LONDON — It’s a wedding day plan that sounds like it was taken from the pages of a fairy tale.
After a ceremony at one of his grandmother's castles, Britain’s Prince Harry and bride Meghan Markle will take a carriage ride around Windsor, a historic town that's home to around 30,000 people.
“Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle are hugely grateful for the many good wishes they have received since announcing their engagement,” Kensington Palace announced as new details of the May 19 wedding were revealed early Monday. “They are very much looking forward to the day and to being able to share their celebrations with the public.”
The nuptials will be held at St. George's Chapel, a 15th-century building on the grounds of Windsor Castle, about 20 miles west of London. Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, lives there for part of the year.
The palace didn’t specify which of the royal carriages the couple will use. Prince William and Kate Middleton traveled in the open-topped 1902 State Landau carriage in the procession from their wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace in 2011.
Harry and Meghan "hope this short journey will provide an opportunity for more people to come together around Windsor and to enjoy the atmosphere of this special day," the palace statement added.
After the carriage ride along six streets in Windsor, Harry and Markle will greet their guests at a reception in the grand St. George's Hall at the castle.
The celebrations won’t end there. Later in the evening Harry’s father, Prince Charles, will host a private party for the newlyweds’ close friends and family, as he did for William.
The palace has not yet announced the guest list for the big day, and it is not yet known if President Donald Trump or former President Barack Obama, who has a warm relationship with the prince, will be invited.
The Dean of Windsor, David Conner, will conduct the service. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will officiate as the couple make their marriage vows.
The couple, who dated for around a year and a half, announced their engagement in November.
Since then, Harry and Meghan have been greeted by cheering crowds waving British and American flags during the joint engagements they’ve conducted around the U.K.
In January, the couple visited a local radio station in Brixton, an area dubbed “London’s Harlem”. A few weeks later, they traveled to Wales, where Markle was warmly embraced by children after their dance performance for the royals.
Markle, 36, is a departure from the typical royal bride. She is bi-racial, divorced and three years older than Harry. The Los Angeles native starred in TV drama "Suits."
Fifth-in-line to the throne, Harry has become increasingly popular with the public in recent years. In an Ipsos-MORI poll released this month, 58 percent of respondents listed Harry as their favorite royal, up from 36 percent in 2012.
The former soldier has made a mark with the Invictus Games, a sporting event for injured veterans, as well as the Heads Together campaign promoting mental health that he set up with his brother and sister in-law Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge.
