Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding invitations are in the post
Check your letterbox; invitations to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s royal wedding are officially on their way.
Kensington Palace has revealed that 600 guests have been invited to the 19 May 2018 ceremony at St George’s Chapel in Windsor. The same 600 guests will attend a lunch reception at Windsor Castle after the service, hosted by the Queen.
The evening reception, which will be held at Frogmore House (where the couple posed for their engagement portraits), will welcome just 200 of the couple’s close friends and family members. Prince Charles will host the evening do.
The invitations were issued in the name of Prince Charles and his name appears at the top of the gold-gilded cards alongside his badge, the Prince of Wales’ Feathers, painted in gold ink.
The invitations follow many years of Royal tradition and have been made by @BarnardWestwood. They feature the Three-Feathered Badge of the Prince of Wales printed in gold ink. pic.twitter.com/cd7LBmRJxO
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) March 22, 2018
The invites were printed by Barnard Westwood the same firm which produced the invitations for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s 2011 nuptials and Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s wedding back in 1986.
Lottie Small, 24, printed the invitations in a process referred to as die stamping using a machine from the 1930s.
Using American ink on English card, the invitations are printed in gold and black, then burnished to bring out the shine, and gilded around the edge. pic.twitter.com/gQpC6tDot0
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) March 22, 2018
In a touching tribute to Meghan Markle’s heritage, the company used American ink on British card. The invitations were printed in gold and black before being burnished to bring out the gilding.
Lottie Small, who recently completed her apprenticeship, printed all of the invitations in a process known as die stamping, on a machine from the 1930s that she affectionately nicknamed Maude. pic.twitter.com/kWs2RFx7nN
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) March 22, 2018
Westwood has been producing royal invitations since 1985 and managing director, Austen Kopley, said: “The wedding of Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle will be a truly special occasion and we are thrilled to be able to create equally special invitations for their guests. We are incredibly honoured to continue our longstanding work for the royal family, and to be involved in such an important moment for the couple and their family and friends.”
The invitations read: ‘His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales K.G., K.T. requests the pleasure of the company of … at the Marriage of His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales with Ms Meghan Markle at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on Saturday 19th May 2018 at 12 Noon followed by a reception at Windsor Castle’.
Though their decision to use traditional wedding invitations is surprising, as the couple have eschewed royal protocol in the run-up to the big day so far.
For instance, the couple chose pastry chef Claire Ptak, owner of the Violet Bakery in East London, to create a truly unique wedding cake inspired by ‘the bright flavours of spring’.
But it seems the big day must follow some age-old tradition, as must the dress code.
The invitation states that male guests attending the May 19 ceremony are required to don a ‘uniform, morning coat or lounge suit’ while women must wear ‘day dress with hat’.
But the question on everyone’s lips remains: what will Meghan Markle wear for her big day?
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