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British
royal wedding ceremonies follow lots of traditions and rules that were
developed during the House of Windsor reign that has lasted for decades.
British monarchs equal traditionalism and their weddings go down in
history. We decided to get acquainted with the most important royal
marriage rules.
The approval to get married
According to the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, the first 6 people in
line to the throne have to seek the Queen's approval to marry. On the
14th of March, Elizabeth II approved the union of Prince Harry (the 6th
person in line) and Meghan Markle and wrote a letter to Privy Council
giving approval of marriage. |
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The bride's rings should be made of Welsh gold.
This tradition dates back to 1923 when the Queen, Elizabeth's mother and
William and Harry's great-grandmother, was the first one to wear this
type of ring.
The Welsh gold mine has been declared exhausted, meaning it's difficult
to mine gold from there. That's why this gold is much more expensive
than other kinds of gold. The rings of Elizabeth II, Diana, Catherine,
Duchess of Cambridge, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall were made of very
this metal. Meghan Markle's Welsh gold ring was given to Prince Harry by
the Queen shortly after their engagement. |
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A bouquet to be laid on the tomb of the unknown
warrior
Instead of throwing a wedding bouquet, royal brides are to lay flowers
on the grave of the unknown warrior at Westminster Abbey in London.
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, Queen Elizabeth's mother, was the first one to
place her bouquet at the tomb on her way into the Abbey as a tribute to
soldiers and her brother Fergus who had died at the Battle of Loos in
1915.
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was the first bride who didn't have a bouquet at
the church because she laid it on the grave right before entering.
Nowadays, brides do that the day after the ceremony when all wedding
photos have already been taken. |
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The groom wears their military uniform
Men of the British royal family must serve in the army. They all have a
title and a regiment they're assigned to. According to the tradition,
men marry wearing their dress uniform and medals they've managed to
gain. |
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Meaningful dress or veil patterns
Elizabeth II, who got married in 1947, had a dress and a veil that were
decorated with a flower pattern symbolizing peace after the Second World
War.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, requested to decorate her veil with 53
flowers symbolizing the countries in the British Commonwealth: 53
sovereign states including Great Britain and almost all former colonies.
Elizabeth II, the Head of the Commonwealth, appointed Prince Harry a
Commonwealth Youth Ambassador. Meghan's veil symbolizes her pride in her
husband and her readiness to help.
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