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Weddings are simple affairs, humble ceremonies to mark the union of a man and a woman (or a woman and a woman, a man and a man or even a human and a favoured electrical appliance, depending on which postcode district you reside in). They are about soul reaching out to soul and two becoming one, with no need for ostentation or overly-indulgent fripperies, right? Wrong.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-46257" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Luxury-weddings.jpg" alt="Luxury weddings" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Luxury-weddings.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Luxury-weddings-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Luxury-weddings-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Luxury-weddings-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Luxury-weddings-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Luxury-weddings-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Luxury-weddings-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
It’s all about putting on the most extravagant, self-consciously expensive cavalcade of vaguely nuptial-related narcissism it’s possible to imagine. Sceptical? A quick canter through the Special Days of a couple of past masters and mistresses of the art of wanton wedding-day mega-displays will provide apt testimony…
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-46260" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Nick-Jonas-and-Priyanka-Chopra.jpg" alt="Most expensive weddings - Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Nick-Jonas-and-Priyanka-Chopra.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Nick-Jonas-and-Priyanka-Chopra-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Nick-Jonas-and-Priyanka-Chopra-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Nick-Jonas-and-Priyanka-Chopra-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Nick-Jonas-and-Priyanka-Chopra-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" />
Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra
The disparate worlds of Bollywood and Hollywood collided in spectacular fashion when Nick Jonas, the much-loved US singer, married Priyanka Chopra, one of India’s most popular actresses, at the tail end of last year. As befitting such a union of countries and cultures, the three-day celebrations proved just the perfect blend of East-meets-West.
Charitably, the couple flew out hundreds of their nearest and dearest to the five-star Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur in northwestern India for the festivities, which included a mass mehendi (a traditional ceremony where female relatives and friends on both sides gather as the bride has her hands and feet hennaed), a sangeet (an all-singing and all-dancing musical extravaganza), a traditional Indian marriage ceremony and a more conventional Western wedding ceremony.
While the Quantico actress donned several gowns throughout the course of the weekend, the most stunning was undoubtedly the custom Ralph Lauren creation she wore for the Western ceremony. This gorgeous hand-beaded and hand-embroidered ensemble took a staggering 1,826 hours to complete, with the column dress beneath the embroidered layer boasting some 2.38 million mother-of-pearl sequins. Custom Jimmy Choo shoes and a 75ft veil – which required the support of six aides as she strode down the aisle – completed this most memorable of looks.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-46258" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Angelababy-and-Huang-Xiaoming.jpg" alt="Most expensive weddings - Angelababy and Huang Xiaoming" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Angelababy-and-Huang-Xiaoming.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Angelababy-and-Huang-Xiaoming-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Angelababy-and-Huang-Xiaoming-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Angelababy-and-Huang-Xiaoming-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Angelababy-and-Huang-Xiaoming-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" />
Angelababy and Huang Xiaoming
When the outrageously famous Chinese actress-singer Angela Yeung – known to her fans as Angelababy – wed fellow thesp Huang Xiaoming a few years back, the elaborate affair snared headlines the world over, not least because of its phenomenal price tag – a cool US$31 million.
Reinforcing the notion that bigger is always better, Angelababy’s ring – the Joséphine Aigrette Impériale by Chaumet, featuring a massive five-carat pear-shaped diamond – cost US$1.5 million on its own. Her bespoke Dior wedding gown, meanwhile, was crafted from 165ft of tulle and 115ft of ivory satin organza and required five months of painstaking craftsmanship to complete.
The ceremony itself – which was streamed live online – was no less extravagant, with tens of thousands of roses adorning the extensive venue. In all, more than 2,000 guests, including many of the country’s mega-celebs, descended upon the Shanghai Exhibition Centre for the occasion, with the event further enhanced by a holographically-projected castle, climaxing with the ceremonial slicing of a 10ft multi-tiered carousel-esque wedding cake.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-46259" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Isha-Ambani-and-Anand-Piramal.jpg" alt="Most expensive weddings - Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Isha-Ambani-and-Anand-Piramal.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Isha-Ambani-and-Anand-Piramal-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Isha-Ambani-and-Anand-Piramal-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Isha-Ambani-and-Anand-Piramal-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Isha-Ambani-and-Anand-Piramal-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" />
Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal
When your father is Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest man – with a fortune conservatively estimated to be well over the US$56 billion mark – it’s pretty much taken as read that your wedding day is going to the stuff of legend. So, when Isha Ambani, Mukesh’s only daughter, wed Anand Piramal – the son of a rival Indian billionaire – back in December 2018, it was no surprise that it aspired to be the wedding of not just the decade, but pretty much every decade. From the off, the much-coveted invitations set the tone. Rumoured to be valued at US$4,000 each, this particular save-the-day came in a two-tier floral box stuffed to the gunwales with jewellery and precious stones.
The week-long festivities then commenced with guests being flown via one of a fleet of 40 chartered jets to the 18th-century Udaipur City Palace for a pre-wedding ceremony, which included special performance from the ultimate R&amp;B diva, Beyoncé, as well as special dance numbers from some of Bollywood’s biggest names. Hillary Clinton, former US Secretary of State, John Kerry and former Indian president Pranab Mukherjee were among those who got to see such &nbsp;moves up close and personal.
The actual wedding ceremony – held on 12 December – proved a more intimate affair. Hosted at the family’s sumptuous 27-storey Mumbai home, the guest list was pruned to just 600 attendees. The final estimated cost of the entire elaborate affair? An international poverty-alleviating US$100 million, a sum that ensures that it still rejoices in the title of The Craziest Rich Asian Wedding.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-46261" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Prince-Harry-and-Meghan-Markle.jpg" alt="Most expensive weddings - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Prince-Harry-and-Meghan-Markle.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Prince-Harry-and-Meghan-Markle-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Prince-Harry-and-Meghan-Markle-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Prince-Harry-and-Meghan-Markle-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Prince-Harry-and-Meghan-Markle-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Prince-Harry-and-Meghan-Markle-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Most-expensive-weddings-Prince-Harry-and-Meghan-Markle-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
When Prince Harry, grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, announced his impending nuptials to Meghan Markle, an American actress, it predictably sent the monarchy-mad around the world into royal wedding fever overdrive. Ultimately the Duke and Duchess of Sussex-to-be did their ‘I do’s at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle in front of some 600 specially-invited guests, including the obligatory members of the British Royal Family, and sundry international A-listers like Oprah Winfrey, George and Amal Clooney and Priyanka Chopra.
In keeping with tradition, the focus was very much on the bride, who opted for a stunning US$508,000 Claire Waight Keller for Givenchy gown as a more-than-suitable attire for ascension to the aristocracy. Her 16 ft veil , meanwhile, came embroidered with flowers from each of the 53 Commonwealth countries, all held in place courtesy of a diamond bandeau tiara once owned by Queen Mary, Prince Harry’s great-grandmother.
In all, the final bill was said to be in the region of £32 million (US$41.85 million) – a whopping £8 million more than even the wedding of Prince William, Harry’s elder brother and Kate Middleton back in 2011 – making this fairy tale-esque affair truly the Royal Wedding of the Decade.
Text: Tenzing Thondup 
Photos: AFP, ImagineChina

Matrimoney: Revisiting the most expensive weddings in recent memory

19 May is not just going to be a big day for Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (<a href="//www.gafencushop.com/meghan-markle/">read more about her here</a>), but it may just prove to be the day when England’s rather antiquated royal family gets the shot of life it needs to stay relevant in today’s context.
So with the entire world giving in to the ‘royal wedding fever’, can we stay far behind? We have for you our top five trivia on the royal wedding ahead of the big day.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35884" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/466x700-6.jpg" alt="royal wedding" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/466x700-6.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/466x700-6-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/466x700-6-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/466x700-6-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/466x700-6-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" />
To commemorate one of their first dates together – a camping trip to Botswana – Prince Harry Prince designed Meghan’s engagement ring himself from a diamond sourced from Botswana’s famous diamond mines. The ring also features two gems from Harry’s late mother Princess Diana’s collection, and is crafted by royal jewellers Cleave and Company.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-35934 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-MM_1_opt.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-MM_1_opt.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-MM_1_opt-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-MM_1_opt-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-MM_1_opt-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-MM_1_opt-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-MM_1_opt-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-MM_1_opt-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
The bride’s wedding ring is, however, specially sourced from a royal reserve of Welsh gold. This unique gold comes from the Clogau St. David’s mine in Wales, and has been used to make royal rings since Queen Mother’s wedding to Prince Albert, Duke of York, in 1923. Since then, wedding rings for various royal princesses, including Diana and Kate Middleton, have been made from this gold.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-35886" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-12.jpg" alt="royal wedding" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-12.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-12-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-12-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-12-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-12-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-12-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-12-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
Adhering wholeheartedly to the royal custom, Prince Harry sought the Queen’s permission before proposing to Meghan. Given that the British sovereign – in this case Elizabeth II – has to approve all royal weddings, it seemed Harry wasn’t taking any chances. After all, the last time a British royal family member married an American, he had to abdicate his rights to the throne!
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-35936 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-MM_2_opt.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-MM_2_opt.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-MM_2_opt-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-MM_2_opt-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-MM_2_opt-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-MM_2_opt-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-MM_2_opt-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/700x466-MM_2_opt-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
In keeping with traditions then, Meghan Markle has already been baptised into the Church of England – one of the prerequisites for entering the royal fold – and is all set to become an UK citizen. The secret ceremony – in which only a handful of royal guests were invited – included holy water from the River Jordan being poured on her head.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-35938 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/466x700-MM_3_opt.jpg" alt="" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/466x700-MM_3_opt.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/466x700-MM_3_opt-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/466x700-MM_3_opt-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/466x700-MM_3_opt-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/466x700-MM_3_opt-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" />
But even if Meghan Markle may have conformed to this one tradition, she seems to be by far the most rebellious, progressive, liberal royal that we may have seen in a long time! When she was just 11, she campaigned against an ad for a washing-up liquid that seemed to imply that a woman’s place was in the kitchen. After she enlisted the support of a number of high-profile women, including Hilary Clinton, the then first-lady, the manufacturer surrendered and the ad was pulled.
Here&#8217;s hoping this firebrand feminist can inject one of the world&#8217;s most conservative families with a right dose of modernity!
Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay

Meghan-Harry’s Big Day: Top five trivia on the royal wedding

Will 19 May see Britain’s Royal Family finally get the upgrade it needs to remain relevant in the 21st century? &nbsp;After all, the royal family is ‘allowing’ a divorced, mixed-race American into its cloistered ranks. With the marriage of Prince Harry &#8211; the second son of the current Queen’s eldest son – to Meghan Markle (who ticks all of the above boxes) being widely welcomed by royals and common folk alike, the royal family may have just got the shot of life it needs to stay relevant in today’s context.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-35329 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle3_opt.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle3_opt.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle3_opt-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle3_opt-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle3_opt-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle3_opt-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle3_opt-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle3_opt-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
The Royal Family hasn’t always been so inclusive. Back in 1936, when Edward VIII wanted to marry a woman who ticked only two of those boxes (divorced and a US citizen), he was obliged to abdicate following fierce censure from all quarters.
So, then, just who is this woman that has won the heart of a prince and is now wooing the approval of Brits of every hue? Previously best-known for her role playing a newly-qualified lawyer in Suits, a US legal drama, Meghan Markle was born in Los Angeles in 1981 to a Dutch-Irish father and an African-American mother. Clearly proud of her ethnicity, she says: “While my mixed heritage may have once created a grey area with regard my self-identification, it allowed me to keep a foot on both sides of the fence and I have come to embrace that.”
That Meghan had all the makings of a strong, independent woman was apparent from early on. When she was just 11, she campaigned against an ad for a washing-up liquid that seemed to imply that a woman’s place was in the kitchen. After she enlisted the support of a number of high-profile women, including Hilary Clinton, the then first-lady, the manufacturer had to pull down the ad.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-35331 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle2_opt.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle2_opt.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle2_opt-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle2_opt-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle2_opt-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle2_opt-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle2_opt-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle2_opt-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
Subsequently, she used her celebrity status to continue to drive her feminist agenda, largely via The Tig, her campaigning blog. She has also worked closely with the United Nations to promote gender equality. In 2016, she also travelled to Rwanda to promote World Visions’ Clean Water Campaign.
Commenting on how she balances her career and her charity commitments, she said: “It’s true that my life shifts from refugee camps to red carpets. I choose to do both, however, because these worlds can and do co-exist. For me, they must.”
In the UK, she has already begun her charm offensive, one targetted at both the British press and her future brother-in-law’s subjects. To date, though, one or two of her initiatives have backfired a little. She was criticised for sporting a messy bun (royals don’t do bad hair days) and for hugging a schoolgirl in public (apparently another unroyal activity).
One who knows better than most just what she should be doing is Grant Harrold, former butler to Prince Charles, her prospective father-in-law. Giving the princess-to-be a few words of advice, he says: “She has to be careful about what she says, how she says it, and how it’s taken as, after the 19 of May, it will very much reflect on the royal family.”
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-35332 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle4_opt.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle4_opt.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle4_opt-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle4_opt-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle4_opt-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle4_opt-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle4_opt-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle4_opt-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
From the outside, though, it seems that she may already be getting a sense of the enormity of it all. Her choice of wardrobe and her daily schedule all become headlines and are closely scrutinised and followed by royalists across the world. A number of them go as far as to ape her style, which is seen as being trendier and more accessible than that favoured by Kate Middleton, the wife of Harry’s brother, William.
Fashion brands, however, are not the only ones benefiting from the royal marriage. Meghan’s entry into the royal fold is expected to boost the British economy by $1.4 billion (£1 billion). This windfall is expected to be largely derived from the tourism and hospitality sectors, with sales of T-shirts, hats and other merchandise all set to surge as the wedding day approaches.
All the media frenzy and cold profit calculations aside, Meghan and Harry, for their part, seem content to keep things as low profile. But with the wedding itself said to be costing $53 million and Meghan’s dress alone valued at $550,000, it is unlikely that they will be able to duck the spotlight until long after the last bit of royal confetti has blown away.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-35333 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle_opt.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle_opt.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle_opt-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle_opt-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle_opt-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle_opt-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle_opt-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/700x466-Meghan-Markle_opt-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
While cynics have billed this latest royal wedding as a planned distraction from the UK’s ongoing Brexit turbulence, many have been far kinder. Indeed, some have seen it as a sign of hope, arguing that if the royal family can transcend its centuries of snobbery and privilege, then many of the worlds’s other elitist establishments can surely follow suit.
It&#8217;s a heavy burden of expectation to put on the 36-year-old’s shoulders. Meghan Markle will, however, have a worldwide audience of some two billion when she ties the knot in Windsor Castle. With that number of well-wishers on board, how can she fail?
Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay, Photos: AFP

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Will Meghan Markle be the one to give a shot of modernity to British royalty?