INS AND OUTS OF ROYAL WEDDING.
Former PM’s grandchildren join royal tykes
TORONTO • Saturday’s nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will likely have a youthful charm and a Canadian helping run things behind the scenes, says a British royalty expert, after word that all three of Ben and Jessica Mulroney’s children are in the wedding party.
Ivy Mulroney, 4, will be a bridesmaid while seven-yearold twins Brian and John Mulroney will act as page boys, Kensington Palace announced Wednesday.
The Mulroneys are said to be good friends with the engaged duo and live in Toronto, where Jessica is a stylist and brand strategist, and Ben is co-host of CTV’s “Your Morning” and anchor at “Etalk.”
Ben Mulroney is also the son of former prime minister Brian Mulroney.
“I think she’s going to be very involved behind the scenes,” Katie Nicholl, author of the biography “Harry: Life, Loss and Love,” said of Jessica Mulroney.
“I was told that she’s been over several times to see the dress, she was there for the first fitting and for the final fitting. I think she’s been very much a part of helping Meghan cull everything together for the evening reception and probably has helped with the outfits for the wedding party as well.”
A total of six bridesmaids and four page boys make up the wedding party for the Windsor Castle ceremony.
The others include Princess Charlotte, who is the three-year-old daughter of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, and their four-year-old son, Prince George. Other bridesmaids include two of Markle’s goddaughters and two of Prince Harry’s goddaughters. One of Harry’s godsons was also selected as a page boy.
Nicholl said that having an all-children wedding party is “a little risky, because obviously these are very young children. The youngest is only two and the oldest is seven, so there’s potential for chaos, of course.
“But I think it will be down to Jessica Mulroney to probably help make sure they’re all kept in check.”
The children might also provide some of the most memorable moments of the day, added Nicholl. She pointed to the famous photo of Prince William’s goddaughter/flower girl Grace Van Cutsem covering her ears as he and the Duchess of Cambridge shared their first public kiss on their wedding day.
Jessica Mulroney became friends with Markle when the U.S. actress moved to Toronto to shoot her seven-season run of the Bravo/USA Network series “Suits.”
“The Mulroneys were, I think, quite instrumental in this relationship from the start,” Nicholl said.
“Harry spent a lot of time with the couple and their children, and in fact ... it was a moment at the Mulroneys when Meghan realized that Harry might be the one. He turned up armed with presents for the children and he completely won them over.”