Like most other weddings in history, all British
royal weddings begin with - the engagement.
But unlike regular weddings these ones involve
an elaborately choreographed event that'll
be watched by an audience of millions. One
of the first decisions a couple makes is deciding
where to actually do the thing. If they're
really into history and tradition, there's
really only one choice - From the solemnity
of the abbey... But not this time. The big
change is this wedding, between Prince Harry
and Meghan Markle, and you don't have all
the ambassadors from all the different countries,
you don't have heads of state coming to this
wedding. One reason is because the chapel
at Windsor can only take 600 people, and therefore
there simply isn't the space. But it's also
clearly the desire of Prince Harry and Meghan
Markle to have a more informal wedding. Around
two months before the big day, the Lord Chamberlain's
office sends out individually crafted invitations.
There's flowers and fittings, and the entirety
of the city to prepare. While the bride and
groom had to sleep in different homes, spectators
who want to have a decent view of the public
processions will be sleeping outside. And
just a few hours later... Some travelled hundreds
or even thousands of miles and they camped
out overnight to get a prime position along
that procession. The general rule of royal
weddings is the less important you are, the
earlier you arrive, and the further back you
sit. If you're there representing a charity,
if you're a member of the armed forces, or
a celebrity, you're relegated to the nave
of the church, which means you might not even
get to see the actual ceremony. Close friends
of the bride and groom and other guests will
head in at least an hour and a half before.
Most of the time it is - groom up at the front,
the royal procession comes in order of precedence,
which means the more junior royals come first.
And last comes the Queen and her husband,
Prince Phillip. Lots of fanfares as they come,
and then the bride turns up. When the the
bride arrives, the details of the dress are
finally revealed after months of top secrecy.
I am beside myself. This is such a fashion
moment - I can't tell you. And regardless
of who the designer is, she'll be wearing
white and will carry a sprig of myrtle in
her bouquet, which symbolises love and marriage,
both of which are trends started by Queen
Victoria. The bride's tiara is almost always
the 'something borrowed'. Likely from one
of the family's collection of jewels. Since
1923 the ring placed on the bride's finger
is always made from Welsh gold. Elizabeth
and Diana's rings even came from the same
nugget. The ceremony's performed by the Archbishop
of Canterbury, and only takes about an hour.
Towards the end, the bride, groom and their
two witnesses go into a private room to sign
the register. At that point the wedding is
sanctified in law, as it was sanctified by
religious service a few minutes previously.
Officially married, the bride and groom exit,
closely followed by the procession of the
Queen. If there's any heart that hasn't been
won over today, it can kindly surrender now.
There's a good chance you'll hear Pomp and
Circumstance around this time. Although Americans
associate it with high school graduations,
it was originally written for the coronation
of King Edward VII. The bride and groom will
likely make their way into the open 1902 state
landau, for the official carriage procession
around the city. That's when the crowds, who
have been waiting for hours, or possibly days,
will get their first look at the royal couple.
This usually concludes with the iconic appearance
on the Buckingham Palace balcony, on which
Diana and Charles were the first to kiss.
The kiss is a critical moment in the entire
royal wedding ceremony. You don't just throw
it away in the middle of church. It has to
be seen live by hundreds of thousands of people.
And just in case anyone had missed it, Prince
William suggests - one more kiss. Because
Meghan and Harry's wedding is 20 miles outside
of London, their first public kiss as a married
couple will have to happen somewhere else.
Afterwards, the wedding party takes official
photos and ceremony guests gather for the
wedding breakfast, complete with the traditional
fruit cake. Though, in the past, the bride
and groom would change clothes and depart
for their honeymoon directly afterwards, current
royals have gone for a more modern approach
with a real party. And they won't be the only
ones celebrating. It's generally seen as an
excuse to have a good time and, somewhat buttoned
up Brits, who don't really have a good time
in public that much, let their hair down and
enjoy themselves in the middle of their street.
At that point it's a pretty normal wedding
reception, although normal ones don't generally
include rumoured performances by Elton John
and the Spice Girls. The royal couple will
head off for the honeymoon, which is almost
certainly within the British Commonwealth,
while the rest of the country... nurses a
hangover. As they leave far behind them an
exhilarated, exhausted London, for them, as
for any newly-weds, the adventure is just
about to begin.
