For many, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's departure from the royal family seems as if
it came out of nowhere. But if you paid close attention to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's
royal wedding, there were clues all along that a major split was coming.
In the days leading up to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding, there was obviously
a lot to do and a lot to prepare for. Well, apparently the royal family didn't do everything
that they were supposed to, according to etiquette expert William Hanson. He told Page Six,
"The royal household should have sent someone out to talk to Mr. Markle immediately and
others in Meghan's family. But that didn't happen — and it has blown up in their faces."
Hanson also placed some of the blame on Meghan's shoulders as she's a "commoner," rendering
her ignorant of aspects of royal conduct. To that end, he implored that she reach out
to the royal family for advice and instruction.
"Meghan is very independent, very headstrong and I would hope she would not be too headstrong
or stubborn to accept or listen to this advice."
Given this foreshadowing faux pas, it seems clear that Meghan Markle and the royal family
weren't on the same page.
A wedding is supposed to be a joyous occasion, one that celebrates romantic love, family,
and the enduring power of traditions. However, looking at members of the royal family at
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding, you'd be hard-pressed to believe that they
weren't at a funeral instead.
Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth reportedly didn't look thrilled to be there at all — they
look "stone-faced," which doesn't exactly scream happiness. Looking back after everything
that's happened, those expressions seem to be signs that something was going on with
Meghan, Harry, and the rest of the royal family.
Meghan Markle is the daughter of a Black woman and a white man, which she discussed in an
essay she penned for Elle. And she's proud of who she is, though it took her some time
to fully understand and embrace her background. That was on display the day she married Prince
Harry, as the couple selected Bishop Michael Curry to deliver the sermon and arranged for
a gospel choir to sing "Stand By Me." The newlyweds also exited the chapel while "This
Little Light of Mine" played, a song with ties to the American Civil Rights movement.
While many heralded the wedding as a perfect fusion of American and British culture, some
found the ceremony to be a "culture clash." Journalist Dahleen Glanton wrote,
"Anybody who got up early to watch Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tie the knot should
have known that the fairy tale wasn't going to last. Markle tried her best to seamlessly
weave her African American heritage into the traditional royal fabric that has defined
Great Britain for centuries, but the pieces just didn't fit."
One wedding tradition that both royals and average folk share is that the bride's father
is usually the person to escort her down the aisle, and if he's not available, another
male family member or friend will often step in. However, when it came to Prince Harry
and Meghan Markle's wedding, Meghan walked by herself down the aisle of the chapel nave.
It's important to note that Prince Charles met Meghan at the quire and escorted her to
the altar, as Meghan's father was not able to attend the ceremony. But still, she was
the first royal bride to ever escort herself in such a manner, an indication that she's
not afraid to challenge royal norms.
Meghan's strong statement could have been a sign that she and the royal family might
not get along. She was unlike any other bride the royal family had ever seen, preferring
to march to the beat of her own drum rather than toe the line.
In addition to all of the other parts, planning a wedding includes picking your bridal party,
including the best man and the maid of honor — although Meghan Markle didn't have the
latter when she married Prince Harry. While it's not customary for royal brides to have
a maid of honor in the traditional sense, Kate Middleton bucked that trend when she
married Prince William. So it's a bit surprising that Meghan didn't follow suit or pick Kate
to fill those shoes.
Given the drama that flared between Meghan and Kate during a dress fitting for Princess
Charlotte, you could interpret Meghan's decision as a sign that these members of the royal
family were not close.
"This was a really big story at the time that you made Kate cry. Now you're saying you didn't
make Kate cry, Kate made you cry."
Another wedding tradition is selecting and serving a wedding cake to your guests at the
reception. Naturally, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle went all out on theirs, hiring Violet
Bakery to create a confection for their 600 wedding guests. Reportedly, Megan and Harry
requested a lemon elderflower cake that would incorporate the flavors of spring.
However, Harry and Meghan threw royal tradition out the window with their choice. According
to royal expert Omid Scobie, the couple jettisoned decades of royal tradition when they requested
those spring flavors. He revealed in an interview with Us Weekly,
"This is the first [royal] wedding without a multitiered fruitcake."
While a cake is just a cake at the end of the day, Meghan and Harry definitely put their
desires over family tradition.
Prince Harry broke with tradition when Meghan slid a wedding band onto his left hand. According
to Glamour, Prince William, Prince Philip, Prince Andrew, and Jack Brookshank all made
the decision not to wear a wedding band. Prince Charles does wear one, but, instead of his
ring finger, it's on his pinky.
One could argue that Harry was signaling that he's proud to be a married man and that it's
more important for him to honor that than a royal tradition. But it still could have
been a sign that Harry wasn't willing to go along with certain royal family decisions.
While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle weren't afraid to buck royal traditions on their wedding
day, they didn't jettison all of them. For example, they held their ceremony at St. George's
Chapel in Windsor Castle, the venue royal couples have used for hundreds of years, as
noted by the royal family's website. In fact, they were the 16th couple to do so since 1863.
However, it turns out that Meghan might not have been thrilled about one aspect of the
historic chapel. According to the Daily Mail, Meghan didn't like the way that the 15th century
building smelled, finding the odor to be musty. To that end, the bride-to-be reportedly asked
for air fresheners to be used before everyone arrived.
In the end, no fresh-smelling sprays were used, as the palace reportedly thought the
chapel was fine as is. But did that request offend the queen, who prays at St. George's
Chapel? It's possible.
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