Recent Posts
Culture June 22, 2018
The royal wedding did not only celebrate the love between Harry and Meghan but also the union of their heritage.
One of the biggest events of the year was when Prince Harry kissed Princess Meghan. Their wedding in mid-May was a highly anticipated ceremony for not only the Royal family but for many Americans too.
What made this wedding different and symbolic was that for the first time in the British royal family, a biracial relationship was supported, celebrated and officiated. Their first kiss was not only the romantic first step in their marriage but a symbol of the union of each other’s heritage.
The entire wedding was a reflection of both their heritages, a combination of British royal traditions and African American culture. Here are a few other ways the couple celebrated their diversity.
One of the most traditional things Markle wore was Queen Mary’s diamond bandeau tiara, loaned to her by the Queen.
According to BBC, the tiara is named after the wife of King George V, the Queen’s grandfather. The bandeau includes a brooch of ten brilliant diamonds which Queen Mary received as a wedding gift in 1893. It was later attached to the tiara in 1932.
Markle’s something blue was late Princess Diana’s Aquamarine ring that was made in Asprey in 1997.
The ring is surrounded by small solitaire diamonds and is set in 24-carat yellow gold. Princess Diana left most of her jewelry to her sons and wrote in her will that she wished that her sons’ wives “would have it or use it.”
Markle’s car ride to the chapel broke tradition as well. Unlike other brides of royal weddings who rode alone, Markle asked for her mother to join her in the car ride to the ceremony.
Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, entered the chapel a few moments before her daughter and then sat in the church quire, opposite the Queen.
About 600 guests showed up to the wedding, including American celebrities like Oprah, George Clooney, Serena Williams, British big names like Elton John and the Beckhams and of course, royalty.
The couple broke royal tradition by surprising everybody with a fully black gospel choir that sang ‘Stand By Me.’
For many, this song is a civil-rights anthem, written by a slave’s son and popularized by a black musician in the 1960s.
One of the biggest highlights of the wedding was Chicago-born Bishop Michael Curry’s passionate sermon. For some British guests, the address seemed to have come as an unusual change.
He spoke about “the power of love,” referencing Martin Luther King and the Bible.
Reassuring the guests that “Dr. King was right. We must discover love – the redemptive power of love. And when we do that, we will make of this old world, a new world.”
All weddings are special events. But Prince Harry’s and Princess Meghan’s wedding was unique in its own way. As their wedding carried symbols of their multicultural union, the newlyweds showed that they are not afraid to break down royal tradition and to embrace Markle’s African-American heritage. And the British royalty and 29 million people watching the wedding seem to welcome it as well.
