MEGHAN AND HARRY: THE BIG DAY LEADS TO A NEW JOURNEY
Prince Harry has thanked his wife’s wedding dress designer for transforming Meghan into an “absolutely stunning” bride as details of the all-night royal partying emerged.
The touching revelation came as reports revealed guests celebrated the couple tying the knot by downing themed cocktails, eating up-market fast food, watching a spectacular fireworks display and dancing to a celebrity DJ.
Actor Idris Elba tried his hand at DJing during the evening, the Daily Telegraph reported, and there was no first dance tune for the couple, rather the Whitney Houston track I Wanna Dance With Somebody was played, where everybody took to the dance floor.
But the fun did not stop when Frogmore House - the famous royal home loved by Queen Victoria - closed it doors, as some guests are said to have staged an after party at top London hot spot Chiltern Firehouse.
Following the exploits of Saturday night, Harry and Meghan left Windsor Castle yesterday afternoon after being hosted by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh over their wedding weekend.
British designer Clare Waight Keller, who was spotted arranging the Duchess of Sussex’s veil and train just before she processed into St George’s Chapel, said soon after the ceremony Harry rushed up to praise her efforts.
She said: “He came straight up to me and he said ‘oh my God, thank you, she looks absolutely stunning.’”
Asked about the moment Meghan was able to look at herself dressed and ready in the mirror on Saturday morning, Ms Waight Keller said: “She was just glowing,” adding “She was absolutely radiant.”
Meghan’s hair stylist Serge Normant said it was “dreamy” to work with Meghan, creating a bun that was “messy, in a controlled way”.
Just hours before she emerged onto the steps of St George’s Chapel to worldwide audience, Meghan appeared relaxed, Mr Normant said.
“She was calm, yeah. Chatty, absolutely. We were definitely having exchanges, yeah for sure,” he said.
“She was very happy. It was a beautiful morning, just the perfect morning to get married.”
The Prince of Wales staged the black-tie evening dinner for his son Harry and new daughter-in-law Meghan, who arrived in a environmentally-friendly 1968 Jaguar E-Type Concept Zero that ran on electric power.
Guests dined on posh burgers among other dishes, with candyfloss on offer for those with a sweet tooth and there was reportedly a cocktail on offer named When Harry Met Meghan, a reference to the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal.
Wedding guest Serena Williams uploaded a number of pictures of herself in her evening dinner dress to her Instagram account and joked about a little trick that ensures she has comfortable feet. The tennis star, who became close friends with Meghan when the pair met at a celebrity football game back in 2014, wrote: “Little known fact: I often wear sneakers under my evening gown.”
Figures showed the wedding was a hit with TV viewers – smashing records for the year so far.
The couple’s big day was watched by a peak of 13.1 million, just after 1pm, on BBC1, making it the biggest peak figure so far in 2018, the broadcaster said.
The BBC’s coverage included an interview with Cardiff-born HIV campaigner and St David Awards finalist Mercy Ngulube, as she spoke of her work representing one of the chosen charities of the day.
The wedding day itself featured a number of Welsh flourishes. A piece of Welsh gold adorned Meghan’s ring-finger, in keeping with tradition among female members of the royal family. The wedding ring was fashioned from the precious metal as a gift from the Queen.
Meanwhile, Swansea soprano Elin Manahan Thomas was among the musical stars of the occasion – which also included members of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales – with her performance of Handel’s Eternal Source of Light Divine.
The 41-year-old, from Gorseinon, tweeted after her performance: “Anrhydedd mawr, a huge honour to be part of such a special day. [Trumpeter] David Blackadder and I had a ball! Amazing atmosphere and so many smiling faces. Congratulations to the happy couple! #RoyalWedding2018”
And the music included the familiar tune of Cwm Rhondda as star guests including George Clooney were seen singing “Bread of Heaven” in Welsh rugby favourite Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer.
The William Williams Pantycelyn favourite was part of one of several nods to Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, included in the big day.
The hymn was his mother’s favourite and the 33-year-old chose to include it as part of the ceremony as a tribute to Princess Diana , 21 years after it was sung at her funeral.
STREET parties brought communities in Wales together as people marked the royal wedding.
Neighbours came out in the bright sunshine to enjoy the festivities as they watched Saturday’s live broadcast of Prince Harry getting married to American actress Meghan Markle.
There were around 17 official parties planned around the nation, after organisers applied to their local councils for temporary road closures.
Rhondda Cynon Taf had the most parties, with seven, while there were also five in Cardiff, three in the Vale of Glamorgan and one in Swansea.
One of the biggest parties was at Birch Crescent in Cefn Hengoed, Caerphilly. More than 100 residents got involved in a party that included an all-day disco, children’s entertainment and lots of food.
One of the organisers, Rebecca Gifford, said: “We were out from 8am setting up. It was an absolutely fantastic day. We had a total ball.
“The local council and police were so helpful with the organisation.
“It has been fantastic and we thought that Meghan looked amazing and the wedding was beautiful.”
The Lyons family only moved into their home on the Pen y Dyffryn estate in Merthyr Tydfil days ago.
Nicky Lyons said: “Myself, my wife Angharad and our little girl Alex only moved in this week and we’ve been made so welcome.
“We closed the street off, bought tables and chairs, and everyone brought a plate and something to drink. A large television was put up under a gazebo for us all to watch Meghan walk down the aisle.
“We had a royal quiz and the kids enjoyed a bouncy castle, table tennis and many more games.”
Residents at Lakeside Nursing Home in Cardiff also had a party to mark the occasion. There was also a party in Werfa Street, Roath, and Cardiff South and Penarth MP Stephen Doughty MP visited one in Grangetown organised by the Welsh Veterans Partnership.