Meghan Markle: here's what she did last night before the Royal Wedding
On May 19, 2018 Meghan Markle married Prince Harry. Two years later we know how he spent his last night as a girlfriend
One hundred and twenty thousand people thronged in Windsor outside the castle. The bride-to-be climbing the steps of St. George Chapel at Windsor Castle alone. Prince Charles taking her arm. Doria Ragland, Meghan's mother, with rastas under her hat.
And again: the gospel choir, the sermon of the reverend Michael Curry with the quote from Martin Luther King. The Harlem atmosphere, the kiss in front of the church, the carriage ride. And party at Frogmore House with fireworks.
But if everything - or almost everything - about that wedding was gutted by the media, many don't know what happened the night before the wedding. What did Meghan Markle and Harry do in the hours before the fateful yes, where they slept, who they stayed with. Hello! magazine revealed it. And she also told what so many other royal grooms did before the wedding, such as Kate Middleton and William, Carlo and Diana, Mike and Zara Tindall.
Meghan Markle and Harry
As tradition dictates, Meghan and Harry slept in different places the night before the wedding. The former American actress, in fact, spent the last hours as a girlfriend at the Cliveden House Hotel, together with her mother Doria. It is a luxurious five-star hotel with spa, about fifteen kilometers from Windsor, surrounded by a lush garden. A curiosity: for the occasion, the room chosen by the future Duchess, equipped with a four-poster bed, was completely repainted.
To spend the last hours as a bachelor, however, Prince Harry opted for the manor of Coworth Park, a prestigious Georgian structure 45 minutes from London. Not alone, though. With him was also Prince William, brother and witness. Who knows, maybe the two played polo together or took a horseback ride in the evening to relax for the ceremony.
Kate Middleton and Prince William
A completely different choice, however, was that of Prince William, whose wedding with Kate Middleton was celebrated on April 29, 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London. Diana's eldest son spent his last night as a bachelor at Clarence House, the residence of Prince Charles. Unable to sleep a wink, however, at night the future groom took to the street with Harry, to shake hands with dozens of people camped on the sidewalks in view of the Royal Wedding.
Kate Middleton, on the other hand, relaxed in the Royal Apartment of the Goring Hotel, a luxurious five-star hotel a stone's throw from Buckingham Palace. Together with her were mother Carole and her sister Pippa. And dozens of other relatives (71 suites occupied by the Middletons). The apartment that hosted the future bride underwent a restyling that cost 150,000 pounds in the weeks before the wedding. In addition to the four-poster bed, in fact, a grand piano, a shower cabin and a television in the bathroom had been added to allow Kate to watch the news on the ceremony directly from the tub.
Lady Diana and Prince Charles
It was July 29, 1981 when Lady Diana married Prince Charles. The future Princess of Wales spent her last night single at Clarence House, then the home of the Queen Mother, awaiting the ceremony. William Tallon, Elizabeth's valet, saw the almost bride spinning in the courtyard on an old bicycle, cheerfully shouting: "I'm going to marry the Prince of Wales". During those hours at Buckingham Palace a lavish reception was held with 800 guests, during which Princess Margaret tied balloons to her tiara.
Zara and Mike Tindall
Zara Phillips, daughter of Princess Anne and granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth, chose Edinburgh to marry in 2011 with rugby player Mike Tindall. And it is, of course, in the Scottish capital that the two future spouses spent their last wedding night. The bride, in fact, was staying in the majestic Balmoral Hotel. Built in 1902, the hotel became famous for hosting the writer JK Rowling in the draft of Harry Potter.
Before the wedding, Mike and Zara held a reception aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia, a ship that belonged to Queen Elizabeth (Charles and Diana made the honeymoon there).
Letizia of Spain and King Felipe
Letizia Ortiz and Prince Felipe, now king, were married on May 22, 2004. The evening before the wedding, the journalist and the future king held a reception to greet relatives and guests from 36 different royal families. The couple, according to some witnesses, did not let go for a second.
Charlène and Albert of Monaco
Even the current rulers of the Principality of Monaco - Albert and Charlène - spent the evening together before getting married in 2011. A party that has been defined, in the principality, "the biggest party of the last 55 years", complete with fires fireworks over the port of Monte Carlo and two concerts the evening before the ceremony. One of them was the Eagles, the groom's favorite band. Among the notes of Hotel California, as told by those present, the prince made his bride stand up and invited her to dance, a few hours before their lives changed forever.
