The Chronicle

The £32 million wedding

MEGHAN AND HARRY GET MARRIED TODAY - HERE’S WHAT IT’S SET TO COST

- By ALICE CACHIA

T HE Royal Wedding is set to cost £32 million with security accounting for £30 million of the total.

As Meghan Markle marries Prince Harry at Windsor Castle, wedding planners Bridebook have estimated how much the royal wedding is likely to cost - and it isn’t cheap.

Toilets for guests will account for £35,000 alone - more than twice the entire cost of the average wedding.

And while Harry and Meghan don’t have to pay for the wedding venue at Windsor Castle, a luxury glass marquee for celebratio­ns later in the day is likely to cost around £350,000.

Catering for the extra 2,640 guests attending the wedding will swallow an estimated £286,000.

Music - from bell-ringers to church choirs - will be central to today’s entertainm­ent.

Throw in a top wedding band and DJ - as well as rumours of a surprise music performanc­e - and the music bill quickly rockets to an estimated £300,000.

The Ministry of Defence even requested 20 silver-plated fanfare trumpets stamped with the Royal Coat of Arms - costing around £90,000.

Meghan’s wedding dress - as well as a second for the evening - is likely to cost £300,000.

Bridebook estimates she’ll be wearing a simple wedding dress without beads, embroidery and embellishm­ents. There are rumours that Meghan has bought the dress herself.

Harry’s groomswear will be far cheaper, at around £8,000, and he is likely to be wearing a tailor-made Royal Air Force uniform.

Bridebook estimates wedding rings will cost £6,000 - far cheaper than the £50,000 wedding cake.

Transport won’t cost the pair a penny as the Queen has a state fleet of three Rolls-Royces, three Daimlers and two Bentleys to choose from.

The cost of the wedding itself is being met by the Royal Family, Kensington Palace have confirmed.

But the taxpayer will pay for security - and that will cost an astonishin­g £30 million. Windsor is locked down today with crowd control in place and restrictio­ns on shops and restaurant­s. Other security measures also include snipers, undercover police and a counter-drone system. And just like everybody else, Harry and Meghan will have to pay £175 in church fees - though that’s unlikely to break the Windsor family’s piggy bank.

 ??  ??
 ??  ?? The pair became engaged in November last year
The pair became engaged in November last year
 ??  ?? The wedding takes place at Windsor Castle
The wedding takes place at Windsor Castle

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