Prince Harry will avoid overshadowing the birth of his brother Prince William’s third child by marrying Meghan Markle a safe distance from the due date (pictured together on his wedding day in 2011)
Prince Harry’s wedding could lead to an extra bank holiday next year leading to a frenzy of excitement from British workers.
Although no date has been set it will avoid overshadowing the birth of his brother Prince William’s third child by marrying Meghan Markle a safe distance from the due date.
The couple have also synced diaries with the Queen and other senior royals to make sure they can also attend the wedding in the spring as Windsor Castle emerged as the hot favourite.
Social media is awash with comments from British workers hoping there will be a bank holiday on the day, but this is down to the Prime Minister to decide.
Theresa May’s spokesman said the decision had not yet been made.
One was ordered for when Prince William married Kate Middleton in 2011 but he is a future king and Harry will be sixth in line once their third child is born next year.
Reacting to the news today workers were already getting excited about the possibility of an extra day’s holiday in 2018.
Ellis King tweeted: ‘Yaaas Prince Harry engaged so another Bank Holiday on the calendar next year oooh ya belter.
Kevin Ashcroft wrote: ‘Prince Harry getting married… perhaps an extra Bank Holiday????’
Cristina Rodriguez said: ‘So if Prince Harry is getting married, does that mean we get a bank holiday? Cos I could totally do with a bank holiday’.
Royal sources have said it is likely to me in the three months from March next year but will avoid the Duchess of Cambridge’s due date in April and the weeks around it.
Intriguingly Windsor Castle is closed on April 20 this year and its state apartments will be shut on the day before and afterwards, but the castle told MailOnline they would not comment on private events.
Reacting to the news today workers were already getting excited about the possibility of an extra day’s holiday in 2018 – but the final decision is down to the PM
Adam Rogers wrote bluntly: ‘Do we get a bank holiday? Cos if not I don’t care #RoyalWedding’.
St George’s Chapel is the most likely option for Harry and his new fiancee to walk down the aisle.
The 15th century gothic church set in the Lower Ward of Windsor Castle is a popular choice for royal weddings.
Charles and Camilla had their televised blessing there in 2005 after their civil ceremony.
It would offer Harry and Ms Markle a slightly more intimate, lower key venue, but one that is still appropriately royal.
It usually holds around 800 guests, whereas Westminster Abbey – where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wed – can accommodate 2,000.
The church – a place of worship for the Sovereign and the Royal Family – is often at the heart of royal events.
With the Queen now 91 and the Duke of Edinburgh 96, the choice would be especially convenient for Harry’s ageing grandparents, who spend a great deal of time at home in the castle.
Surrounded by the Horseshoe Cloisters and the Henry VIII gate, the venue will also provide the Royal Family with a certain amount of privacy on the day of the wedding.
Harry was also christened in the chapel in December 1984 when he was three months old, which, according to Church of England rules, means he can also marry there.
His uncle, the Earl of Wessex, married Sophie Rhys-Jones, now the Countess of Wessex, in St George’s in 1999, while Harry’s cousin, Peter Phillips, wed Autumn Kelly there in 2008. Newlyweds and their families traditionally pose for photographs afterwards on the vast west steps.
The historic church – started by Edward IV and finished by Henry VIII – is the resting place of 10 monarchs including Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour, and the beheaded Charles I.
It has also been the setting for many historic funerals. The Queen Mother’s private committal service took place there following her Westminster Abbey funeral in 2002 – the same year as Princess Margaret’s small, private funeral.
Like Westminster Abbey, the chapel is known as a Royal Peculiar, with the Dean of Windsor responsible only to the Sovereign.
Harry and Ms Markle’s reception could be held in the castle’s 180ft (55m) long St George’s Hall, traditionally used for state banquets. The vast hall had to be restored following the devastating fire at the castle in 1992.
If Harry and Ms Markle decide to opt for a large-scale royal wedding with the full works, they could pick London’s St Paul’s Cathedral.
With room for more than 2,000 guests, the grand, opulent central venue, with its distinctive black and white chequered floor, would have the advantage of providing an alternative setting to William and Kate’s wedding in Westminster Abbey.
But it would be a poignant choice for Harry.
His parents, the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer, wed in Sir Christopher Wren’s famous domed landmark on July 29 1981.
It has been the focal point for many a royal celebration including Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, the 80th and 100th birthdays of the Queen Mother and the thanksgiving services for the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilees.
A cathedral dedicated to St Paul has stood on site since 604 AD. The current building – the fourth to occupy the site – was designed by the court architect, Sir Christopher, and built between 1675 and 1710 after its predecessor was destroyed in the Great Fire of London.
A key part of London’s skyline and a popular location with tourists, it is the cathedral of the Diocese of London. It staged the funerals of Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, Sir Winston Churchill and, in April 2013, Baroness Thatcher.
Harry and Ms Markle could follow William and Kate’s lead and choose Westminster Abbey. The gothic abbey is well-rehearsed at staging important royal ceremonies.
A short distance from Buckingham Palace, the central London location is convenient and the interior of the abbey is impressive.
Harry’s grandmother, the Queen, and great-grandmother, the Queen Mother, were both married at Westminster Abbey.
But it is also where Harry attended his mother’s funeral when he was just 12 and holds some painful memories for the prince.