A Musing Duchess Of Hearts

Meghan Markle marrying Prince Harry is about so much more than a fairy-tale wedding

 

Mention the words “royal wedding” now and, just as when Prince William and Kate Middleton got married in 2011, you’ll find discussions dedicated to everything from where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding will be held, to who will design Markle’s gown (Will it be Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen like her sister-in-law? Or Han Chong, since Markle wore a Self-Portrait dress to the Queen’s Christmas lunch?) and who will be on the guest list.

Unlike Kate Middleton before she became the Duchess of Cambridge, however, a lot of attention has also been focused on how Markle is far from a conventional royal—and not just because of all the times she has shaken up the royal dress code. Think: When she wore an Alexander McQueen trouser suit to her first official evening engagement with Prince Harry, when she wore a sheer Ralph and Russo gown for her engagement photos, and when she opted for a messy bun to visit a radio station instead of getting a blowout. The last time a member of the British Royal family fell in love with an American divorcee, he ended up having to abdicate the throne in order to marry her (read: King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson). But we live in different times now, and, since 2002, the Church of England has allowed divorced people to remarry even if their spouses are still alive. On top of all that, Markle is also biracial, a feminist and an activist.