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Prince Harry's 'ruined' wedding gesture to wife Meghan Markle nobody noticed

The Duke of Sussex had been planning the gesture for months at their home Nottingham Cottage


Prince Harry smiles at his new wife the Duchess of Sussex on the steps of St George's Chapel
Nichola Murphy
Deputy Lifestyle Editor
On 23 June 2023
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Prince Harry attempted to execute a very thoughtful gesture on the morning of his wedding with Meghan Markle in October 2018, but it didn't go according to plan.

The Duchess of Sussex was pictured at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle in her bateau neckline Givenchy wedding dress with her borrowed diamond tiara and a small bouquet of white flowers. She had intended to have a more impressive selection of flowers thanks to a "really meaningful" gesture from her husband that he had planned months in advance at their home, Nottingham Cottage in Kensington Palace, but it was "ruined."

WATCH: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle share unseen wedding photos for Netflix docuseries

"We have a very small garden here that we had been planting things in the Fall for and what was really special, I think, was that the morning of the wedding Harry went in and he picked some flowers to go into my bouquet, which was really beautiful and something that makes it sentimental and really meaningful," Meghan said during the audio for the 2018 Windsor Castle exhibit 'A Royal Wedding: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.'

Prince Harry kisses his wife Meghan Markle following their royal wedding© Getty
Prince Harry tried to pick flowers for Meghan Markle's wedding bouquet

"We didn’t have as many flowers in our little garden as we had hoped for because I think it snowed at Easter. That kind of ruined the whole thing!" Harry continued, before adding that he did manage to honour the memory of his late mother Princess Diana through their choice of flowers.

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meghan markle wedding dress prince harry
Meghan's flowers paid tribute to Princess Diana

"They’re very much a bouquet of wild flower, wild flower meadows and making sure that we had forget-me-nots in as it was one of my mother’s favourite flowers.

Prince Harry looks at his bride, Meghan Markle, as she arrived accompanied by Prince Charles, Prince of Wales during their wedding in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England© Getty
The couple got married at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle

"The great thing is that the day after the bouquet ended up at Westminster Abbey on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as, again, very traditional rather than throwing it over your head, I think it was the perfect place for it to be laid at rest," he continued.

Meghan Markle walks up the aisle with King Charles at St George's Chapel© Getty
Meghan's florist Phillipa Craddock discussed the design process

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex turned to florist Philippa Craddock for their beautiful blooms, which included the floral installations at St George's Chapel and the centrepieces at their reception.

Harry and Meghan cutting their wedding cake with a sword© Netflix
The stunning floral displays were visible as they cut their wedding cake

Philippa later described Harry and Meghan as "gorgeously thoughtful throughout" and revealed the hard work behind the finished design.

"The five internal archways were my favourite designs. The inspiration came from the vaulted ceilings and the architectural detail, with the aim of working in perfect harmony with the space and bringing the outside in, reflecting the surrounding parkland," Philippa explained.

meghan markle and prince harry dance at their wedding, with meghan wearing a backless dress© Netflix
Phillipa also helped decorate the couple's wedding reception

"The archways were huge, we used scaffolding and designed a complex under structure to ensure they were absolutely secure, without causing any damage to the beautiful stonework underneath."

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