Royal watchers have scrutinised their every move since their engagement was confirmed in November, and Prince Harry and Meghan’s big day on May 19 will be broadcast live to the nation.
But there are some elements of the pre-wedding countdown that will be kept very much private – namely their hen and stag parties.
Society bible Tatler has made its predictions for Meghan and Harry’s last hurrahs before becoming man and wife, and says that until the day dawns, the bride and groom should be kept in the dark like the rest of us.
‘Surprise is key. No hen or stag, royal or otherwise, should know the details of their own party,’ its guide says – citing past examples like Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, who is said to have been ‘kidnapped’ and whisked to a party in Stockholm by her friends ahead of her wedding to Prince Daniel in 2010.
According to Tatler, a couple’s royal status doesn’t rule out the inclusion of timeless traditions like fancy dress, drinking games, or even strippers – but it does suggest their stags and hens will have to surrender their camera phones before the celebrations get underway.
With Princess Eugenie also set to tie the knot in 2018, the guide offers some helpful hints for the best men and bridesmaids tasked with masterminding the most high-profile hen and stag dos of the year…
Prince Harry will marry Meghan Markle at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19
Princess Eugenie will marry her fiancé Jack Brooksbank on October 12 at the same venue
The magazine has it that it was Prince Harry’s late mother who helped to set the royal precedent for fancy dress at a blue-blooded bachelorette party.
‘At Sarah, Duchess of York’s hen, she and Diana, Princess of Wales dressed as policewomen and ended up crashing the Duke of York’s stag at Annabel’s,’ it says.
His brother, meanwhile, is rumoured to have been forced to don a hairpiece and a chest wig for his last raucous night on the town as a single man.
Together, says Tatler, the royal anecdotes enough to justify a little light-hearted humiliation in the form of fancy dress.
Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson, seen together in 1985, are said to have dressed up as policewomen and crashed Prince Andrew’s stag do at Annabel’s
‘These two incidents could definitely be mentioned when you’re arguing why your royal hen or stag MUST wear this nun/tequila-bottle/hedgehog outfit,’ it says.
The Prince of Wales marked the end of his bachelorhood with a private dinner – at White’s, London’s oldest gentleman’s club.
Meghan’s bridesmaids – likely to include a famous face or two given her glamorous social circles – may also take inspiration from the Duchess of Cambridge’s hen, says Tatler, which is understood to have been a private dinner at a friend’s house with no possible risk of an unfortunate pap shot.
Kate’s sister Pippa’s hen party was similarly low-key, if a little more luxurious – the future Mrs James Matthews flew to Meribel with her sister and friends for a weekend of skiing ahead of her wedding in May 2017.
Pippa’s hen party set up of a plush chalet complete with private chef would doubtless appeal to the bride-to-be’s celebrity friends and potential guests, such as actress and beauty queen Priyanka Chopra, or tennis superstar Serena Williams.
The Duchess of Cambridge’s hen party is said to have been a private dinner at a friend’s house – while husband-to-be Wills is rumoured to have been forced to don a comedy chest wig by pals
Pippa Middleton enjoyed a weekend of skiing in Méribel with her siter before she married James Matthews
According to Tatler, the drinking games that form an essential part of run-of-the-mill hen and stag dos are a fixture at royal bashes, too.
‘If you’re not going to have drinking games, what is the point?’ the piece ponders, before pointing out that Prince William and pals are rumoured to have played a round of the Name Game – during which the famous person whose name was stuck to his forehead was none other than his grandmother, the Queen.
That other tried and tested bachelor/bachelorette tradition – strippers – should be treated with more caution, Tatler suggests, though not necessarily ruled out entirely. But there is one important area where royal stags and hen dos do differ from the norm; a steady stream of Instagram photos will not be appreciated.
‘Probably quite risky to get your iPhone out at a royal hen or stag,’ the piece points out, referencing a rumoured incident at the Duke of Edinburgh’s stag do at the Dorchester, when he and his friends posed for photos, before promptly smashing the bulbs in the paps’ cameras.