We have a plethora of updates to share with you this evening. Kesington Palace has revealed an array of new information regarding Harry and Meghan, the Royal wedding, their first joint engagements and more. The Palace said Harry and Meghan "are extremely grateful for the warm public response following yesterday's announcement. It means a great deal that so many around the UK, Commonwealth and around the world are celebrating with them".
A May Wedding at Windsor... It was hotly tipped as the potential venue for some time, so it came as no surprise Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have chosen the magnificent St George's Chapel at Windsor as the location for their wedding in May.
The exact date is yet to be confirmed, but it is expected to be at least a month after the Duchess of Cambridge gives birth to her third child. The Palace said they want their wedding to be "fun and joyful" and involve the public. Emily Andrews reports "the wedding will be televised, hopefully it will involve some procession to involve the public".
The Palace added: "Her Majesty The Queen has granted permission for the wedding to take place at the Chapel. The Royal Family will pay for the wedding."
The Palace noted:
Meghan and Harry will carry out their first joint engagements on Friday... This portion of the press release surprised me enormously. I always suspected Meghan would want to get 'stuck in' to the work aspect of the role with immediacy, however this is much sooner than I anticipated. On Friday, the couple will visit Nottingham. Harry has spent a lot of time in the city both privately and publicly since 2013 when he met young people there exploring issues around youth violence. Through The Royal Foundation, he established the Full Effect programme. The Palace said Harry is "proud of the friendships and partnerships he has built there and looking forward to showing Ms Markle a community that has become very special to him. Ms Markle cannot wait to meet many of the young people Prince Harry has told her about.
Let's take a look at the (rather full) itinerary for Friday shall we? The day will begin with a civic welcome at the National Justice Museum followed by a walkabout where they will meet members of the public as a couple for the first time. From there, the newly engaged couple will visit the Nottingham Contemporary, where they will join a celebration for World AIDS Day hosted by the Terrence Higgins Trust. Then, they will visit Nottingham Academy where Full Effect mentors have been working with young people to provide positive role models. It promises to be a fantastic day, in a terrific city close to Harry's heart. During the engagement interview, Meghan spoke of her to desire to immerse herself in the UK and learn more about smaller organisations. It's wonderful to see her getting straight into it. I understand it's the first of many engagements ahead in the coming months. To keep up with the schedule, I've added a page for Meghan's Calendar. I'm very excited for this!
Meghan is to go through the process of becoming a British Citizen... it will involve a period of studying before taking the test. Richard Palmer tweeted "It is not clear yet if Meghan will ultimately give up her US citizenship. The process of acquiring UK citizenship can take several years".
Meghan will be Baptised before the wedding... Last night Rebecca English revealed Meghan is Protestant. Her father belongs to the Episcopalian Church in the US and her mother Doria is protestant. She just happened to be educated at a Catholic school. Meghan will be baptised and confirmed before the wedding.
Meghan will give up current charity patronages... Meghan will give up her current charity affiliations but is expected to continue working in the areas she's always been passionate about in the UK. After the wedding, she will join the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry as a patron. Again, very much looking forward to seeing Meghan's interests added to the Foundation's agenda.
Bogart isn't coming to the UK... As an avid animal lover, this story has caught my eye. Meghan adores her rescue dogs Guy and Bogart. Guy is in the UK with her but Bogart has been settled with close friends and will not be travelling over. The exact reason is unknown but it has been suggested it is possibly due to age or infirmity. It's very sad for the two little guys to be separated, I'm sure she would have brought Bogart if it was possible. Meghan will be doing a good deal of travelling visiting family and friends in the months ahead, no doubt she'll be spending time with Bogart too.
Harry and Meghan visited Buckingham Palace today... Rebecca English noted the couple were spotted arriving at Buckingham Palace earlier this afternoon. It's unknown what the purpose was. It has been suggested they may have been discussing details about the wedding or engagement portraits. Regarding the engagement portraits, apparently no details have been finalised yet. I think it likely we'll see them before Christmas.
Christmas at Sandringham?... Emily Andrews has the scoop!
Messages of delight from Kate and Camilla... During a visit to the Foundling Museum this morning, Kate gave a rare sound bite to the media to say: "William and I are absolutely thrilled. It’s such exciting news. It’s a really happy time for any couple and we wish them all the best and hope they enjoy this happy moment.”
In a warm message, the Duchess of Cornwall said: "America's loss is our gain. Absolutely thrilled - we are delighted". This morning, she described Meghan as a "star".
Meghan's Engagement Coat... For those of you who loved Meghan's LINE Mara coat, it is available at Hudson Bay discounted from $800 to $560 in sizes X-Small and Medium (with thanks to Meghan's Fashion).
THAT video from yesterday... For those who didn't see this, it's a gem :)
Comments Section Note: I posted this on Duchess Kate earlier today and feel it's important to share. Whilst the very vast majority of comments on both blogs were fair, reasonable and enjoyable to read, I have observed an ongoing issue which (as my grandmother would say) needs to be swiftly nipped in the bud. I am referring to mainly unpublished comments. Kate is Kate. Meghan is Meghan. Both are entirely different women, with different strengths and weaknesses, in entirely different roles. In a society that pits women against each other, as a community we must strive to avoid the Kate v Meghan narrative. On 'both sides' of the fence, particularly cruel remarks have been left. The primary reason I started the separate blog was to avoid the negativity created by endless comparisons. This blog is not a venue for tearing Kate apart nor is the other blog a place to relentlessly bash Meghan. I think people forget William, Kate, Harry and Meghan are all on the same team - the future of the monarchy - this sort of imagined rivalry is the very last thing they want. Separately, there's been unwarranted vicious comments about Meghan in general, such comments are not welcome here. Constructive criticism along the way is of course absolutely fine but vicious attacks will not be posted. I hope to foster a warm and welcoming community here with interesting debates, I'll need your help for that. There's already a group of fanastic posters here, I have no doubt we can achieve a nice space for those following Meghan's journey. Thank you!
Did I say I was excited about Friday? :)
A May Wedding at Windsor... It was hotly tipped as the potential venue for some time, so it came as no surprise Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have chosen the magnificent St George's Chapel at Windsor as the location for their wedding in May.
The exact date is yet to be confirmed, but it is expected to be at least a month after the Duchess of Cambridge gives birth to her third child. The Palace said they want their wedding to be "fun and joyful" and involve the public. Emily Andrews reports "the wedding will be televised, hopefully it will involve some procession to involve the public".
The Palace added: "Her Majesty The Queen has granted permission for the wedding to take place at the Chapel. The Royal Family will pay for the wedding."
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| Kensington Palace |
'As with all members of the Royal Family, Windsor is a very special place for Prince Harry and he and Ms Markle have regularly spent time there over the last year and a half. They are grateful to the Queen for granting permission for the use of the Chapel. The Chapel itself has centuries of Royal tradition and hosted the weddings of many members of the Royal family. Prince Harry and Ms Markle are delighted that the beautiful grounds of Windsor Castle will be where they begin their lives as a married couple.
Prince Harry and Ms Markle are leading the process for all aspects of the wedding. We look forward to sharing these details with you in the months ahead as decisions are made. As was the case with the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Royal Family will pay for the core aspects of the wedding, such as the church service, the associated music, flowers, decorations and the reception afterwards.'
Meghan and Harry will carry out their first joint engagements on Friday... This portion of the press release surprised me enormously. I always suspected Meghan would want to get 'stuck in' to the work aspect of the role with immediacy, however this is much sooner than I anticipated. On Friday, the couple will visit Nottingham. Harry has spent a lot of time in the city both privately and publicly since 2013 when he met young people there exploring issues around youth violence. Through The Royal Foundation, he established the Full Effect programme. The Palace said Harry is "proud of the friendships and partnerships he has built there and looking forward to showing Ms Markle a community that has become very special to him. Ms Markle cannot wait to meet many of the young people Prince Harry has told her about.
Let's take a look at the (rather full) itinerary for Friday shall we? The day will begin with a civic welcome at the National Justice Museum followed by a walkabout where they will meet members of the public as a couple for the first time. From there, the newly engaged couple will visit the Nottingham Contemporary, where they will join a celebration for World AIDS Day hosted by the Terrence Higgins Trust. Then, they will visit Nottingham Academy where Full Effect mentors have been working with young people to provide positive role models. It promises to be a fantastic day, in a terrific city close to Harry's heart. During the engagement interview, Meghan spoke of her to desire to immerse herself in the UK and learn more about smaller organisations. It's wonderful to see her getting straight into it. I understand it's the first of many engagements ahead in the coming months. To keep up with the schedule, I've added a page for Meghan's Calendar. I'm very excited for this!
Meghan is to go through the process of becoming a British Citizen... it will involve a period of studying before taking the test. Richard Palmer tweeted "It is not clear yet if Meghan will ultimately give up her US citizenship. The process of acquiring UK citizenship can take several years".
Meghan will be Baptised before the wedding... Last night Rebecca English revealed Meghan is Protestant. Her father belongs to the Episcopalian Church in the US and her mother Doria is protestant. She just happened to be educated at a Catholic school. Meghan will be baptised and confirmed before the wedding.
Meghan will give up current charity patronages... Meghan will give up her current charity affiliations but is expected to continue working in the areas she's always been passionate about in the UK. After the wedding, she will join the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry as a patron. Again, very much looking forward to seeing Meghan's interests added to the Foundation's agenda.
Bogart isn't coming to the UK... As an avid animal lover, this story has caught my eye. Meghan adores her rescue dogs Guy and Bogart. Guy is in the UK with her but Bogart has been settled with close friends and will not be travelling over. The exact reason is unknown but it has been suggested it is possibly due to age or infirmity. It's very sad for the two little guys to be separated, I'm sure she would have brought Bogart if it was possible. Meghan will be doing a good deal of travelling visiting family and friends in the months ahead, no doubt she'll be spending time with Bogart too.
Harry and Meghan visited Buckingham Palace today... Rebecca English noted the couple were spotted arriving at Buckingham Palace earlier this afternoon. It's unknown what the purpose was. It has been suggested they may have been discussing details about the wedding or engagement portraits. Regarding the engagement portraits, apparently no details have been finalised yet. I think it likely we'll see them before Christmas.
Christmas at Sandringham?... Emily Andrews has the scoop!
Messages of delight from Kate and Camilla... During a visit to the Foundling Museum this morning, Kate gave a rare sound bite to the media to say: "William and I are absolutely thrilled. It’s such exciting news. It’s a really happy time for any couple and we wish them all the best and hope they enjoy this happy moment.”
At the @FoundlingMuseum today The Duchess of Cambridge said both her and The Duke are "thrilled" for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. pic.twitter.com/a1CFpoEkaJ— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) November 28, 2017
“America’s loss is our gain.”— 5News (@5_News) November 28, 2017
Camilla on Meghan Markle joining the British royal family. pic.twitter.com/6OhEFWgiwB
Meghan's Engagement Coat... For those of you who loved Meghan's LINE Mara coat, it is available at Hudson Bay discounted from $800 to $560 in sizes X-Small and Medium (with thanks to Meghan's Fashion).
THAT video from yesterday... For those who didn't see this, it's a gem :)
After the microphones were turned off, the couple relaxed and joked around pic.twitter.com/BnH495gTa0— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) November 28, 2017
Did I say I was excited about Friday? :)