Update (May,16, 2018):
The royal wedding party attended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding ceremony at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, looking as adorable as we could've expected. The royal tots, acting as page boys and bridesmaids, were the cutest counterpart to the gorgeous bride.
Original:
It's pretty much guaranteed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding will be the event of 2018. From famous Hollywood friends to royal family members, the couple are sure to invite a spectacular guest list. Here's a guide to Harry and Markle's wedding party.
Prince Harry's Best Man:
Prince William is confirmed to be his brother's right-hand on the day of the wedding. The announcement just came at the end of April, weeks before the wedding and months after speculation tat the Duke of Cambridge would take on the role.
The appointment makes sense, since Harry served as William's best man at his wedding to Kate Middleton in 2011. According to Kensington Palace, the Duke is "honored to have been asked, and is very much looking forward to supporting his brother" on his wedding day. Naturally, he added in a joke after the news broke: "Revenge is sweet."
The Maid of Honor:
Meghan will not have a maid of honor or chief bridesmaid, the Palace announced.
“She has a very close-knit circle of friends and she didn’t want to choose one over another,” a palace spokesperson explained, per People. However, Meghan's friends will still support her leading up to and during her wedding day.
It was always a possibility that Markle wouldn't have any adult attendees in her bridal party. British and European royalty expert Marlene Koenig previously told Town & Country, "Most royal brides do not have adult bridesmaids."
Koenig added it was particularly unlikely that Kate Middleton would step in as matron of honor, too. "It would be unusual for a royal bride to have a woman in her late 30s as a maid or matron of honor. The duch*ess of Cambridge having her sister, Pippa, was unusual," she said.
Previous contenders included her friend Lindsay Roth, designer Misha Nonoo, fellow actress Janina Gavankar, her BFF stylist Jessica Mulroney and more celebs.
Bridesmaids:
Meghan and Harry have selected 10 bridesmaids and page boys to attend their wedding, and they're all children with close ties to the couple. As expected, Princess Charlotte will serve as a bridesmaid and her brother Prince George will be a page boy.
Princess Charlotte, 3: The royal tot previously served as a bridesmaid at her aunt Pippa Middleton's wedding last year.
Florence van Cutsem, 3: She's Prince Harry's goddaughter and daughter of Alice van Cutsem and Major Nicholas van Cutsem. Her sister Grace is the infamous frowning flower girl at Prince William and Kate Middleton's 2011 wedding.
Remi Litt, 6: She's Meghan's goddaughter and daughter of Benita Litt, one of the bride's closest friends, and Darren Litt.
Rylan Litt, 7: As Remi's big sister, Rylan is also a goddaughter to Meghan and daughter to parents Benita and Darren.
Ivy Mulroney, 4: She's the daughter of Meghan's best friend, Jessica Mulroney, and Benedict Mulroney. The youngster is already close with Prince Harry after he bonded with her and her siblings while he and Meghan hid from the paparazzi at their home in the first few days of their relationship.
Having children in the bridal party is custom to royal weddings, royal expert Koenig told Town & Country. "If you look at the royal weddings since Elizabeth's, you will find that most of the bridesmaids are early teens or children," she said. Kate Middleton selected her sister, Pippa, to serve as maid of honor at her own wedding, and had four younger bridesmaids, or flower girls.
Page Boys:
Prince George, 4: The third in line to the throne will help out his uncle and future aunt on their big day. Like little sister Charlotte, George also has wedding experience as a page boy for Pippa Middleton's wedding last year.
Jasper Dyer, 6: He's the godson of Prince Harry and son of Amanda Dyer and Mark Dyer M.V.O. Mark is a former Welsh Guards officer who was equerry to Prince Charles and looked after Harry as he was growing up; he's often considered the prince's "second father" and mentor.
Brian Mulroney, 7: He's one of Jessica and Benedict Mulroney's twin boys. Like his sister Ivy, he's also had some bonding time with Prince Harry.
John Mulroney, 7: He's Brian's twin brother and son to Jessica and Benedict Mulroney. He, too, has bonded with "aunt" Meghan's future husband.
Prince Harry's Groomsmen or Ushers:
It's unclear whether the couple will still announce additional members of their wedding party with three days left until the big day. However, if the groom announces any groomsmen or ushers, here are our guesses.
Tom "Skippy" Inskip could be one of Prince Harry's ushers or groomsmen. It was at Inskip's wedding to Lara Hughes-Young in Jamaica that Harry and Meghan were photographed early in their courtship.
Jake Warren is also another possible contender. As one of Princess Diana's godchildren, Warren has always had a close relationship with Prince Harry, and the pair attended Ludgrove School and Eton College together. His daughter is already serving as a bridesmaid for the ceremony.
We'll have to wait to find out who is officially serving in Harry and Markle's wedding, but it's clear that the couple's nuptials will be unforgettable.
Amy Mackelden
Contributing Writer
Amy Mackelden is a freelance writer, editor, and disability activist. Her bylines include Harper's BAZAAR, Nicki Swift, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, ELLE, The Independent, Bustle, Healthline, and HelloGiggles. She co-edited The Emma Press Anthology of Illness, and previously spent all of her money on Kylie Cosmetics.
Erica Gonzales
Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she's listening to Lorde right now.
