ROYAL PARADE IS A HIT!
Newlyweds will go on two-mile procession through Windsor streets They’ll make vows in front of Archbishop of Canterbury
PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle will parade through Windsor in a carriage after making their wedding vows in front of the Archbishop of Canterbury, it can be revealed today.
The couple, who will marry on May 19, will make a two-mile journey through the town cheered on by crowds from around the world.
Their route will see them pass along six streets before ending up back at Windsor Castle, according to details released today by Kensington Palace.
The marriage service, in the castle’s 15th century St George’s Chapel, will be conducted by the Dean of Windsor, the Right Rev David Conner.
The couple will then make their wedding vows in front of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
Harry, 33, will be the first senior royal in modern times to be granted a Church of England wedding despite marrying a divorced woman.
Although Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall received a blessing at St George’s Chapel in 2005, the couple had a civil service at Windsor Guildhall instead of a religious ceremony.
The service will last an hour, beginning at 12pm and finishing by 1pm, Kensington Palace confirmed.
Harry and his new wife will then greet well-wishers as they travel by carriage over a two-mile route from the castle and back. It will see them travel down Castle Hill, along the High Street and then along Sheet Street, Kings Road and Albert Road, before returning to the castle by the Long Walk. Harry and his American actress fiancee, 36, may have drawn inspiration from Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex, who married at St George’s Chapel in 1999.
Their procession lasted around 15 minutes along streets packed with 30,000 well-wishers. A Kensington Palace spokesman said Harry and Meghan’s ‘short journey’ would ‘provide an opportunity for more people to enjoy the atmosphere of this special day’.
The timing of the ceremony should also avoid a clash with the FA Cup Final, which takes place on the same day. Recent finals have kicked off at 5.30pm. The Scottish Cup Final also falls on the wedding day but its kick-off time has not yet been confirmed.
But there could still be an issue for Prince William, who is expected to be Harry’s best man but who, as president of the Football Association, would normally present the trophy at Wembley.
The wedding day will effectively be in four parts, royal sources told the Daily Mail. After the ceremony an afternoon reception will be held at St George’s Hall for the couple and congregation, understood to be a lunch for family, friends and perhaps some charity representatives – believed to be 240-300 in all – where speeches will be made.
The evening will be in two parts: An ‘informal’ dinner for 350 with more speeches, followed by what is likely to be a boozy reception with whisky bar for 550-600 in the evening, a royal source has said.
The dinner will be for the couple’s wider circle of friends – including, potentially, Meghan’s co-stars from US legal drama Suits. Another source confirmed that Kensington Palace has raised the issue of former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, who are counted as personal friends of Harry, being invited. But their presence has not yet been confirmed. Behind the scenes conversations have continued about whether this could be seen as a snub to Donald Trump, who will not be invited.
It is understood that only Miss Markle’s closest family will attend – meaning her half brother and sister Thomas and Samantha Markle, who have repeatedly criticised her, are unlikely to be invited.