THE ROYAL WEDDING
not so much as a fashion accessory, but as a talisman when the going got rough. The names of potential designers for
Meghan’s wedding gown were tossed around town like confetti. She was spoilt for choice. However, the bridegroom had only two sartorial options: a military uniform or a morning suit. Prince Harry is no longer an active service officer in Her Majesty’s Forces, having left the army in 2015, although he has now been appointed as Captain General of the Royal Marines, taking over from his grandfather Prince Philip, as their ceremonial head. His uniform and insignia is that of Field Marshal. Prince Harry also has a classic traditional morning suit which, on formal occasions like the Royal Ascot race meeting and other people’s weddings, he pairs with a cream coloured waistcoat and a blue tie. Prince Philip is said to have five morning suits hanging in his wardrobe, three of which are more than 40 years old, so we can expect to see his grandson sporting tails for many years to come. Prince Harry’s wedding was a family and friends occasion, in the relative
seclusion of St George’s
Chapel, within the precincts of Windsor Castle, unlike that of his brother Prince William’s in Westminster Abbey, the coronation church, a ceremony which defined him as the second in line to the throne. When Prince William, who will be Prince Harry’s best man, married Kate Middleton in 2011, he chose the vibrant red Irish Guards Mounted officer’s tunic. The chattering classes are predicting that Prince
Harry will get a royal dukedom, like Prince William and Prince Andrew, when he marries, and they might
For Harry, it’s a long way from checkered and buttoned down shirts, jeans, chinos and logo-ed tops, let alone ethnic wrist bangles
Prince Harry, who is no longer an active service officer having left the army in 2015, has undergone a subtle style evolution which people say could well be a reflection of what has been called “the Markle effect”, particularly noticeable
when the couple paraded before the world’s media on the day their engagement was announced
well be right. The odds-on favourite is the dukedom of Sussex which has been vacant since the death of the first and last duke in 1843. George lll’s sixth son Augustus Frederick married twice, each time for love, but without the approval of his father, and in contravention of the 1772 Royal Marriages Act. Both marriages were therefore unlawful. This means that Meghan would become the first-ever Duchess of Sussex. Two years ago, Prince Harry went public about the “paranoia” he felt when trying to
forge relationships. He said: “If or when I do find a girlfriend I will do my utmost to ensure that we can get to the point where we’re actually comfortable with each other before the massive invasion that is inevitably going to happen into her privacy.” A couple of months later he met Meghan and was smitten. He knew she was “the one” the very first time they were introduced. They kept their love affair quiet for four months before inevitably the news broke. Significantly a source close to the prince said at the time: “He’s happier than he’s been for many years.” Meghan has described their first meeting, in the summer of 2016, as a blind date. Two dates in London followed, and four weeks later he persuaded her to join him in Botswana, which he calls his second home. To many royal observers, the clues that this romance was going to end in a wedding were there all along. When Meghan was photographed at the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games in Toronto last September, with a royal protection officer in tow, she might as well have been wearing an engagement ring. For it is protocol that a protection officer is always assigned to a royal fiancée. Their favourite place is Nottingham Cottage, their two-bedroomed retreat in the grounds of Kensington Palace. It has become something of a love nest, and it was there that Prince Harry popped the question while they were cooking a roast chicken. Prince Harry will be showered with all manner of honours, insignias and medals as he progresses along the royal road. It goes with the job. And, like Prince William and Prince Andrew, he might well be appointed as a Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Britain’s oldest order of chivalry. This entails walking every year in procession round Windsor Castle wearing an archaic outfit: a long blue velvet mantle, with the badge of the Order on the left shoulder, a red velvet hood over the right shoulder, topped by a black velvet hat decorated with white feathers. One suspects that Prince Harry might find this a touch embarrassing but if Her Majesty offers him the honour he would find it very difficult to refuse. Certainly, it’s a long way away from checkered and buttoned-down shirts, jeans, chinos and logo-ed tops, let alone ethnic wrist bangles. n
38 SAVILE ROW STYLE MAGAZINE
IMAGES PA IMAGES
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
