After a day that was all heart, there was room for some soul
THE reception for the royal wedding was a star-studded affair, with actor Idris Elba taking to the DJ decks and comedian James Corden acting as compere at the highly exclusive party.
In a contrast to the pomp and ceremony of the service at St George’s Chapel, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex ended their first night of married life on the dancefloor with a soundtrack of R&B hits and Eighties classics.
Close friends mingled with global celebrities among 200 guests under a glass marquee in the grounds of Frogmore House for a sit-down meal, emotional speeches and the letting down of hair. The evening, hosted officially by the Prince of Wales, saw younger members of the Royal family mixing with Hollywood’s finest, who were banned from taking their mobile phones for fear of indiscrete photography.
George and Amal Clooney, who were briefly stopped at the gates before security guards recognised them, were joined by Tom Hardy and Charlotte Riley, and Elton John and David Furnish, while Elba, star of Luther and The
Wire, banged out the sounds.
The bride, now a fully fledged Duchess, delivered her own speech, sweetly complimenting her new husband and expressing her joy at being welcomed into his family, in particular by her father-in-law, the Prince of Wales. The groom, with his brother and best man the Duke of Cambridge, made moving references to their late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, who Harry has said would have adored his new wife.
Earlier, the Duke had praised the Duchess for her “grace”, raising the roof as he told her: “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”
There were reports last night that the couple are planning to visit the Duchess’s father, Thomas Markle, after their honeymoon. He is recovering from heart surgery in California.
Saturday’s evening reception was marked by a spectacular firework dis- play over Frogmore House, where the couple’s relationship blossomed in its early days. Charlie van Straubenzee, a friend of the family, is reported to have joined Prince William in teasing the groom mercilessly.
Then, as the dancing started, the Duke and Duchess, who is said to have excellent taste in music, led the way. The newlyweds are reported to have eschewed a slow first dance for livelier tunes, and are thought to have chosen Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody as an opener to a selection of soul classics.
A live band played favourites including Martha Reeves and the Vandellas’ Dancing In The Street and Heat Wave, before Sam and Dave’s 1967 hit Soul Man. My Girl by The Temptations was also on the playlist along with Stevie Wonder’s Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours, and Marvin Gaye’s How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You. The strains of Aretha Franklin’s Respect also drifted over the grounds of Windsor Castle before segueing into Franklin’s 1968 classic Think, with its Civil Rights-era cry of “Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!”
In the early hours, soul music gave way to hits from the Eighties and Nineties by the Eurythmics and Madonna.
Guests were reportedly treated to “dirty burgers” and candyfloss from food stalls, as well as bespoke cocktails, including a mix of rum and ginger beer named “When Harry Met Meghan”.
Diehard revellers finally made their way home at around 2am, with buses back to London for after-parties arranged by the most eager.
Older guests, including the Prince of Wales, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Duke of York and Doria Ragland, the bride’s mother, were able to retire earlier if they wished.
The Duke and Duchess spent the night at Windsor Castle before making a private getaway yesterday. Wedding guests staying at the nearby Coworth Park Hotel in Sunningdale, where Prince Harry had slept the night before the service, appeared bleary eyed but joyous yesterday morning.
Corden told hotel staff it had been an “amazing” evening. However, as he left shortly after breakfast alongside his wife, Julia Carey, he would not be drawn on the details of the party.
The hotel had played host to many of the Duchess’s co-stars in the long-running American television legal drama Suits, including Patrick J Adams, who appeared at breakfast in sunglasses.
Some guests, including Gina Torres, who plays Jessica Pearson in the series, were spotted clutching an armful of souvenir newspapers featuring photographs of the new Duke and Duchess.
After spectacular fireworks, the strains of Aretha Franklin drifted over the grounds