Kensington Palace has announced that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will get married on Saturday, May 19, 2018. The place of the wedding was revealed on November 27 when their engagement was confirmed. They will get married at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, because the church has a special meaning for Harry. He spent most of his childhood at Windsor, went to school there, and he and Meghan have attended services at the chapel. The venue for the wedding is much smaller than Westminster Abbey, where Prince William and Kate Middleton got married in April 2011.
Reasons for the May date
Most royal engagements last much longer than Harry and Meghan's engagement will last. The wedding is taking place in about six months. That doesn't seem like a long time to plan a wedding. Kate Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight that Prince Harry chose the date in honor of his grandfather. The royal expert said Harry thought it would be better to have the wedding sooner rather than later so his grandfather could attend while he is still fit and healthy.
Harry stated that he didn't want to wait too long, because the 96-year-old Duke of Edinburgh retired from his royal duties on August 2, 2017. He has not been making public appearances. Prince Harry is extremely close to his grandfather, and he really wants him at his wedding.
The wedding will be on May 19, and not sooner, because Duchess Kate is scheduled to give birth in mid-April to her third child with Prince William. The palace did not want two major events happening around the same time. The May wedding will give Kate time to recover after the birth. Prince William will be his younger brother's best man and by then he and his family will be settled with a new baby in the house.
A Saturday wedding
It is unusual for the wedding to take place on a Saturday. Most royal weddings take place during the week. Residents were hoping for a weekday wedding so they could have a bank holiday. That won't happen with the upcoming royal wedding. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip got married on a Thursday. Prince William and Kate Middleton got married on a Friday.
This is just one more tradition that Prince Harry and Meghan have been allowed to break.
Before the wedding
Before the wedding in May, Prince Harry and Meghan will have a busy schedule. The 36-year bride-to-be will join the royal family for a three-day Christmas celebration at Sandringham. That is the first time an unmarried person has been invited to be with Queen Elizabeth and her family during the holiday. After the holiday, the engaged couple will go on a vacation together to see some of Meghan's family and friends in the United States.
