Updated April 25, 2018, 11:45 a.m. PT: Wedding bells won't be the only thing guests hear on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's big day. With less than a month to go until the royal wedding on May 19, Kensington Palace has announced what kind of music the nuptials will include.
"Both Prince Harry and Ms. Markle have taken a great deal of interest and care in choosing the music for their Service, which will include a number of well-known hymns and choral works," the palace revealed, per E! News.
Rest assured, the music will be more dynamic than the statement perhaps makes it sound. James Vivian, the director of music at St. George's Chapel, has orchestrated several live performances to take place throughout the ceremony — think choral groups, soloists, acclaimed 19-year-old cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, the Christian gospel group The Kingdom Choir and more.
Alas, no word yet on whether or not the Spice Girls really will drop in at some point during the day for a special set.
However, there is another equally exciting bit of music news to come out of the royal wedding camp today. "Within hours of the service ending" — according to Britain's Decca Records — the music from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding will be released on audio.
Even cooler? It's slated to be available on vinyl May 25.
Updated April 14, 2018, 1:30 p.m. PT: Considering Meghan Markle will soon be an official member of the royal family, it makes sense that the Suits star will spend a lot (if not the majority) of her time in the U.K. And on Thursday, the American actress reportedly took her royal transition one step further by picking up a U.K. visa application.
According to TMZ, Markle tried to fly under the radar when she visited the VFS Global UK Visa Application Centre in Chicago on Thursday. Of course, staying incognito proves tricky when traveling with four bodyguards. Eyewitnesses say Prince Harry's bride-to-be was polite to the staff and was in and out within 10 minutes. To expedite the process and receive her visa sooner, TMZ's sources reported, Markle paid around $1,500.
Although her visa will initially be for dual citizenship, Markle will be able to return in six months to file for permanent citizenship in the U.K., which Kensington Palace confirmed she intends to do.
In other royal wedding updates, Kensington Palace also announced the name of the photographer hired for the big day. "Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle have selected Alexi Lubomirski to be the official photographer at their Wedding on Saturday 19th May," said the Palace's press release, according to E! News. "Mr. Lubomirski will take the official photographs at Windsor Castle following the Wedding at St. George's Chapel."
If Lubomirski's name sounds familiar, it's because you've seen it before — he took the royal couple's stunning engagement photos. Lubomirski expressed his excitement in the release, saying, "I could not be more thrilled or honored to photograph this historic occasion."
Updated April 11, 2018, 10:30 a.m. PT: American fans of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be happy to hear they won't have to search hither and yon to find a TV channel that will be broadcasting the royal wedding live.
On Wednesday, the official announcement came down from Today that they had secured coverage for the royal wedding in May. Among the Today show correspondents going over to the U.K. to cover this spectacular event are Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, who will be doing a live show overlooking Windsor Castle, with Al Roker and Sheinelle Jones hopping in to do additional coverage.
Make sure to set a reminder to tune in to NBC on Friday, May 18 for this exciting special broadcast.
Updated April 10, 2018, 11:20 a.m. PT: We have new intel on some of the folks who will and will not be attending the royal wedding in May.
As the happy day draws nearer, we have confirmation that close personal friend of Prince Harry and former president of the United States, Barack Obama, will not be attending the wedding ceremony. In fact, according to the Daily Mail, the Obamas didn't receive an invitation to the royal wedding — nor did current U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May or current U.S. President Donald Trump. Since Harry is not a direct heir to the throne, he doesn't need to have such a formal guest list. That said, one might suspect the royal family doesn't want to make a bold political statement by picking and choosing which heads of state they invite to the wedding.
We also know possible "secret wedding planner" and close friend of Meghan Markle's Jessica Mulroney will likely be attending the royal wedding. According to Vanity Fair, it's been reported that Mulroney, a Toronto-based stylist specializing in weddings, is one of the top choices for Markle's matron of honor — while that's unconfirmed, VF strongly believes she will be, in addition to covertly planning the major event.
Updated April 1, 4:19 p.m. PT: Royal wedding planning is officially in full bloom. On Sunday, Kensington Palace revealed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have chosen a florist to create the church flowers for their big day. In another nod to the couple's modern style, they chose high-fashion florist Philippa Craddock, who has previously collaborated with upscale brands like Hermès and Alexander McQueen.
According to the Palace, Craddock will source the foliage locally, drawing largely from the gardens and lands of the Crown Estate and Windsor Great Park. The fair-trade florist will also try, when possible, to use flowers and plants that are in season. "These will include branches of beech, birch and hornbeam, as well as white garden roses, peonies and foxgloves. The designs will reflect the wild and natural landscapes from which many of the plants will be drawn," says a Palace blog post on the subject.
Additionally, Craddock will incorporate pollinator-friendly plants from the Royal Parks to "provide a great habitat for bees and help to nurture and sustain entire ecosystems by promoting a healthy and biodiverse environment."
If that doesn't make you love the royal couple even more, consider this: after the ceremony, the floral arrangements created by Craddock will all be donated to charitable organizations.
Updated March 28, 11:40 a.m. PT: More developments have emerged about the upcoming royal nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and this time, the news is decidedly quite sentimental. On Wednesday, Entertainment Tonight reported that Harry and Markle had sent out 250 invitations to members of the British Armed Forces for the royal wedding. In a statement issued by Kensington Palace, it was noted that there would be a special role for the servicepeople in attendance.
"Regiments and units that hold a special relationship with Prince Harry will provide ceremonial support at the wedding and during the carriage procession at the request of Kensington Palace. More than 250 members of the Armed Forces will perform ceremonial duties at the wedding," the statement read.
ET additionally reported on some those aforementioned duties, which include: members of the Household Cavalry will line the stairs at St. George's Chapel where Harry and Markle will be married. Also, members of the Windsor Castle Guard, which includes those who have served in the 1st Battalion Irish Guards, Royal Navy Small Ships and Diving, Royal Marines, 3 Regiment Army Air Corps, The Royal Gurkha Rifles and RAF Honington and who all have ties back to Harry, will line the streets of Windsor, the city where St. George's is located.
This is an especially meaningful royal wedding development because Harry, if you'll recall, served two tours in Afghanistan after joining the military in 2006. It is expected that in addition to the strong military presence at his wedding, Harry will also wear his military uniform (just as Prince William did) on his wedding day.
Updated March 15, 2018, 10:50 a.m. PT: The royal wedding countdown is truly on. With just over two months to go until they say their I do's on May 19, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are checking off items on a royal to-do list. The latest? Getting formal permission from Queen Elizabeth II.
British law states that the first six people in line for the throne must have the current monarch's permission before getting married. Should any of them marry without formal permission, they give up their right to ascend to the throne as well as the right of all their descendants to do so. Harry is currently fifth in line, right behind his niece, Princess Charlotte, meaning he had to have his grandmother's blessing or give up his spot.
In a letter to the privy council, though, the queen sounded thrilled to give her permission to Harry to wed Markle this spring.
"I declare My Consent to a Contract of Matrimony between My Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales and Rachel Meghan Markle, which Consent I am causing to be signified under the Great Seal and to be entered in the Books of the Privy Council," her letter read.
QEII official wedding consent tweet
QEII official wedding consent tweet
Will we see a Princess Meghan in the future? With Harry so far from the throne, it's not likely. But with this development, it's officially possible.
Updated Feb. 27, 2018, 11:45 a.m. PT: It's been rumored that Ed Sheeran will be staging a performance at the upcoming royal wedding, but that's been shot down by Sheeran himself. Another maybe more likely rumor says Elton John may take the stage. But the Spice Girls' Mel B just dropped a big hint about a musical performance that would have everyone talking.
During an appearance on The Real Tuesday, Mel B told hosts Adrienne Bailon, Loni Love and Jeannie Mai she is going to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding. When asked, "Did you get an invitation?" Mel B replied, "Well, it was the five Spice Girls. Why am I so honest?!"
Um, so does this mean the Spice Girls are performing at the wedding? They've previously declined to reunite and perform together, but when the actual Prince of Wales and his fiancée ask for something, we imagine it's hard to say no.
Mel B on maybe Spice Girls reunion
Mel B on maybe Spice Girls reunion
When asked specifically if she's attending the royal wedding to perform with the Spice Girls, Mel B just looked at her cards and shook her head. The cohosts screamed, and Mel B threw her cards in the air and said, "I need to go! I am going to be fired!"
No matter how you slice it, that sounds like an admission. Could this really be happening? Only a few months left before we find out for sure.
Updated Feb. 13, 2018, 12:40 p.m. PT: Here are a few more reasons to get up early and tune in to the royal wedding. Reports are saying there will be some world-class entertainment to help Prince Harry and Meghan Markle celebrate tying the knot — Harry has reportedly personally asked Ed Sheeran to perform at the wedding. Here's hoping he chooses something a little more romantic than "Shape of You."
There are also rumors Elton John will perform now that he's canceled a few of his Las Vegas shows amid confirming he scored an invite to the wedding of the century. Basically, everything he plays is tear-jerkingly romantic, so we can't imagine anyone better.
Updated Feb. 12, 2018, 10:30 a.m. PT: May keeps inching closer, and that means more and more royal wedding details are hitting the headlines. Over the weekend, we learned a little more about what to expect when May 19 rolls around and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle say their I do's, including what time we'll need to be up to be able to tune in to the ceremony.
According to Kensington Palace, the wedding is set for noon in the U.K., which is 7 a.m. Eastern or 4 a.m. Pacific. It's gonna be an early morning for those of us on the West Coast, but it'll be worth it to see royal history being made.
The palace also revealed that after exchanging vows, Harry and Markle will lead a parade through the streets of Windsor, riding in a horse-drawn carriage. It's something Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge did on their wedding day, and it was definitely a highlight. We're so excited to see it becoming something of a tradition.
The one thing the palace isn't revealing is who or how many people made the guest list. We still don't even know if invitations have been sent out, but we do know that St. George's Chapel can hold about 800 people, so there's plenty of space for a large wedding.
Spring really can't get here soon enough.
Original story, published Jan. 5, 2018: The next royal wedding was only just announced, and yet it's right around the corner. Before we know it, May will be here, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be exchanging their vows. With only five months to go before the big day, obviously we're hungrily searching the internet for all the information we can find about the upcoming ceremony.
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Some of the latest news to hit the 'net is that both Markle and Harry are starting to assemble their wedding parties. A source told Us Weekly that Markle is sticking to some American traditions, despite the very British wedding that's being planned, and that means she's chosen a maid of honor rather than a chief bridesmaid.
"While it is very much a British wedding, expect a few American touches too," the insider said. There's still no confirmation about exactly who her maid of honor is going to be, but there are definitely some predictions out there: Markle's best friend and stylist Jessica Mulroney, fellow actress Priyanka Chopra and Suits co-star Sarah Rafferty would all be unsurprising picks.
More: Meghan Markle's Engagement Ring Will Pay Homage to Princess Diana
Harry, on the other hand, has a pretty easy choice for his best man.
"Harry has several close guy friends, but there's no way he would ask anyone but William to take on the top job," a source told Us Weekly last month. That one was a no-brainer.
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While the royal family is hard at work preparing for the wedding, all of Britain is preparing for the huge influx of tourism that will likely come with it. When Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot in 2011, 350,000 tourists came to the UK for the big day. Britain's Office of National Statistics is already expecting similar crowds around Harry and Markle's May 18 wedding date, as well as a $680 million boost to the UK's economy because of the wedding. Two beautiful lovebirds tying the knot and single-handedly boosting their country's economy? What a win-win.