Prince Harry and Megan Markle announced their wedding, which will be held in May 2018. Young people have half a year to prepare for the celebration, which, it is necessary to think, will get them nervous, because the wedding of members of the British royal family requires the observance of a huge number of complex traditions and rituals.
So, 12 wedding traditions, which must be observed by all the married members of the royal family.
1. Military training of the bride
Before the wedding, Megan Markle will need to undergo military training, because every member of the royal family must be able to respond correctly in extreme situations. Megan will be closed in a special room, as if she is a hostage to terrorists, and then the assault will begin. Kate Middleton and Princess Diana were subjected to the same test before their marriages.
2. Obtaining permission to marry
Before making an offer to the bride, the groom from the royal family is obliged to ask for a written permission for the wedding of the ruling monarch. I wonder if Prince Harry had to persuade his grandmother for a long time.
3. Joint interview
After the official announcement of the engagement, the groom and the bride are given a short press interview, telling about their love story and future plans. This rule, Harry and Megan have already fulfilled.
4. The guest in the bonnets
At this point, who is so much into that! Often, guests appear in fanciful and luxurious headdresses, decorated with flowers or feathers.
5. Symbolic embroidery on a dress
On the wedding dress of Queen Elizabeth, who was married in 1947, was a floral design, embodying the reign and blossoming of the world that came after the end of World War II.
On the wedding dress of Sarah Ferguson there was a pattern in the form of waves, hinting at the maritime career of her husband, Prince Andrew.
The dress of Kate Middleton was embroidered with roses, daffodils, thistles and clover - symbols of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The creation of wedding dresses the members of the royal family trust exclusively to English designers. Which of them will choose Megan Markle, is still unknown.
6. New, old, borrowed and blue
Traditionally, any English bride should have something new in her wedding dress, something old, something borrowed and something blue.
In the wedding image of Kate Middleton, there were new diamond earrings, which she received as a gift from her parents, and old - bodice decorating the bodice Irish lace, created according to ancient technology. As a blue piece of tape, sewn into the lining. As for the thing borrowed, it was the tiara borrowed from Queen Elizabeth.
7. Wedding rings from Welsh gold
The wedding rings of all brides from the royal family are made from special gold, which is mined in Wales. It costs three times more than gold mined in Australia or Africa.
ring of Queen Elizabeth
ring of the Duchess Kate, who previously belonged to Diana
ring that Prince Harry gave Megan Markle to the engagement
8. A branch of a blooming myrtle in a wedding bouquet
This tradition was introduced by Queen Victoria. It was she who first included myrtle in her wedding bouquet, calling it the "tree of love". Since then, in the bouquet of each bride from the Windsor family, there is necessarily a branch of myrtle, ripped off in the royal garden.
9. Lack of tradition to throw a wedding bouquet
According to the tradition that was introduced by Queen Elizabeth, all the brides leave their bouquets at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, located in Westminster Abbey.
10. The groom in military uniform
All men from the royal family are required to serve in the army, and for the wedding they wear military uniform and all the orders that they had time to deserve. However, Prince Harry can come to his wedding and in a tuxedo, because in 2015 he left military service.
11. Luxury cake
The main decoration of the wedding table is a smart multi-level cake, usually with a fruity taste. After the celebration, each guest receives a piece of this delicacy by mail.
on the left - a wedding cake from the wedding of Charles and Diana, on the right - a cake from the wedding of William and Kate
12. Minor bridesmaids
At royal weddings bridesmaids usually have girls from 3 to 17 years. By the way, Kate Middleton violated this rule by inviting her 28-year-old sister Pippa to act as a girlfriend.
But at Pippa's wedding, one of her friends was her little niece, Princess Charlotte. Perhaps the baby will be present in this capacity and at Megan's wedding, if, of course, her mother will allow her, after all at the last celebration the young princess was not at all distinguished by exemplary behavior!