Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have officially tied the royal knot and shared their first kiss as husband and wife.
Markle and Prince Harry have officially said “I do,” the newlyweds making their marriage official at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor on Saturday, May 19 surrounded by family, friends, and members of the public.
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The day kicked off at 9:30 a.m. local time with guests arriving at Windsor Castle, including 1,200 members of the public who came from “every corner of the United Kingdom” and were nominated to attend by nine regional Lord Lieutenant offices. While members of the Royal Family began arriving just before 11:30 a.m. local time, Markle, along with her mother Doria Loyce Ragland, left their overnight location and headed to St. George’s Chapel, where the nearly hour-long ceremony took place.
The couple was joined by their wedding party of bridesmaids and page boys, all of whom were children. Along with Prince George and Princess Charlotte, who reprised their roles after serving as page boy and bridesmaid at aunt Pippa Middleton’s 2017 wedding, five other bridesmaids and three other page boys made up the royal wedding party.
The modern-day fairytale royal romance began in 2016, when the couple’s mutual friend, Violet von Westenholz, set them up on a blind date. Both Harry and Markle told reporters that they hit it off right away.
On Nov. 27, Clarence House announced in a statement that Harry, 33, and Markle, 36, were engaged, writing “His Royal Highness and Ms. Markle became engaged in London earlier this month. Prince Harry has informed Her Majesty The Queen and other close members of his family. Prince Harry has also sought and received the blessing of Ms. Markle’s parents.”
On May 14, just days before the royal nuptials, Queen Elizabeth officially gave the couple her consent, with Buckingham Palace releasing the first images of the Instrument of Consent on Saturday.
Under the Succession to the Crown Act, Prince Harry, now sixth in line to the throne following the birth of his nephew, Prince Louis Arthur Charles, had to obtain formal permission from the monarch to marry.
The Instrument of Consent, a handwritten document recording Queen Elizabeth’s consent, reads “NOW KNOW YE that We have consented and do by these Presents signify Our Consent to the contracting of Matrimony between Our Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales, K.C.V.O., and Rachel Meghan Markle.”
Following the nuptials, Harry and Markle will be breaking tradition, with Kensington Palace having announced that the pair’s honeymoon has been postponed.
Harry and Markle are reportedly planning to honeymoon in Africa, a continent that is close to both of their hearts. Last year, the couple spent three weeks there for Markle’s birthday, and Harry is passionate about conservation efforts on the continent.
