Bawdy jokes, a ginger cocktail, a frenzied first dance — and slippers for guests with sore feet
WHISKING his bride away in an opentop Jaguar, with a twinkle in his eye and his new wedding ring glinting in the evening sun, the look on Prince Harry’s face said it all: he was ready for a party.
And party he did – at a star-studded, champagne-fuelled, black-tie reception for the bride and groom at the opulent Frogmore House in Windsor Great Park on Saturday night.
After a very modern take on the traditional royal wedding, the late-night revelry followed suit – and those fortunate enough to bag a place on the ultra-exclusive guest list were treated to a night of risque speeches, wild dancing and plenty of stodge to soak up the alcohol.
Exclusive details from inside the evening celebrations reveal that guests – who included George and Amal Clooney, Sir Elton John and David Furnish and more glitzy Hollywood actresses than an Oscars after-party – spent the evening sipping bespoke cocktails, tucking into ‘dirty burgers’ and candyfloss from outdoor food stalls and dancing the night away to a trendy DJ.
It was, insiders say, ‘the party to end all parties’, with a carnival atmosphere in the grounds of the 230-year-old stately home, which once belonged to George III.
From ‘naughty’ speeches by Harry’s pals and a historic toast by Meghan herself, to Sixties soul songs, an extravagant fireworks display and personalised slippers which were handed out to highheeled guests, the bride and groom pulled out all the stops to make it a night to remember.
There were even roles for the couple’s A-list guests, with Luther actor Idris Elba reportedly taking a turn as DJ and actor James Corden performing a raucous stint as compere.
But it was very much a party of two halves, with many of the older guests departing around 10.30pm – and the younger revellers staying until the early hours, before going on to an even more exclusive afterafter-party in central London.
Sources say festivities ramped up a notch once Prince Charles – who hosted and paid for the evening do – and other senior royals bid their farewells, with Harry’s friends dutifully waiting to share embarrassing stories about the prince’s playboy past.
Festivities kicked off around 7.30pm, when the bride – dressed in a lily-white silk crepe Stella McCartney gown and Aquazzura heels with baby-blue soles – and the groom, wearing a dapper black velvet tuxedo, pulled up to the venue in a Jaguar E-Type, complete with a number plate bearing the date, E190518.
Sources say Meghan had two dresses in mind for the reception, with her other option a bejewelled number by Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana, and decided only in the days before the wedding to wear the white halterneck dress. Security was, as expected, extremely tight, with Metropolitan Police officers and armed, uniformed guards patrolling the entrance, 8ft fence and grounds throughout the night.
When George Clooney and his wife Amal arrived they were questioned for several minutes before being allowed in – much to their bemusement. ‘Don’t you know who I am?’ really didn’t hold any sway – and all guests had to show their
invitation: a small, folded A6 card bearing a drawing of a bridge in the venue’s gardens.
Others on the strictly vetted, 200-strong guest list – which left off many of the bride and groom’s closest friends, including Harry’s old Army colleagues, ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy and, reportedly, Pippa Middleton – were chauffeured to the reception in cars provided by Jaguar Land Rover.
Coaches ferried Meghan’s Hollywood pals from the cast of Suits, who had been staying at the fivestar Coworth Park hotel in nearby Ascot, en masse to the venue.
Despite a reported ban on mobile phones inside Frogmore, many still managed to sneak pictures and videos online.
Meghan’s friend, tennis ace Serena Williams, shared not one but three photographs of herself posing in the grounds in a flamboyant black and floral Valentino gown, while stylist Jessica Mulroney – whose twin sons had carried Meghan’s train earlier in the day – was pictured wearing a £6,000 low-cut gold beaded dress by Indian designer Naeem Khan.
US actress Troian Bellisario, 32, shared giddy videos of herself and fellow actresses Abigail Spencer and Sarah Rafferty getting off the coach and swapping their designer stilettos for comfortable slippers provided by the bride.
‘How amazing is this?’ she can be heard saying in one of the videos. ‘These shoes have come off. They have slippers for us. Slippers!’
Meghan is also believed to have given her closest friends – none of whom was chosen to be a bridesmaid – bespoke bracelets worth £450 as a mark of their friendship and support on her big day.
Once inside the grounds, guests were guided to a giant marquee at the back of the house, bedecked with stunning floral displays by royal florist Philippa Craddock.
Liveried waiters circulated, offering guests drinks – English sparkling wine and ice-cold beer – and trays of light canapes, themed in the style of ‘spring meets summer’. These, and the three-course sit-down dinner, all comprised seasonal organic produce, much of it sourced from Prince Charles’s Duchy Estate.
While the canapes and bowl food earlier in the day had been provided by Buckingham Palace, Harry and Meghan used leading society caterers Table Talk for the evening do.
Insiders say that the meal was punctuated by informal toasts and speeches – most memorably a brief toast by the bride herself, who, in a historic break with tradition, stood up to thank Harry and his family for their kindness and hospitality.
In return, Harry gave a gushing, off-the-cuff speech praising Meghan for ‘navigating everything with such grace’ after a turbulent week. ‘We make such a great team,’ he said. ‘I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.’
Guests reportedly burst into cheers when he referred to her as his wife for the first time.
Prince William is believed to have performed something of a double act with Charlie van Straubenzee, who attended prep school with Harry at Ludgrove in Berkshire.
As well as a poignant reminder of how proud their mother would have been of her youngest son on his wedding day, the speech included several family in-jokes.
A fourth speech was reportedly given by Charlie’s older brother, Thomas, along with Tom ‘Skippy’ Inskip, who was under strict instructions from the Palace to downplay Prince Harry’s exploits during a 2012 boys-only trip to Las Vegas – long before Meghan was in the picture.
Actor and talk show host James Corden, who attended the reception with his wife Julia, acted as compere, introducing speakers and keeping guests in stitches by gently ribbing Harry for ‘punching above his weight’. Dotted
throughout the gardens to entertain the guests were outdoor games, including a giant chessboard, fairground performers and stalls offering late-night snacks – from burger and ice cream vans to candy floss kiosks and bars stocked with several types of expensive whisky.
Bespoke cocktails were flowing from a ‘round the world’ bar, whose top offering was the ‘When Harry Met Meghan’, combining rum and ginger beer – a cheeky nod to the colour of the groom’s hair.
Musical entertainment came from DJ Sam Totolee, a celebrity favourite who has previously played at the weddings of both Pippa Middleton and Rod Stewart, and Uma Thurman’s engagement party.
Harry is said to have danced ‘furiously’ to the DJ’s set – which included the controversial drug-themed hit I Took A Pill In Ibiza – at Pippa’s wedding last May, and had put him under strict instructions to ‘avoid cheese’ and stick to trendy house music and R&B.
At one point later in the evening, British actor Idris Elba – who has DJ’d in some of the world’s top clubs – apparently took over for a brief turn on the decks. But that didn’t stop Meghan from making her own musical requests, and she is believed to have been behind the list of Sixties soul songs that were played by covers band Atlantic Soul Orchestra, which calls itself ‘the country’s hardesthitting and most authentic soul band’. Its musicians have toured and recorded with groups including Take That, Girls Aloud and Sir Elton John.
Their set list included My Girl by the Temptations; Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours by Stevie Wonder; Marvin Gaye’s How Sweet It Is and Ain’t No Mountain High Enough; Soul Man by Sam and Dave; and Knock On Wood by Eddie Floyd.
The reception went on into the early hours, with music and cheering heard as far away as Windsor’s Long Walk. Even as the clock struck midnight, guests could be heard singing along enthusiastically to Respect by Aretha Franklin, and Dancing In The Street by Martha and the Vandellas.
The newlyweds’ first dance is believed to have followed a similar theme, with Harry and Meghan eschewing a slow song for the 1966 hit Land Of A Thousand Dances by American soul singer Wilson Pickett (not, as has been reported elsewhere, Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody).
The final coaches departed Frogmore House around 3.30am, with insiders reporting that George Clooney was among the last to stagger off the dancefloor, having earlier shown off his moves alongside actor Tom Hardy. Bleary-eyed revellers were offered bacon or sausage sandwiches for the journey home.
A select few were then invited to the latenight party which reportedly took place at celebrity haunt Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone, followed by a private party in a soundproofed home in Chelsea. It is not known if the bride or groom accompanied them.
Yesterday morning, though the newlyweds – who spent the night at Windsor Castle – were nowhere to be seen, several of the guests appeared rather the worse for wear.
A weary looking James Corden was seen checking out of Coworth Park with his wife at 8am, while Jessica Mulroney did not emerge from her £600-a-night room before lunchtime. A fresh-faced Serena Williams was one of the few to make it down to breakfast.
Rugby player Will Greenwood left with his wife Caroline around 9.40am, followed by Meghan’s Suits co-star Patrick Adams and his children, who left for a flight to LA.
Earl Spencer, Harry’s uncle, was spotted at Cliveden House – where the bride stayed the night before the wedding – enjoying Bloody Marys with his family yesterday afternoon.