WHAT A RIGHT ROYAL OWN GOAL!
As Harry and Meghan’s wedding is fixed for Cup Final day, did courtiers not realise it would be a clash for millions?
IN the heady excitement of planning for the wedding of the year perhaps everyone just forgot.
For yesterday Prince Harry and Meghan Markle set up a diary clash for millions of families by scheduling their marriage service for the day of the FA Cup Final.
They will tie the knot in Windsor on Saturday, May 19 – having avoided a Friday wedding because it would have prompted calls for the Government to grant a bank holiday.
The date will also allow the Duchess of Cambridge time to recover from the birth of her third child, which is due in April.
But the royal wedding will now clash with the most important fixture in the English footballing calendar. It is especially awkward for Prince William who, as president of the Football Association, would normally present the winning trophy.
Royal sources insisted last night the events would not overlap, which suggests the wedding could take place in the morning, with the Cup Final in the late afternoon.
MPs said the double-header might leave families to battle over the TV remote control. ‘It is a shame because these are both really important unifying national occasions,’ said former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron.
‘It would have been a good thing if they had been on separate Saturdays but that’s just the way it is.
‘I’m sure those who took the decision will have taken various things
‘Incredibly difficult to find dates’
into consideration – but the peak of the national game might have been a date they could have considered avoiding.’
Tory MP Nadine Dorries said: ‘ I’m a big fan and huge defender of Prince Harry, I always have been and I am looking forward to the wedding immensely.
‘It’s a pity it’s on the same day as the FA Cup Final, as many people would have wanted to watch both. But it must be incredibly difficult to find dates for such an international event.’
A royal aide said the couple opted for a weekend wedding because they wanted as many members of the public to be involved as possible, whether by watching it on television or attending in person at Windsor.
The Mail understands Harry and Meghan were keen to avoid the possibility of having to declare a bank holiday and wanted the wedding to seem more informal.
‘Most couples get married on a Saturday and it wasn’t as if they had to worry about another couple already having snagged the date,’ said a source.
Phil Dampier, who is a royal author, spoke for many yesterday when he tweeted: ‘You don’t get married on FA Cup final day, every bloke knows that! Not sure William will be happy.’
William would have been consulted on the date and Kensington Palace insisted yesterday that the timings of the festivities had yet to be ‘locked down’.
This suggests that the couple will have a morning wedding – around 11am – in St George’s Chapel, followed by a wedding breakfast in the castle’s state apartments.
There will then be an evening reception – meaning another change of clothes for Meghan, Harry and their guests – after 7pm.
That will give everyone, including William, enough time to watch the match on TV. In recent years the final has kicked off around 5pm. A palace insider said: ‘They won’t clash. There are a number of major events and family events on a number of weekends throughout the year.
‘It will be a great day for royal watchers and football fans alike.’
Commenting on the fixture clash, an FA spokesman put a brave face on matters yesterday, saying: ‘Saturday 19 May promises to be a wonderful day with such a special royal occasion being followed by English football’s showpiece event, the Emirates FA Cup Final.
‘With millions coming together to watch both events at home and around the world, it will be a day to celebrate.’
In choosing a Saturday, Harry, 33, and Meghan, 36, have broken with recent tradition. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wed on a Friday and the Queen on a Thursday.
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall would have married on a Friday but due to the death of Pope John Paul II, switched to a Saturday.
May 19 is the 23rd most popular day overall to get married next year – with 2,819 other couples exchanging vows, according to Bridebook, a wedding planning website.
It is also the day in 1536 when Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII and mother of Queen Elizabeth I, was executed on Tower Green for alleged adultery.
Palace aides have already said the wedding will ‘reflect the characters and personalities’ of Harry and Meghan and be a moment of ‘fun and joy’.
Meghan, a divorcee who is to become a British citizen, is being both baptised and confirmed ahead of the religious ceremony.
The Royal Family is paying for the wedding, including the church service, the music, the flowers and the reception. But the security costs for the high-profile event are falling to the taxpayer.
The Queen will be in attendance, as will the rest of the Royal Family, along with the bride’s divorced parents, Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte are expected to take on the roles of pageboy and bridesmaid.
This week the Mail revealed the couple would be married by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who has a progressive view on marrying divorcees.
Harry proposed to Meghan last month during a cosy night in over a roast chicken dinner after a 16-month whirlwind romance.
It is understood he and his American actress fiancée were aware of the date of the match when making their choice of day.