Like every good royal wedding, it was all about the hats, the dresses and the posh tails in Windsor. Early guests included Oprah Winfrey, who sauntered into St. George’s Chapel in Stella McCartney pink for the wedding Saturday of the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the newly minted Duke of Sussex and his soon-to-be duchess.
Winfrey’s wide-brim hat was a well-plumed accessory to her soft tiered day dress. Idris Elba, meanwhile, beamed in a dark blue suit while Princess Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, opted for a morning coat.
Amal Clooney came in bright yellow.
Amal Clooney and George Clooney arrive at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle before the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle on May 19, 201 in Windsor, England.
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Others seen arriving Saturday were Serena Williams and David and Victoria Beckham, who walked in the bright sunshine onto the grounds of Windsor Castle. They are among 600 celebrities, royalty, athletes and family friends invited to St. George’s Chapel, where the wedding will start at noon local time.
The wedding is a global event, thanks to Harry’s status as a senior British royal and Markle’s celebrity after starring on the U.S. television series “Suits” for seven years. The wedding pomp and ceremony — complete with Anglican prayers and tradition, classical music, a gospel choir and a horse-drawn carriage ride through Windsor — will be beamed live to tens of millions of TV viewers across the world.
Meghan Markle’s friend, U.S. tennis player Serena Williams (CL) and her husband U.S. entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian (CR) arrive for the wedding ceremony of Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and U.S. actress Meghan Markle at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on May 19, 2018.
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As the day got underway, Queen Elizabeth II honored her red-headed, 33-year-old grandson with a new title: the Duke of Sussex. That means that Markle will become the Duchess of Sussex when she says “I will.”
Markle was seen leaving her hotel Saturday on her way to the wedding, on a 10-mile trip that would take her to St. George’s Chapel in Windsor. She appeared to be wearing a white dress and a long veil. She waved for the cameras as the car she was traveling in — a vintage Rolls-Royce — drove past.
Relatives at the ceremony included Charles Spencer, the brother of Harry’s late mother Princess Diana, and Harry’s cousin Zara Tindall and her husband. Also in attendance was the family of Prince William’s wife Kate: Parents Carole and Michael Middleton, sister Pippa Middleton and brother James Middleton.
Pippa Middleton arrives in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Windsor, Britain, May 19, 2018.
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Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy was also among the congregation, as was Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, the ex-wife of Harry’s uncle Prince Andrew.
The royal couple decided not to make a political affair of their nuptials — even British Prime Minister Theresa May, the leader of the British government, was not in attendance. No political heads of state got an official wedding invite.
Outside the castle, thousands of fans crammed the streets of Windsor. Irene Bowdry, a lawyer from California, was aboard the jammed early train to Windsor. She booked her trip to England as soon as the wedding date was announced.
“An American in the royal family, isn’t that so exciting?” she said.
The weather was balmy and clear, bathing the ancient stones of Windsor Castle in a beautiful spring light. Royal fans have been camping outside the castle for days, and British police have stepped up security, with sniffer dogs, barricades and patrols all over town.
“Windsor is absolutely bursting with excitement,” said royal historian Hugo Vickers. “There are cardboard cutouts of Meghan and Harry in every shop window, virtually. There’s bunting all over the place. I’ve never seen so many people in the streets of Windsor.”
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