More details about the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are expected Tuesday afternoon, a day after the British royal and his American girlfriend announced their engagement.
Revelations are likely to include the venue and the month of the wedding, which will take place in spring 2018.
After months of speculation it was revealed Monday that the pair had privately become engaged in London earlier this month.
The prince and his fiancée made their first public appearance in the gardens of Kensington Palace on Monday afternoon, where Harry told reporters he knew Markle was “the one” from “the very first time we met.”
Where could the wedding take place?
CNN understands the wedding will be held in a church. The Church of England permits divorcees to remarry: Markle’s previous marriage to film producer Trevor Engelson ended in 2013 after two years.
The last royal wedding involving a divorcee was a civil ceremony rather than a church marriage. Henry’s father, Prince Charles, married Camilla Parker-Bowles in 2005 in a town hall in Windsor, where the Queen has a residence.
The then Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, agreed the arrangements were “consistent with Church of England guidelines concerning remarriage.”
The Church of England nevertheless allows the remarriage of divorced people “in exceptional circumstances.”
Rules state that divorcees must be asked a series of questions designed to ensure “past hurts” have been healed and mistakes learned from.
Although Markle attended a Catholic school as a child, she is not a practising Roman Catholic, so an Anglican wedding would not raise any denominational questions.
It is likely that Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the Church of England’s most senior cleric, will preside at the ceremony.
Welby said Monday he was “absolutely delighted” at the news. “I have met Prince Harry on a number of occasions and have always been struck by his commitment and passion for his charities, and his immense love for his family,” he said in a statement.
Possible venues include Westminster Abbey, the iconic Gothic cathedral where Harry’s older brother William, Duke of Cambridge, married Kate Middleton in 2011, and St Paul’s Cathedral, where Prince Charles married his first wife (and Harry and William’s mother), the late Princess Diana.
Such a grand venue may not be consistent with the desires of Harry and Markle, nor his relatively junior position as fifth in line ti the throne, so they may opt for a smaller venue. St George’s Chapel in Windsor — the scene of numerous royal weddings and funerals in the past — is a possibility, as is the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace in London.
‘No plans’ for a special holiday
It was revealed on Monday that the wedding would take place in spring 2018, so it will be a busy few months for the royal family. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting their third child in April.
News of the engagement prompted hopes that Brits might be granted an extra day off on the day of the nuptials. The wedding of William and Catherine was declared a special holiday, as was Charles’ wedding to Diana and that of his younger sister Princess Anne.
But Downing Street has said that there are “no plans” for a special holiday to celebrate the wedding of Prince Harry and Markle.
It began with a blind date
The couple opened up for the first time about their relationship in an interview with the BBC’s Mishal Husain broadcast on Monday evening. They have previously stayed clear of the public eye, opting for evenings at home instead of nights out to avoid media scrutiny, which has times been none too kind to Markle.
The two met for a drink in July 2016 on a blind date, brokered by a mutual friend, whose name they would not reveal, but “it was definitely a setup,” Markle said.
A second date was followed by a camping trip to Botswana. “Then we were really by ourselves, which was crucial to me,” explained Harry.
“We were able to really have so much time just to connect,” added Markle, “and we never went longer than two weeks without seeing each other, even though we were obviously doing a long-distance relationship. We made it work.”
It was during a “cozy night” earlier this month at the couple’s Nottingham Cottage at Kensington palace when Harry proposed, Markle said.
“It was so sweet and natural and very romantic. He got down on one knee,” she said. “As a matter of fact, I could barely let you finish proposing. I said, ‘Can I say yes now?'”
The ring features a stone from Botswana accompanied by two smaller diamonds from the jewelry collection of Harry’s mother, the late Princess Diana.
Harry wanted to include those on the ring, which he designed himself with a yellow gold band, “to make sure she’s with us on this crazy journey together.”
