It is a custom for wedding guests to give the bride and groom a gift when they attend a wedding. However, that won't be the case when guests attend Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding on May 19 in just a few weeks from now. They have requested that well-wishers do something else instead of giving them gifts.
A news release came from Kensington Palace on Monday, April 9 stating that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are grateful for the support they have been shown since they announced their engagement last November.
The release further announced that well-wishers could mark the occasion by giving to charities instead of giving the couple a gift.
Donations to charities
People don't have to wonder what to give the royal couple on their wedding day, and they also don't have to check a wedding register because there isn't one. After all, the prince and the former "Suits" actress either have or can afford every material thing they want.
Both of them are very passionate about charities. Therefore, they are requesting that instead of giving them something personal, they are accepting donations to seven of the charities they support.
Seven charities
The couple has chosen and mutually agreed on seven charities to receive the donations. According to the palace, the couple does not have a personal relationship with the small charities earmarked for the donations. However, they are passionate about the issues the charities are involved with.
The charities help with women's empowerment, conservation, the environment, homelessness, sports for social change, HIV and the Armed Forces. The couple is including more than 250 members of the Armed Forces in their wedding ceremony.
The specific charities selected are Children’s HIV Association, Crisis, Myna Mahila Foundation, Scotty’s Little Soldiers, StreetGames, Surfers Against Sewage and The Wilderness Foundation UK.
The couple has visited some of these charitable organizations in the last few months since their engagement.
Last month, the couple invited 2,650 people to stand on the grounds of Windsor Castle during their wedding. Of that number, 200 of them are representatives from their charities and the organizations they support.
Even though the couple has requested no personal gifts, they will more than likely get some just like Kate Middleton -- who received gifts when she married Prince William in 2011.