The wedding day for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle turned out to be flawless, from the bride’s stunning gown to the groom’s chic uniform and the gorgeous weather.

The entire Royal Family was present for the newlyweds’ wedding at St George’s Chapel, and there were crowds of people cheering for them in Windsor. But since that day exactly six years ago on May 19, 2018, it seems that despite the day going off without a hitch, in the run – up to the nuptials, tension had been brewing. And here we examine some of the biggest “back-to-basket” incidents that might have hampered the big day…

Kate and Meghan tension

The wedding’s first warning that things weren’t going well before the big day came a few months after the wedding, when reports suggested Meghan and the Princess of Wales were feuding over the bridesmaids’ outfits.

Meghan had six bridesmaids on the day – Princess Charlotte, Meghan’s goddaughters Rylan and Remi Litt, Jessica Mulroney’s daughter Ivy and Harry’s goddaughters Zalie Warren and Florence van Cutsem. In November 2018, insiders claimed a “stressful” dress fitting took place – with the pressure of Meghan’s “demands” getting too much for Kate. The source added: “Kate had only just given birth to her third child, Prince Louis, and was feeling quite ­emotional”.

Meghan claimed that the roles were reversed and that she was the one who was left crying a few days before her big day during her infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey. Meghan responded, “the reverse happened,” during a difficult wedding week, when asked if there was a circumstance where Kate cried.

“A few days before the wedding, she was upset about something pertaining – yes, the issue was correct – about flower girl dresses, and it made me cry, and it really hurt my feelings”, said Meghan. Meanwhile, in his memoir Spare, Harry also waded into the drama with his take. The then-Duchess of Cambridge agreed with Kate’s wedding dress designer and claimed that she was instructed to bring Charlotte and the too-large dress to a tailor.

However, later it was claimed that Kate actually went to the tailor and that Harry discovered his wife, Meghan, in tears after the incident. He continued, adding that Kate later apologized and presented Meghan with flowers and a card.

Tiara-gate

Eagle-eyed royal watchers are excited about the tiara as well as the dress at royal weddings. On her big day, Meghan wore Queen Mary’s diamond bandeau tiara. However, later reports suggested there had been drama with the jewels, and Harry asserts that Angela Kelly, the late Queen’s dresser, had purposefully dragged her feet when trying to arrange a hair trial with the headpiece.

She claimed the tiara would require a police escort and an orderly exit after we finally reached her. That sounded … a bit much. But all right, I said, if that’s protocol, let’s find an orderly and a police officer and get the ball rolling. There was no end to time.

” Inexplicably, she replied: Can’t be done. Why can’t it? Her schedule was too busy. She was being obstructive, obviously, but for what reason? We couldn’t even hazard a guess. I considered going to Granny, but that would probably mean sparking an all – out confrontation, and I wasn’t quite sure with whom Granny would side. Also, to my mind, Angela was a troublemaker, and I didn’t need her as an enemy. “

Charles ‘ surprise

Another source of tension in the lead – up to the big day was regarding Meghan’s father, Thomas. He announced he would not be there until less than a week before the wedding, leaving the bride without anyone to walk her down the aisle.

Thankfully, Charles accepted the offer and said he would be happy to accompany his daughter-in-law to the chapel’s altar. However, the then Prince of Wales’ response to this gesture, according to a book, was unanticipated.

Writing in Queen of Our Times, author Robert Hardman says:” The reply, according to one friend, was not quite what he was expecting: “Can we meet halfway? ‘” This was a sign that this was not a blushing bride, but a confident, self-assured woman determined to make a grand entrance on her own.

Secret ceremony

Of course, on the big day, millions tuned in to see Harry and Meghan officially tie the knot in St George’s Chapel.

However, Meghan claimed she had married Harry three days before their lavish royal wedding and caused confusion in her tell-all Oprah chat a few years later. Three days before the wedding’s official date, she claimed, the Archbishop of Canterbury had the ceremony in their Kensington Palace garden. Speaking in the 2021 interview, Harry also said the ceremony was attended by” just the three of us”.

However, this was later cleared up when the Archbishop later said the couple’s May 19 wedding was the real deal. Before the wedding, he told La Repubblica, “I had a number of private and pastoral meetings with the Duke and Duchess.”

“The legal wedding was on the Saturday. I signed the legal document that is the wedding certificate, and knowing that it was false would have led to serious criminal prosecution. The legal wedding took place on Saturday, so you can make up your mind.

Queen’s verdict

Harry’s late grandmother, the Queen, was by far one of the wedding’s biggest guests, and many wondered what she thought of the wedding. And in fact, the late monarch only made one comment about the bride’s white, flowing Givenchy wedding gown, according to royal biographer Ingrid Seward’s book My Mother and I.

The expert writes: “Lady Elizabeth]Anson] told me that the Queen had made only one remark to her about Meghan and Harry’s wedding, which was that the bride’s Givenchy wedding gown was ‘ too white’. A divorcee’s remarrying in church, in the monarch’s opinion, was inappropriate.