m) long.
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A wedding worth abdicating for
The scandal surrounding the decision of King Edward VII to abdicate the throne so he could marry the twice-divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson in 1937 is well-known. For the more modest royal affair, Simpson tapped American designer Mainbocher to make her light-blue wedding dress. The dress was one of the most copied of her time, and afterward donated to the Metropolian Museum in New York.
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Bringing Tudor Back
For her wedding to Captain Mark Phillips in 1973, Queen Elizabeth's daughter Princess Anne chose a "Tudor-style" gown with medieval sleeves designed by Maureen Baker. The dress was noted at the time for adhering to contemporary fashion trends in a break from more traditional styles for royal brides. Anne was also the first English princess to be heavily involved in the design process herself.
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The world's most famous wedding dress
The gown worn by then-Lady Diana Spencer at her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981 is perhaps the most well-known in history. The puffed sleeves and full skirt would impact bridal styles for years to come. The dress by David and Elizabeth Emmanuel cost 9,000 pounds and featured a 25-foot (7.62 m) train.The huge train made it notoriously difficult for Diana to fit in her wedding carriage.
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Heiress to the throne
Princess Victoria of Sweden broke with tradition in 2010 when she married a commoner, her former personal trainer Daniel Westling. She selected Swedish designer Pär Engsheden to craft the minimalist gown made of duchess silk satin. On her head, the future queen wore the famous Cameo Tiara, which was originally given to Empress Josephine on her wedding day by her husband, Napoleon Bonaparte.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Henriksson
From Tasmania to Copenhagen
Born Mary Donaldson in Australia, Princess Mary joined what is perhaps Europe's most popular royal family when she married Frederik, the Crown Prince of Denmark in 2004. The dress was made by Danish designer Uffe Frank, and included 100-year old Irish lace that was originally given to Frederik's great-grandmother, Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden.
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The most-watched wedding in history
36.7 million people in the UK and more than 72 million around the world tuned in to watch the wedding of Kate Middleton to Prince William in 2011. Designed by Sarah Burton of fashion house Alexander McQueen, Middleton sought to combine tradition and modernity in her gown. The bodice was designed in the 19th century style, while the full skirt was meant to mimic an opening flower.
