8 Details from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Wedding You Probably Missed at the Time

Prior to the wedding, Prince Harry personally picked flowers from the Kensington Palace garden for his bride’s bouquet. This included a mix of forget-me-not, scented sweet peas, astilbe, jasmine, lily of the valley, astrantia and myrtle, which holds a special place in the royal family’s heart. According to the official website, adding a sprig of myrtle to the bridal bouquet has been a royal tradition since Princess Victoria tied the knot back in 1840, since the blossom represents love, fertility and innocence.

The bundle was completed by royal wedding florist Philippa Craddock, who tied the flowers together with a silk ribbon. After the wedding, Markle’s bouquet was laid on the Grave of the Unknown Warrior.

Markle’s gorgeous train-like veil featured an intricate design with 53 flowers, representing each country of the British commonwealth. The piece was designed by Clare Waight Keller, artistic director of Givenchy and the same person who created Markle’s ceremony dress. The accessory was held in place by Queen Mary’s diamond bandeau tiara, which was lent to Markle by Queen Elizabeth.

Among the list of attendees were two of Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriends. (Not kidding.) First there’s Cressida Bonas, who dated the royal for two years. Then there’s Chelsy Davy, who had an on-again, off-again relationship with Harry for about seven years. Both women have stayed cordial with the royal family, but that doesn’t make it any less weird.

Markle decided to walk down the aisle alone after news broke that her father, Thomas, wouldn’t be in attendance, making her the first bride in the royal family’s history to have a solo entrance. This is often forgotten about, since the bride met her now-father-in-law, Prince Charles, at the halfway point before continuing down the aisle. When the pair reached Prince Harry, he whispered, “Thank you, Pa.”

After the ceremony, Prince Harry and Markle left St. George’s Chapel for their reception at Frogmore Cottage in a silver-blue Jaguar E-Type Concept Zero car. If you look closely, you’ll notice the vehicle has a special license plate with the couple’s wedding date: “190518.” (Unlike the U.S., the U.K. puts the day before the month. For example, 19 May 2018.)

The BBC broadcast of the couple’s royal wedding generated tons of revenue. After the nuptials, the couple donated more than $112,000 to Feeding Britain, a U.K. charity that launched an emergency food program during the coronavirus pandemic.

If you noticed the empty seat next to Prince William, you should know that it was supposed to be there. While many thought it was a nod to the late Princess Diana, other outlets claimed that it was a request by Queen Elizabeth, who sat directly behind the vacant seat and—therefore—had an unobstructed view of the ceremony.

In addition to his acting career, Idris Elba works as a DJ on the side. The Luther star had previously met Prince Harry on several occasions, but he never expected to DJ the royal wedding reception. “I met Harry and William a few times,” Elba told Ellen DeGeneres. “Harry came to a couple of parties that I DJed, and he was like, ‘Hey, man, what are you doing on [May 19]? Would you DJ at my wedding?’”