For the millions who tuned in to watch Prince
Harry marry Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle,
it was the chance to witness a real-life fairy
tale as it was told.
The charming prince defied expectations by
wedding the American actress and divorcee,
so it's probably not too surprising that some
of the most memorable moments of the telecast
were completely unscripted.
From a few swoon-worthy gestures to some gutting
emotional tributes, here are the royal wedding
moments no one will forget.
Battle of the exes
Prince Harry's decision to invite ex-girlfriends
Cressida Bonas and Chelsy Davy to his wedding
might seem odd to some, but it's actually
in keeping with recent royal tradition.
After all, several of Prince William's former
flames attended his nuptials with Kate Middleton,
and it's quite common for princes to stay
in the good graces of their exes.
Of course, what's not expected is for one
of them to go viral for their on-camera reaction
to the big day.
While Bonas seemed in good spirits, Davy looked
much less chipper once she was inside the
ceremony.
Though she split from her prince years ago
because she wanted no part in the media scrutiny,
her wide-eyed expression and undeniable frown
during the ceremony certainly said a lot.
To make matters worse, neither she nor Bonas
was invited to the reception, so she couldn't
drown her sorrows in the royal spirits stash
either.
Ouch.
The solo act
Meghan Markle has always been one to shake
up tradition, especially in the name of feminism.
So, instead of being accompanied by her father,
the duchess opted to walk herself down the
aisle — at least for part of the way.
Meghan's father, Thomas Markle, bailed on
the royal wedding at the last minute after
he was caught staging paparazzi photos — which
is a major no-no for the royal family.
Later, it was confirmed that Thomas was undergoing
heart surgery.
Though some speculated that the former actress
would enlist her mom for the send-off, she
decided to walk most of the way alone instead.
Her father was going to escort her from the
Quire, where main royal guests like the queen
are seated, but in his absence, Meghan asked
her new father-in-law, Prince Charles, to
step in and accompany her.
Unlike a traditional ceremony, Charles was
instructed to stop before the altar and let
Meghan greet Harry alone because she wanted
to give herself away.
With this small action, the Duchess of Sussex
became the first bride in U.K. royal history
to walk unescorted down the aisle.
The scene-stealers
When it comes to weddings, kids tend to steal
the show in small, but unforgettable ways.
In the case of Harry and Meghan's ceremony,
it was Princess Charlotte who started things
off on an adorable note by greeting her adoring
audiences by sticking out her tongue at them
and offering up some very spirited waves to
the crowd.
Soon after, Markle's page boys, the twin sons
of her best friend Jessica Mulroney, also
stole many hearts after one couldn't contain
his glee upon arrival to the chapel and showed
off a toothy grin that was so bright it even
stole away some attention from the incoming
bride.
Although they were all mostly well-behaved,
children are still pretty unpredictable, and
these tots seemed to have some unexpected
moments of fun during the regal festivities.
Yas Queen
Queen Elizabeth II is certainly known for
her vibrant outfits, but she may have topped
even herself with her choice for the royal
wedding.
Her royal highness donned head-to-toe lime-green
from her silk tweed coat to her matching Angela
Kelly hat and accented it with touches of
bright purple.
Sure, it's a seasonally appropriate get-up,
and she's been known to wear bright green
before, but the queen's statement-making outfit
may have a deeper meaning than most.
Green is said to symbolize growth and rebirth,
which means the long-reigning monarch may
have been signaling the crown's readiness
to embrace the future.
The queen also had a prime spot to witness
her grandson's nuptials because no one sat
in front of her.
Contrary to popular belief, the empty seat
wasn't reserved for Harry's late mum Princess
Diana; it was actually just left empty because
the queen must never be blocked by someone's
head.
After all, she is a literal queen.
But there were some tributes to the People's
Princess hidden throughout the day as well.
Honoring the fallen
Meghan's bridal bouquet was a tasteful mix
of elegant white flowers, but it was also
created with Princess Diana in mind.
According to a statement released by Kensington
Palace, Meghan opted to include Forget-Me-Nots,
which were Princess Diana's favorite flowers.
If that wasn't enough to make all of us reach
for a Kleenex, Prince Harry actually hand
picked several of the flowers from their private
garden at Kensington Palace.
The bouquet also included sweet peas, lily
of the valley, jasmine, and myrtle.
The myrtle is a long-standing tradition that
started with Queen Victoria.
The sprigs included in Meghan's bouquet came
from two places: a garden planted by Queen
Victoria and plants grown from the queen's
1947 wedding bouquet.
It doesn't get sweeter than that … until
you consider what Meghan and Harry did with
the flowers after they tied the knot.
The couple donated their wedding flowers to
patients at St. Joseph's Hospice in London
and placed Markle's bouquet on the grave of
the unknown warrior at Westminster Abbey.
That lip bite
The moment when a bride and groom first greet
each other at the altar is always special,
but Prince Harry's reaction might've topped
them all.
For starters, Harry completely ditched the
British tradition of not looking at the bride
as she walks down the aisle, because he simply
couldn't resist.
Then, he mouthed the heart-melting line: "you
look amazing", making everyone swoon.
Coupling that with his nervous lip bite, and
the whole world was pretty much reduced to
tears by the genuine impromptu gesture.
According to lip-reading experts, Harry asked
Meghan, "Are you OK?" before complimenting
her looks and mouthing, "I love you."
His demeanor was so touching that it became
an instant conversation piece and set the
bar for all future royal weddings to be just
as romantic and warm as theirs.
A fiery sermon
Meghan and Harry's wedding sermon was anything
but traditional -- at least for the Church
of England.
The couple hand-picked Reverend Michael Bruce
Curry, the first black leader of the Episcopal
Church in the United States, to deliver the
inspiring, 14-minute speech,
Many hailed Bishop Curry's sermon as a triumph
for its authenticity, but it was also pretty
clear from their expressions that the Royal
family just didn't get it.
The Church of England isn't known for its
outpouring of emotion, especially on occasions
such as the royal wedding, but that didn't
stop Curry from livening things up.
Some of the royal reactions were pretty priceless,
like Zara Tindall's gaping jaw, Elton John's
stern expression, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie's
snickers, and Kate Middleton giving Camilla
some major side eye and a smirk.
Whether the royals were ready for it or not,
though, Curry definitely delivered a homily
that wedding watchers will remember for years.
"Episcopalians aren't known for being loud
and raucous in church, but I've learned to
be able to hear an amen by looking in their
eyes."
Token of remembrance
It wasn't just the floral arrangements that
paid tribute to the late Princess of Wales.
After the ceremony, Meghan wowed royal wedding-watchers
with a second dress.
This time, she ditched the tiara and changed
into a silk halter-neck dress by Stella McCartney
that had an old Hollywood vibe and made for
the perfect party gown.
Before speeding away from the castle to their
200-guest afterparty at the Frogmore House,
the duchess waved at onlookers and flashed
an emerald-cut aquamarine ring that used to
belong to Princess Diana, who infamously wore
it to several high-profile events in her final
years.
This piece of jewelry was a rather thoughtful
wedding gift from Harry and assured the world
that the memory of his mother accompanied
the couple throughout every step of their
nuptials.
Owning the moment
Many may have wondered whether Meghan might
ever publicly acknowledge that she was living
in a real-life fairy tale during or after
her big day.
Between the dress, the horse-drawn carriage,
and her handsome prince, her wedding put pretty
much every sappy Disney classic to shame,
especially when you think back on those photos
of a 15-year-old Meghan posing outside of
Buckingham Palace while on vacation.
After the "I do's," Meghan finally did admit
to living a dream come true, telling party
guests at her reception:
"I have found my prince."
Being the modern monarch that she now is,
though, the statement itself was still a total
break from tradition, considering brides don't
usually pick up the microphone in these situations.
Harry's speech was equally as adorable, and
he told his bride:
"I can't wait to spend the rest of my life
with you."
We've yet to see if the two will live happily
ever after, but considering how storybook
this romance has been so far, they're well
on their way to a happy ending.
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