Prince Harry and his American fiancee, Meghan Markle, will marry on May 19, his office Kensington Palace said yesterday.
Queen Elizabeth’s grandson, fifth-in-line to the throne, and Markle, who stars in the US TV legal drama Suits, announced their engagement last month with the marriage to take place in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
The couple said they had chosen to marry in Windsor, west of London, because it was “a special place for them”, having spent time there regularly since they met in July 2016 after being introduced through a mutual friend.
However, the date they have chosen clashes with English soccer’s FA Cup Final which is usually attended by Harry’s elder brother Prince William who, as president of the Football Association, awards the trophy to the winners.
“The couple of course want the day to be a special, celebratory moment for their friends and family,” Harry’s communications secretary Jason Knauf said last month.
“They also want the day to be shaped so as to allow members of the public to feel part of the celebrations too and are currently working through ideas for how this might be achieved.”
The wedding is likely to attract huge attention across the world, as did the marriage of William to his wife Kate in 2011 which was watched by an estimated 2bn people.
The royal family have said they will pay for the core aspects of the wedding, such as the church service and reception.
Markle, 36, intends to become a British citizen, though she will retain her US citizenship while she goes through the process.
The Gothic St George’s Chapel is located in the grounds of Windsor Castle, which has been the family home of British kings and queens for almost 1,000 years.
Within the chapel are the tombs of 10 sovereigns, including Henry VIII and his third wife Jane Seymour, and Charles I.
Prince Harry, representing Queen Elizabeth II, inspects the graduating officer cadets during the Sovereign’s Parade at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, yesterday.
