Meghan Markle has eschewed yet another tradition by giving a speech at the evening reception for her royal wedding.
Markle married Prince Harry on Saturday morning in an elegant ceremony St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Town. The two abided by many of England’s oldest traditions for the big ceremony, while others were either altered or skipped altogether.
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At the evening reception, Markle decided to side-step convention a little more when she addressed the guests on her wedding day. The 36-year-old actress is no stranger to performing and public speaking.
“Ms. Markle will speak at the Evening Reception,” a spokesperson for Kensington Palace said in a statement to PEOPLE.
Prince Harry reportedly gave his own speech at the lunch reception earlier in the day. It was hosted at St. George’s Hall in Windsor Castle by Queen Elizabeth herself. About 600 people reportedly attended.
“It was very off-the-cuff, which was lovely,” a guest told PEOPLE of Prince Harry’s speech. “He promised that all the Americans wouldn’t steal the swords and said, ‘Please, when you leave, be quiet as you don’t want to wake the neighbors,’ which was quite fun.”
“It was more than you would ever imagine it to be,” the guest continued. “It did feel like we were really part of their very special occasion. It just felt about the two of them, which was great.”
The guest revealed that Prince Charles also gave a speech at the lunch reception.
“He ended it calling him, ‘My darling old Harry, I’m so happy for you,’ which was very sweet,” they said, adding that he emphasized “how he’s really happy for them both.”
The evening reception was held at the Frogmore House later that night. About 200 friends and family reportedly turned up at the event, which was hosted by Prince Charles. Markle showed off yet another immaculate dress for the occasion — a white halter neck gown in the same pure white as her first dress. She arrived with her new husband, who drove them there in a silver blue Jaguar.
Markle surprised guests and onlookers by dropping the traditional promise to “obey” her huband from her wedding vows. The princess followed in the footsteps of Prince Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, by using an updated vow to match her feminist beliefs.
The alteration was first made when Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, married his father in 1981. After that, the next two royal brides returned to the centuries-old vows.
Then, in 2011, Kate Middleton decided to remove the word “obey” once again when she married Prince William. Markle, a self-described feminist, was expected to take the traditional vow at first, so some where surprised to hear a modernized vow on Saturday.
