Celebrities attend royal wedding
WINDSOR, England – Stars including Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney arrived at Britain’s ancient Windsor Castle yesterday for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who supporters hope will help recast the 1,000-year-old monarchy for the 21st century.
Hours before the ceremony, Queen Eliza- beth bestowed the title of Duke of Sussex on her grandson, making the American actress, star of the TV drama “Suits,” a duchess.
Under clear skies and glorious sunshine, a military band in scarlet uniforms and bearskin hats entertained thousands of excited fans gathered behind barriers. Police armed with semi-automatic rifles patrolled streets and watched from rooftops.
Celebrities such as US media mogul Winfrey, actor Clooney, his lawyer wife Amal, soccer star David Beckham and his fashion designer wife Victoria mingled inside the walls of the world’s oldest inhabited castle. Clooney was among the first major celebrities
to arrive with his wife, who wore a mustard yellow dress and hat. Beckham arrived soon after, accompanied by his wife Victoria, a former singer in the Spice Girls band and now turned successful fashion designer, wearing a long, sleek black dress.
Dressed in pale pink, Winfrey added a touch of Hollywood glamor inside the chapel, wearing sunglasses as she chatted with British actor Idris Elba ahead of the service.
British singer James Blunt, Prince Harry’s friend, was also in attendance.
“This is a moment when we can all celebrate the rebirth of the royal family,” said Kenny McKinlay, 60, who had come down from Scotland for the wedding. “It’s a time when all the nation can come together rather than being divided. It’s a day when you can be proud to be British.”
The couple, who met on a blind date in 2016 and fell in love in a tent under the stars in Botswana, ties the knot at the 15th-century St. George’s Chapel, in a castle that has been home to 39 English monarchs since 1066.
More than 100,000 fans crammed the narrow roads of Windsor, about 20 miles (30 kms) west of London.
Visitors had to pass through police search points set up around the castle. Hundreds of TV crews from around the world have descended on Windsor for the union of Harry, 33, sixth-in-line to the British throne, and Markle, 36, a divorcee whose mother is African-American and father is white.
Prime Minister Theresa May, who along with other politicians was not invited to the wedding, sent good wishes to the couple, adding: “To all of those joining the national celebration with street parties and other events, have a wonderful day.”