The Royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was one for the ages.
Welcome to Plain English, the podcast that goes at just the right speed for English learners. Today is Thursday, May 24, 2018. On today’s episode, I’ll give you all the details of the Saturday’s Royal wedding , and at the end of the program, I’ll show you how to use the English phrase, “for the ages.”
Before we start, I want to share some exciting news about the web site. I spent a long time last Saturday re-designing the web site and I think it looks really good. It’s a lot easier to navigate and see the most recent stories . You can also explore the categories that you find most interesting. I figured that since we’re coming up on the fiftieth episode of Plain English, we’re due for a little bit of a makeover on the web site. So, check out the home page at PlainEnglish.com. And if you’d like to read the transcript as you listen to this episode, just go to PlainEnglish.com/49 to see the full transcript. And don’t worry , the Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese and French translations are all still there just like before.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wed in England
It was the biggest wedding of the year: Prince Harry, the grandson of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, married the American actress Meghan Markle in a royal ceremony for the ages last Saturday at Windsor Castle in England.
The Queen gave Prince Harry, who is 33 years old, the title Duke of Sussex on the morning of the wedding. A duke is a title given to a male in the British royal family, usually upon his marriage , and Sussex is a part of England. It’s not an official job and it carries no real duties ; the last person to hold this title died in 1843. But that will be his official Royal title for life ; he was also given two additional secondary titles. As his new wife, Ms. Markle now has the title Duchess of Sussex.
The wedding ceremony was officiated by the Archbishop of Canturbury, who is the leader of the Church of England. The Reverend Michael Curry, an American and leader of the Episcopal Church, also gave an address at the wedding. It was a break with tradition , since royal weddings usually feature only senior members of the Church of England in official roles. The best man was Prince Harry’s brother, Prince William. Ms. Markle opted to have a handful of friends with her in lieu of one single maid of honor .
Prince Harry was dressed in his traditional military uniform but was sporting his trademark red beard ; there had been some speculation that he might shave it off for the ceremony, as tradition would dictate ; but it turns out that he kept the royal whiskers intact. The bride wore a dress from Givenchy, a French brand, but it was designed by Clare Waight Keller, a British designer, who has served as the head of three influential fashion houses . Meghan’s ring is made from Welsh gold, while Harry’s is platinum. When Harry first saw his bride at the altar, he said to her in an unscripted moment, “You look amazing.”
The wedding had some pretty good star power , too. Oprah Winfrey, Elton John, George Clooney, David Beckham, and other celebrities were there. Ms. Markle’s most recent role on screen was on the TV show “Suits,” and many of her castmates were there. Patrick J. Adams, her “husband” on the show, Sarah Rafferty, her best friend on the show , and other castmates Gabriel Macht, Gina Torres, and Abigail Spencer were all there .
After the wedding, the two hopped into the Ascot Landau state carriage , which was built for the royal family in 1880. It was drawn by four white horses. The newlyweds then proceeded down a two-and-a-half-mile road known as the Long Walk for their procession , waving to the crowd from their open-air carriage . Over 100,000 people lined the streets to wish them well. The weather , of course, was perfect.
The ceremony, which was at noon in the UK, was shown on television networks around the world, and was streamed live on the Royal Family’s YouTube channel. Ms. Markle went to high school in Los Angeles and students from her alma mater , the all-girls Immaculate Heart High School in Hollywood, arrived super-early in the morning to watch; the wedding was at 4 am in LA. The girls gathered in the high school gym in pajamas with blankets and pillows to watch the early-morning ceremony.
The Royal Mint , the agency that prints the money in the United Kingdom, created a special £5 coin showing the new Duke and Duchess, and the Royal Mail issued a commemorative postage stamp . Speaking of the mint, weddings are expensive these days. The average British wedding costs £25,000 to £30,000, or about $40,000 US dollars. The royal wedding cost £32 million. The cake was a lemon sponge cake covered with buttercream and decorated with fresh flowers .
Though he is the grandson to the Queen, the new Duke of Sussex is actually sixth in the line of succession to the crown . His father, Prince Charles, will become King when Queen Elizabeth dies. Next in line are Prince William, Harry’s brother, and all three of Prince William’s children, the youngest of whom was born in April this year. So, it’s highly unlikely that Harry will become King of England.
The new Duchess of Sussex has given up her acting career and will focus on supporting the Royal Family and supporting in charitable causes . She might have to give up her American citizenship due to potential tax complications .
I wanted to say hi to Esteban, who is listening in Mexico. Esteban is from the state of Hidalgo, which, he says, is the home of the best barbacoa in Mexico. I think that’s a claim that I will need to investigate personally myself the next time I am in Mexico. Anyway, Esteban says he listens to the episodes multiple times until he doesn’t need the transcripts any longer. Good for you, Esteban—that takes dedication, but I know your efforts will pay off. Thanks for saying hi and I bet in a few months you won’t need the transcripts even the first time around .
If you’d like to say hi, the best way to do so is via Twitter or Facebook. We are at PlainEnglishPod on both of those sites.
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