Prince Harry Really Is ‘My Prince’ to Meghan Markle

Meghan Markle referred to Prince Harry as “my prince” during her speech at the evening wedding reception Saturday night at Frogmore House.

Royal expert Katie Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight that Markle was the first person to speak at the intimate night time event. Typically, that role goes to the bride’s father, but Thomas Markle Sr. could not attend because he had a heart attack and underwent successful heart surgery just days before the wedding.

“The first person to get up and speak was Meghan. This was a real breach of tradition. Usually the bride doesn’t talk. It is, of course, the father of the bride, but seeing there was no Thomas Markle, Meghan decided that she would speak,” Nicholl said. “She is an outspoken, self proclaimed feminist and I was told she wanted to have the chance to say in person a very big thank you to the royal family, which is exactly what she did.”

During the speech, she said of Harry, “I finally found my prince,” according to Nicholl.

“It was very romantic and very sweet,” Nicholl said.

Nicholl said she heard Markle thank her mother, Doria Ragland, for attending the wedding. However, Nicholl is “not sure what she said, if anything, about Thomas Markle.”

Throughout his speech, Harry called Markle “my wife,” which earned a round of cheers from their guests.

Another source told Entertainment Tonight that Harry’s speech was “tearful,” and included a tribute to his mother, the late Princess Diana.

“Harry gave a tearful speech paying tribute to his own mother missing from the festivities,” the source told ET. “He also thanked Meghan’s mother [Doria Ragland] for giving him permission to marry Meghan. He talked about how they made a great team.”

Harry then asked if anyone in the crowd could play piano, and of course Elton John volunteered. The legend performed “The Circle of Life,” “Our Song,” “I’m Still Standing” and “Tiny Dancer.”

As for Harry’s older brother and Best Man, Prince William, he gave a humorous speech with friends Charlie van Straubenzee and Tom Inskip.

“[William] managed as best man to get the right tone between the right thing to say about his brother, while giving him a good ribbing,” Nicholl told ET. “So no speech about Prince Harry [is] complete without teasing him mercilessly about his hair. Prince William pointed out that Prince Harry wasn’t far behind him when it came to going bald.”

The Frogmore House reception on Saturday night included only 200 of Prince Harry and Markle’s closest friends and family, including celebrities Idris Elba, George and Amal Clooney, Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian, James Corden, Idris Elba, David and Victoria Beckham, Tom Hardy and Oprah Winfrey.

Since marrying, Harry and Markle are now known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Three days after their wedding, the couple attended their first Royal engagement as husband and wife.