A British royal wedding makes for a glamorous occasion — but beneath
all that pomp and circumstance, the bride and groom are forced to follow all kinds of rules.
Curious what happens to a royal bride's bouquet after the ceremony? Keep watching to find out…
Picking out the perfect wedding dress is the dream of every bride-to-be. While many
people already have an idea of what they do or don't want to wear on their special day,
this important decision isn't solely up to a royal wife-to-be.
In fact, if you're going to be a royal bride, your bridal outfit must comply with precise
formal requirements. For example, tradition expects the bride to wear a somewhat modest
dress. Usually, this means her gown will have some kind of sleeves, such as the lace sleeves
worn by Kate Middleton. In keeping with the modest theme, bearing cleavage is also a no-no.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the bride is also expected to wear white, a royal trend that was started by
none other than Queen Victoria. Earlier than that, royal brides were typically decked out in colorful
garments, but Victoria's wedding in 1840 to Prince Albert rang in a new style for all future royal
brides. Additionally, a wedding dress fit for royalty should be created by a British designer,
and, naturally, should be accessorized accordingly with an eye-catching tiara.
Finally, before the future bride can get dressed on the day itself,
she must first receive the queen's approval of the final look.
Every bride wants a beautiful bouquet — one that not only complements her dress and decor
but also makes a statement of its own. But a member of the monarchy cannot have just any
old bridal flowers for a royal wedding; per tradition, a royal bride's bouquet
must contain a sprig of myrtle. This unique custom started in 1858 when Princess Victoria,
daughter of Queen Victoria, added the unique herb to her bridal flowers.
Initially, the myrtle was given as a gift to Queen Victoria by Prince Albert's grandmother
and was later planted in the royal couple's vacation home, Osborne House.
The myrtle used for modern royal brides comes from a bush derived from the original
plant. Allegedly, this plant is said to be a symbol of luck and loyalty, and to this day,
many royal brides have followed the tradition of including a sprig of myrtle in their bouquets.
For example, the queen put her myrtle among white orchids,
while the late Princess Diana surrounded her sprig with white and gold stephanotis,
gardenias, and orchids. Kate Middleton placed hers alongside sweet William, lily of the valley,
and hyacinth. Lastly, Meghan Markle arranged myrtle among one of Diana's favorite flowers,
Forget-Me-Nots. Markle's flowers also included sweet peas, lily of the valley, and jasmine.
If there's one thing the monarchy loves when it comes to weddings, it's tradition — and
this custom definitely appeals to a royal's inner romantic. Having the royal bridal party appear on
the balcony at Buckingham Palace is a special tradition that began with Queen Victoria and
Prince Albert in 1840. From there, newlywed royal couples have continued the practice,
with the Queen Mother appearing in 1923 and Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip
appearing in 1947. However, a new ritual began in 1981 when Prince Charles and Princess Diana shared
a kiss on the balcony. This memorable custom created a new standard for royal newlyweds.
Since that first iconic balcony kiss, other royal couples have followed suit. In the documentary
series Finding Sarah: From Royalty to the Real World, Sarah Ferguson tells host Oprah Winfrey:
"Everybody told us not to kiss on the balcony,
and so we did it deliberately. We both were so in love."
Likewise, Princess Diana's son Prince William also famously followed in his mother's footsteps,
sharing the iconic kiss with his new bride, Kate Middleton. On the other hand, Prince Harry, who
wed Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle, didn't have a balcony moment, as they weren't near Buckingham
Palace for their wedding. The couple instead shared a public kiss right outside the church.
At most weddings, the groom dresses in a well-fitted tuxedo or suit — but a royal
husband-to-be won't be seen in an outfit like that. Instead, a royal groom traditionally
wears military regalia. This custom isn't just because the soon-to-be-married royal
was involved in the service, though. No, these ensembles are worn because
certain members of the monarchy have honorary military titles given to them by the queen.
Recent royal grooms to continue this practice include Prince William. Although he followed
tradition, William surprised guests by wearing a red Irish Guards outfit instead of a Royal
Air Force uniform. This choice was unexpected, since the Duke of Cambridge served in the RAF
but, instead, chose to observe his honorary rank of Colonel of the Irish Guards.
Similarly, Prince Harry wore a decorated dark blue captain's uniform tailored by
Dege & Skinner. His beard also constituted a break from tradition at the wedding,
as the British Army doesn't typically permit beards. Before the wedding, historian Hugo
Vickers pointed out that it would be unlikely for Harry to wear his uniform with a beard,
though he did admit that, against all advice, Harry does do it on occasion.
A royal bride should hold on tight to her bouquet, as tradition states that the bridal
flowers be placed on the tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey as a military
tribute. This practice of honoring those who served first began with the Queen Mother,
who placed her bouquet on the Unknown Warrior's grave in recognition of her late brother Fergus,
who died in 1915 at the Battle of Loos. The grave of the Unknown Warrior contains the remains of an
unidentified British serviceman whose body was brought from Northern France and buried
on November 11th, 1920. This man is meant to represent all the fallen members of the
British military who died during World War I and whose bodies remain undiscovered or unidentified.
Many royals have continued this custom,
one of whom is Princess Beatrice. On Remembrance Sunday in 2020, Beatrice shared a photo to Twitter
of her wedding bouquet placed on the Unknown Warrior's tomb. She captioned the image:
"Today we remember and honour all those who sacrificed so much for us. We shall never forget!"
Princess Eugenie also shared an homage in a since-deleted Instagram story,
in which she reflected on the significance of the grave and service members. She added:
"As with tradition, my wedding bouquet was laid on there."
Depending on where a royal stands in line to the throne, they might require the queen's approval
just to get married in the first place. That said, these royal rules have loosened up a bit in recent
years. In 2015, the Succession to the Crown Act replaced the Royal Marriages Act of 1772,
making it so that only the first six in line to inherit the throne
need the queen's approval to get married. But nothing has changed for those six people.
Looking at one of the multi-page letters of endorsement that the
queen gave for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding,
it becomes clear that this protocol isn't one to take lightly. She wrote:
"My Lords, I declare My Consent to a Contract of Matrimony between My Most Dearly Beloved Grandson
Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales and Rachel Meghan Markle, which Consent I am
causing to be signified under the Great Seal and to be entered in the Books of the Privy Council."
Not exactly heartwarming — still, it was at least nice of her to call him 'beloved.'
"Boom."
There are plenty of issues for a couple to discuss before they get married, and if that couple also
happens to be royal, the subject of religion might become a bit of a problem. For a long time,
the 1701 Act of Settlement prohibited royals from marrying Roman Catholics,
stating that no Roman Catholic or anyone married to one could inherit the throne. Of course,
since then, the law has changed. However, there are still some exceptions that royals must take
into account. For example, even though a royal can marry a Roman Catholic and become a ruler,
a Roman Catholic royal cannot inherit the throne.
Additionally, although the law has been adjusted, being a member of the Church of England is still
a clear preference — as evident in Meghan Markle's decision to have a private baptism.
The Duchess of Sussex underwent a secret ceremony before her wedding
as a sign of respect to her new family; after all, the queen is the head of the Church of England.
Previously, the former actor had experienced a multi-faith upbringing
and attended a Roman Catholic high school, though she was not Catholic herself. Regardless,
her pre-wedding ceremony only goes to show that tradition matters when it comes to royal religion.
When it comes to royal weddings, the bride and groom can't just use any old ring. The tradition
of British royals using the rare and highly prized Welsh gold for wedding rings began in 1923
with the Queen Mother. This extravagant custom continued with Queen Elizabeth II's marriage to
Prince Philip in 1947, Princess Margaret's marriage in 1960, Prince Charles' marriage
to Princess Diana in 1981, and Prince Charles' second marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005.
In the lead-up to their wedding, a statement from Buckingham Palace revealed that Prince William and
Kate Middleton would also follow this glamorous practice. In this case, the bride's ring was given
to the Duke of Cambridge by his grandmother, the queen, shortly after the couple's engagement. As
for William's brother, Prince Harry, he and Meghan Markle also accessorized in style,
with Kensington Palace confirming the news via Twitter. The announcement stated that
rings for the couple would be crafted by Cleave and Company, with a follow-up adding:
"Ms. Markle's ring has been fashioned from a piece of Welsh Gold, gifted by Her Majesty The Queen."
Tradition states that, if you're a royal groom, you aren't really supposed to have a best man,
per se. According to royal expert Marlene Koenig,
the words "best man" aren't exactly typical of a royal wedding. She explained to Town & Country:
"The best man or best men are officially called supporters."
This custom was followed by Prince Charles who chose his brothers,
Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, as his supporters when he married Princess Diana.
Similarly, Edward also had his brothers as his supporters on his own wedding day.
However, Prince William broke tradition by having his brother,
Prince Harry, as his best man at his wedding to Kate Middleton. Similarly, Harry followed
suit and asked his brother to be his best man at his wedding to Meghan Markle. Kensington Palace
confirmed the Duke of Sussex's news via Twitter, adding a follow-up statement declaring that:
"The Duke of Cambridge is honoured to have been asked,
and is very much looking forward to supporting his brother."
Location definitely matters where royal weddings are concerned. While it isn't a hard-set rule, the
tradition to hold royal weddings at Westminster Abbey is a custom that dates back to 1100,
when Henry I married Princess Matilda of Scotland. Other royal couples who have exchanged vows at
this iconic location include King George VI and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923,
Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips in 1973, and Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson in 1986.
The royal nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton, who wed in 2011, also took place
at Westminster Abbey, a day which saw around 2,000 wedding guests fill the church. That said,
Westminster Abbey isn't the only place worthy of a royal wedding. Prince Harry and Meghan
Markle chose a different location, for example: St. George's Chapel, which is situated on the
grounds of Windsor Castle. St. George's has also seen a number of other royal weddings;
Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles had a prayer service in the church after their civil
ceremony in 2005, while the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank took place there in
2018. Evidently, picking the right venue for a royal wedding is an important task — one
that requires understanding and respect for the family's history and tradition.
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