The Meghan Effect

The Meghan Effect

Royal Wedding fever is on. With three hours to go and London basking in Caribbean weather, the “Meghan Effect” is that English customs are said to blend with American influence. The wedding is estimated to provide an estimated £195 million boost to the UK economy over the next four months, and why not?
                             

Royal weddings are not just ceremonies.They are steeped in tradition.For the first time in a century a royal will marry an American.This is in keeping with the times.It is what the public want. Most of all it is what Prince Harry has wanted and as he said, Meghan "is capable of anything."

Royal weddings also create business for the nation. With the global spotlight on the UK spending by a flood of tourists to London, we are told will be over £41 million will be spent on wedding related merchandise alone.

Going by the past record, the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge on 11 April 2011, spending in UK rose by 5% in the week of that wedding. Although this year the anticipated rise in sales is forecast to be much less, the euphoria of the royalty and the wedding in particular, the anticipated spending by the public on food and drink alone is estimated at £33.2 million.

The Meghan Gown  

The picture of Prince Harry and Meghan may look simple, but the gown she will be wearing on her wedding day, 19 May 2018 at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, is nothing simple about it.                                                                     

It reportedly costs £100,000 or $135,533 according to inside circles. That is roughly 5 times an average annual salary of a British worker and it is said 87 times the typical cost of a wedding dress.

The Meghan Markle look itself is minting money. It is over twice the estimated cost of Kate Middleton’s Alexander McQueen gown which was said to cost $434,000.

While the designer of Meghan’s wedding gown is still kept secret, a rumour spread by the Daily Mail is casting attention on the Australian real life couple, Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo, renowned for their extravagant couture designs.

The heightened interest on the dress is partly because of the frenzy of the betting odds on the Designer, with bookies promoting Erdem, Roland Mouret (a friend of Meghan),Inbar Dror, Jenny Packham, providing favourites.

The luxury of the Wedding Gown is not only for viewers, tourists or for the competition among Royal Dress Designers. Meghan is known to have cultivated the luxury of wearing beautiful pieces of clothing, everyday for work. Classic and simple is the name of the game, perhaps, subtly romantic.

Royal Tradition

                                     

Prince Harry will not see his bride in her Wedding Gown, before she walks down the aisle. The tradition among royalty is that the Queen is the only one to see the Gown beforehand. And who said traditions do not matter?

After the wedding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be known as their Royal Highness (HRH) and given the title the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

While we might not know what Meghan bouquet may look like or what their cake will taste like, there are a few details we are absolutely certain about.

This is because the Royal Family have a number of traditions and customs that are expected of them. A short summary is as follows:

1.    The Bride must wear white.

2.    The Bride must wear a tiara.

3.    Her Bouquet must contain myrtle, the herb of love.

4.    The Bride will then lay her bouquet at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.

5.    The Groom must wear a military uniform.

6.    The Royal Family must sit on the right side of the Church.

7.    Guests have to adhere to a strict dress code, military or lounge suits for men and Day Dress for women.

8.    The Bride’s wedding ring must contain Welsh gold, the Groom may or may not wear a ring.

9.    The Bride will arrive in a glass coach in a horse driven carriage.

10. There must be a formal wedding Royal Portrait.

It is believed to be the first time a Royal Couple will break with tradition and not serve fruit cake to their wedding guests.

Prince Harry has asked Prince William to be his Best Man, thus the Chair of the Football Association will miss the FA Cup Final at Wembley on the same day.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte are expected to be involved as Page Boy and Flower Girl.

Prince Harry                                   

                                                               

        

For Prince Harry it is a day of too much solemnity. He is still the Romantic Prince. Meghan and Prince Harry have promised a wedding focussed on fun, joy and a chance to celebrate with the public. They have both invited 600 guests among the public for their wedding. This reflects their individual characters, their love of African and other charities, their love of conservation, natural habitat and of course service to fellow members of the Forces. Prince Harry’s Regiment 3^rd Regiment Air Corps, where he served as an Apache Pilot in Helmand Province, Afghanistan and in comrades in the Royal Gurka Rifles in Afghanistan in 2007, will be in attendance in the celebrations.

It won’t be surprising to see both Prince Harry and Meghan on royal duties both in UK and the Commonwealth in the months and years ahead.

Victor Cherubim