Royal wedding details revealed as Meghan Markle to become UK citizen
Details of the much-anticipated royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have emerged, along with Meghan’s plans to become a UK citizen and convert to the Anglican faith.
Prince Harry and Meghan will marry in May at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, Kensington Palace announced Wednesday morning (AEST).
The couple announced their engagement on Monday night, later revealing Harry proposed to Meghan while they were preparing a roast chicken dinner at their Kensington Palace cottage.
As they make preparations for their big day, Meghan, a Protestant who went to a Catholic high school, will be both baptised and confirmed into the Church of England ahead of the religious ceremony.
The royal family will pay for the wedding, including the church service, the music, the flowers and the reception, the palace said.
Although Meghan has been married before, the Church of England permits divorcees to remarry with a religious ceremony.
A palace spokesman said Meghan would retain US citizenship through the process of becoming a UK citizen, but it was “too early to say” if she would retain dual nationality. The process is expected to take several years.
The wedding will closely follow another major event for Britain and the Royal family, with Harry’s older brother and heir to the throne Prince William and his wife the Duchess of Cambridge expecting their third child in April.
Harry’s communication’s secretary Jason Knauf said Windsor was a “very special place” for Harry, and that he and Meghan had spent time there together during their 16-month romance.
He said the couple were delighted to be holding the wedding in the “beautiful grounds of Windsor”.
St George’s Chapel holds between 800 and 1000 people – large enough for a major wedding, but less formal that Westminster Abby where Harry’s brother Prince William wed Kate Middleton. or St Paul’s Cathedral, where Harry’s parents Prince Charles and Diana Spencer were married.
St George’s Chapel. Formal but not too formal. Photo: Wikipedia.
Knauf said the couple, who were grateful for the warm wishes from the public, would be putting their personal stamp on their wedding day.
“They will be making sure it reflects who they are as a couple,” he said.
The wedding guest list will be finalised closer to the event.
Kensington Palace also revealed that Harry and Meghan will carry out their first official engagement together in Nottingham on Friday.
Harry and Meghan will greet members of the public together for the first time before attending an event to mark World AIDS Day.
After the wedding, Meghan will become the fourth patron of The Royal Foundation, a charitable organisation set up in 2009 by William, Kate and Harry.
– With agencies