We’ve heard about the organic lemon and elderflower cake, and the foxgloves and peonies that will make up the floral displays.
And now more details have emerged of the plans afoot for Prince Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle – this time of a slightly less fragrant nature.
A search is underway for the ‘poshest portaloos money can buy’ for the happy couple’s reception on May 19th, a royal insider has said, perhaps because the facilities at 17th century Frogmore House aren’t quite of VIP standard.
At the Duchess of Cambridge’s younger sister Pippa’s wedding – which Harry and Meghan attended – bespoke ‘throne rooms’ that resembled luxurious fitted bathrooms were set up to cater to the needs of the glitzy guest list.
Now it seems the royal bride and groom-to-be could be taking inspiration from the luxury loos for their own big day.
‘It’s just one of many things that is having to be planned and thought about,’ the source told Vanity Fair.
‘The couple will be going for the poshest portaloos money can buy, as they need extra loos for all the guests they have coming to the evening event.’
Prince Harry’s wedding to the former Suits star Meghan Markle is now just weeks away
Bespoke ‘throne rooms’ resembling luxurious fitted bathrooms were set up at the Middleton family home for Pippa’s wedding last May
A £100,000 glass marquee that had been shipped in from Belgium was erected in the grounds of the Middletons’ Berkshire pile last May for Pippa’s extravagant nuptials.
And well-heeled though Pippa and James’ guests may have been, Carole clearly didn’t want to see them trooping over her carpets to get to the loo, as the pièce de résistance were the portable toilets.
A far cry from the average festival lavatory, they boasted oak fittings, porcelain basins, spot lighting and full-length mirrors, and were fitted with vacuum flushes, which work like those on a plane and are eco-friendly.
While Meghan and Harry will exchange vows in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, the couple’s inner circle will later decamp to Frogmore House, half a mile away, to party into the small hours.
And stunning though the venue may be, it’s unlikely its 17th century plumbing could cater to 200 of Harry and Meghan’s nearest and dearest – hence the need for additional portable facilities.
Meghan joined Prince Harry at the evening reception that followed Pippa Middleton’s wedding to James Matthew’s last May
Meanwhile, bride-to-be Meghan has reportedly had her bridal gown repeatedly altered in the run up to the big day after going on a pre-wedding health kick.
The former Suits star, who is rumoured to have enlisted London-based design duo Ralph and Russo to create her gown, has had ‘at least three fittings at Kensington Palace, with the dress taken in each time’, according to The Sun.
‘Like most brides, Meghan has been on a bit of a health kick and has lost a significant amount of weight,’ a source said.
The insider added that the retired actress has asked for a £40,000 ‘ornate and intricate’ gown that will be more of a ‘showstopper’ than Kate’s, while still ticking the royal protocol boxes.
After going on a pre-wedding health kick, the former Suits star has had ‘at least three fittings at Kensington Palace, with the dress taken in each time’
Meghan, pictured in a wedding dress in Suits, has reportedly enlisted Ralph & Russo to make an elaborate ‘showstopper’ of a dress
The designer of Miss Markle’s dress will only be revealed by Kensington Palace after she arrives at St George’s Chapel in May 19, and his, her, or their identity is one of the most closely guarded secrets around the wedding day.
Design duo Ralph & Russo, who made the daring black sheer evening gown worn by the former actress in her first official portrait with Prince Harry, are now 10-11 odds on with bookmaker Coral to be unveiled as her dress designer.
Traditional Harry has no idea who Meghan has picked as her designer as he wants a ‘complete surprise’ on the day
The tradition of picking a ‘headline’ designer for a royal wedding dress was established by Queen Victoria in 1840, when she chose a crinoline-style court dress in white silk-satin made by Mary Bettans with lace designed by William Dyce, head of the Government School of Design,
Victoria asked that the gown be made from fabric woven in Spitalfields, east London – where the area’s weavers were suffering in the face of cheap foreign imports – and trimmed with a deep flounce and trimmings of lace hand-made in Honiton and Beer, Devon, to demonstrate her support for British industry.
The present Queen chose a design by Norman Hartnell, and saved up her ration coupons to pay for the gown, which featured 10,000 seed pearls, and a 13-foot, star-patterned lace train.
Last night, Harry and Meghan were twinning in navy as they attended the Queen’s birthday concert at the Royal Albert Hall