Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have chosen St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle as the venue for their May 2018 nuptials, and though other royal couples have tied the knot there, the location lacks a major feature included in some of the biggest royal weddings in recent history: a balcony.
“The only thing about St. George’s is it doesn’t have a balcony,” royal expert Katie Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight. “So we won’t get to see that big balcony wave that we got with the royal wedding being in central London and of course at Buckingham Palace.”
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip on their wedding day in 1947
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Previous generations of royal newlyweds didn’t wave on their churches’ balconies, but on Buckingham Palace’s. However, their churches were a closer distance to the iconic royal residence. Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011 and Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 1947 tied the knot at Westminster Abbey, which is just a few blocks from the palace. Meanwhile, Princess Diana and Prince Charles wed at St. Paul’s Cathedral, which was about a 20-minute drive away.
Princess Diana and Prince Charles on their wedding day in 1981
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St. George’s Chapel, however, is about an hour drive away from Buckingham Palace. Will there be an hour-long procession back to the building for that iconic photo opp? There might not be. However, Nicholl says she was “told by aides at Kensington Palace that the couple is looking at ways to make the public as much a part of this wedding as they can.”
Indeed, a rep from the palace announced last week that Harry and Meghan want their wedding 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.” And yes, their nuptials will be televised.
Kate Middleton and Prince William share a kiss on the balcony on their wedding day in 2011.
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Harry and Meghan’s wedding ceremony will likely be smaller than that of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s (St. George’s Chapel has an 800-person capacity compared to Westminster Abbey’s 2,200), but the world will be eagerly watching along anyway.
The countdown to May 2018 is on.
From: Harper’s BAZAAR US
