EDITOR’S LETTER:
from the desk of Michele Crawshaw
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are just a couple of months away from exchanging vows at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. No doubt there are many touches still being put to the big day – final dress fittings, meetings with florists, caterers, photographers, cake decorators and the like.
I remember my wedding 16 years ago and how much work it seemed to be to organise a comparatively small affair for 85 family members and friends. I can’t begin to think what a job it would be to pull together a wedding that will be seen by millions, attended by global leaders, and critiqued the world over.
Certainly, Harry and Meghan won’t be short of help with the preparations, but they have already shown they’re determined to do things their way and are heavily involved in ensuring the day represents them as a couple as well as meeting their royal commitments.
As the younger brother of the heir to the throne, Harry might have expected interest in his wedding to be more low-key than that of William and Kate’s in 2011. But when you consider that this is the last major royal wedding we can expect to see for a long time (Princess Eugenie’s will be beautiful, but a much smaller affair), the fervour that surrounds the impending nuptials is understandable.
Especially when the bride-to-be is an American TV star who has charmed Britain in the few short months since she posed, smiling broadly, on the arm of her prince for their engagement photos at Kensington Palace in November. And when the groom is one who broke hearts the world over as a 12-year-old when he walked behind his mother’s coffin – and throughout the ensuing years has melted those same hearts with his cheeky, lovable grin.
The couple may be hard at work finessing their wedding plans, but they haven’t been shirking their royal duties – over the past few months they’ve undertaken a host of official engagements, with Meghan showing her star power.
In our cover story on page 18, Melanie Bromley looks at how Meghan and Harry have the ability to create one of the most significant impacts on the modern royal family in decades.
In the meantime, The Australian
Women’s Weekly team are on wedding day countdown…