Bawdy jokes, a ginger cocktail, a frenzied first dance — and slippers for guests with sore feet
WHISKING his bride away in an opentop Jaguar, with a twinkle in his eye and his new wedding ring glinting in the evening sun, the look on Prince Harry’s face said it all: he was ready for a party.
And party he did – at a star-studded, champagne-fuelled, black-tie reception for the bride and groom at the opulent Frogmore House in Windsor Great Park on Saturday night.
After a very modern take on the traditional royal wedding, the late-night revelry followed suit – and those fortunate enough to bag a place on the ultra-exclusive guest list were treated to a night of risqué speeches, wild dancing and plenty of stodge to soak up the alcohol.
Exclusive details from inside the evening celebrations reveal that guests – who included George and Amal Clooney, Elton John and David Furnish and more glitzy Hollywood actresses than an Oscars after-party – spent the evening sipping bespoke cocktails, tucking into ‘dirty burgers’ and candyfloss from outdoor food stalls and dancing the night away to a trendy DJ.
It was, insiders say, ‘the party to end all parties’, with a carnival atmosphere in the grounds of the 230-year-old stately home, which once belonged to George III.
From ‘naughty’ speeches by Harry’s pals and a historic toast by Meghan herself, to Sixties soul songs, an extravagant fireworks display and personalised slippers which were handed out to high-heeled guests, the bride and groom pulled out all the stops to make it a night to remember.
There were even roles for the couple’s A-list guests, with Luther actor Idris Elba reportedly taking a turn as DJ and actor James Corden performing a raucous stint as compere.
But it was very much a party of two halves, with many of the older guests departing around 10.30pm – and the younger revellers staying until the early hours, before going on to an even more exclusive afterafter-party in central London.
Sources say festivities ramped up a notch once Prince Charles – who hosted and paid for the evening do – and other senior royals bid their farewells, with Harry’s friends dutifully waiting to share embarrassing stories about the prince’s playboy past.
Festivities kicked off around 7.30pm, when the bride – dressed in a lily-white silk crepe Stella McCartney gown and Aquazzura heels with baby-blue soles – and the groom, wearing a dapper black velvet tuxedo, pulled up to the venue in a Jaguar E-Type, complete with a number plate bearing the date, E190518.
Sources say Meghan had two dresses in mind for the reception, with her other option a bejewelled number by Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana, and decided only in the days before the wedding to wear the white halterneck dress.
Security was, as expected, extremely tight, with Metropolitan Police officers and armed, uniformed guards patrolling the entrance, 8ft fence and grounds throughout the night.
When George Clooney and his wife Amal arrived they were questioned for several minutes before being allowed in – much to their bemusement.
‘Don’t you know who I am?’ really didn’t hold any sway – and all guests had to show their invitation: a small, folded A6 card bearing a drawing of a bridge in the venue’s gardens.
Others on the strictly vetted, 200-strong guest list – which left off many of the bride and groom’s closest friends, including Harry’s old army colleagues, ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy and, reportedly, Pippa Middleton – were chauffeured to the reception in cars provided by Jaguar Land Rover.
Coaches ferried Meghan’s Hollywood pals from the cast of Suits, who had been staying at the fivestar Coworth Park hotel in nearby Ascot, en masse to the venue.
Despite a reported ban on mobile phones inside Frogmore, many still managed to sneak pictures and videos online. Meghan’s friend,