Harry and Meg’s Hollywood vow renewal – because one fairy tale wedding isn’t enough
Guess we’re not getting an invite to this one, then?
‘They love the idea of a barefoot ceremony’
They’re not exactly top of the royal popularity list at the moment, anyway, but we’re told Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are planning something that risks going down like a lead balloon within the family – renewing their vows on US soil.
“This will symbolise a brandnew start for them both practically and spiritually,” a royal insider tells heat. “They both love the idea of an intimate, barefoot ceremony overlooking the ocean – a little like Meghan’s first wedding [to Trevor Engleson], but without all the fanfare and partying. Of course, it risks upsetting the royals, but this fresh start is important to both of them.”
Having moved to Los Angeles before America’s borders closed for lockdown, it seems the couple are keen to make their mark on the country by throwing a low-key but star-studded wedding party in their new home city.
“The talk is that this will be a fairly small ceremony, probably no more than a few dozen close friends and family,” says the source. “Meghan’s mum Doria will be there, plus the likes of the Clooneys, Oprah and other A-listers such as Jennifer Lopez and A-rod, Beyoncé and Jay Z, Elton John and David Furnish, plus Angelina Jolie and Serena Williams. Some of her friends from Canada like Jessica [Mulroney, her stylist] and Harry’s close friends from the UK will also fly out, and it’ll all be done in the utmost secrecy.”
The insider adds that the couple – who share 11-month-old son Archie – aren’t skimping when it comes to quality. “Naturally, they’ll insist on the best possible food and drink. They’re planning a giant reception at their place or
one of their famous friends’ homes. It’s something they’ve talked about for a while, ever since they decided to make America their permanent base.” Harry and Meghan got married in May 2018 in a televised ceremony at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. The wedding was estimated to have cost around £32million – paid for by the royal family, with taxpayers footing the security bill – and hundreds of millions of people tuned in to watch coverage of the day. Our insider tells us, “Both Harry and Meghan insist they don’t want to taint their original wedding, but it’s surely not lost on them that getting remarried in America might not go down well with the family back in the UK. If anything, it shows how determined they are to completely start anew in the States. There is a practical side, as getting married on US soil will help Harry’s visa status, giving him more of a right to be in the country long-term.”
This news comes after Harry’s small but unmistakable actions to distance himself further from the royal family last week. Documents registering a new eco-friendly tourism company saw the prince drop, not only his HRH title, but also his family’s surname – Mountbatten-windsor. The documents listed the 35 year old as “Prince Henry Charles Albert David, Duke of Sussex”.
It was also claimed last week that Harry and Meghan, 38, had been discussing their exit from the royal family months before it became public knowledge. Dr Jane Goodall – the anthropologist who Harry interviewed for Meghan’s 2019 British Vogue issue – spoke recently of meeting baby Archie for the first time. She said, “I made Archie do the Queen’s wave, saying, ‘I suppose he’ll have to learn this.’ Harry said, ‘No, he’s not growing up like that.’”
Our insider says that these not-so-subtle hints, as well as talk of a vow renewal are all part of a big show of his love and commitment to Meghan by Harry. We’re told, “If there was any doubt that he’s well and truly in this for the long term, this will put a stop to that type of chatter.” ■