Behind the scenes of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding prep

May 18, 2018

Baker Claire Ptak ices the "ethereal" royal wedding cake

Fans got a sneak peek of Violet Bakery owner Claire icing one of the sections of Prince Harry and Meghan's lemon elderflower wedding cake, which is an "ethereal" break from traditional fruit cakes - and the display will be totally modern and unique too. But Claire's not spilling the beans. "You'll have to wait and see on the day. It's an installation of the way that we're putting it out. It's the last thing that we'll reveal. It's a non-traditional layout," she revealed. "It's a slight shift from tradition."

Kensington Palace revealed the whopping number of ingredients that are going into the confection, including a cordial made from the Queen's elderflower:
 200 Amalfi lemons
讀 500 organic eggs from Suffolk
 20kgs of butter
 20kgs of flour
 20kgs of sugar
弄 10 bottles of Sandringham Elderflower Cordial

Photo: © Getty Images

The St George's Chapel choir boys are warming up their vocals

In an adorable set of photos released on May 17, the choir boys at the chapel where Prince Harry and Meghan will say "I do" on the 19th were hard at work perfecting their keys. The one to have the final say is director of music James Vivian, who led the group in practice. The ages of the 35 singers range from choristers as young as nine that attend the local St George's School to professional adult singers, or lay clerks, who live in the area.

"Super excited" members Leo Mills, 11, and nine-year-old Nathan Mcharo can't wait to perform for millions. "I knew that we sang for the Queen every Easter and other occasions but I didn't think we'd sing at any royal weddings," Leo said, adding that they've been rehearsing for three or four weeks. But with the excitement comes nerves, and Nathan is feeling them. "I've got a bit of nerves but that's all right because we're confident."

Photo: © Getty Images

<h2>All roads lead to holy matrimony</h2>
The barriers have gone up in Windsor, where crowds of thousands will be excitedly waiting for a glimpse of the royal family and wedding guests.
<p>Photo: © Karwai Tang/WireImage

<h2>Inspecting the pollinator plants</h2>
At the Royal Parks Nursery in Hyde Park, the blooms are being inspected in the final days before Prince Harry and Meghan say "I do." Nursery manager Mike Jones gave the Dusky Cranesbill geraniums a once over on May 14. The couple has selected many pollinator plants, so we can expect to see bees and butterflies buzzing around.
<p>Photo: © Victoria Jones/AFP/Getty Images

<h2>Pretty purple blooms are prepared for their moment in the spotlight</h2>
Alice Laughton, Project Manager at Mission Invertebrate, was photographed at Royal Parks Nursery in Hyde Park inspecting green plants with pretty purple flowers for use in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding on May 19.
<p>Photo: © Victoria Jones/AFP/Getty Images

<h2>The wedding flowers are on their way</h2>
<p>A large order of pink and white blooms were spotted being loaded into a truck outside royal wedding florist Philippa Craddock's London shop. The beautiful flowers were loaded into clear plastic bins along with large ornamental vases and decorative branches. A number of ladders can also be seen in the truck.</p>
<p>She already counts Kensington Palace as a client, so the florist was a natural choice for Prince Harry and Meghan. Like many other aspects of the wedding, the couple will use seasonal, local and sustainable choices that include branches of beech, hornbeam and birch, as well as Meghan's fave peonies, foxgloves, white garden roses and "pollinator-friendly" plants.

<h2>The Navy got their marching orders</h2>
Even the members of the Royal Navy Small Ships and Diving Unit were practicing their steps and staging ahead of the wedding of the year. Going over their moves on the parade ground at HMS Collingwood in Hampshire on May 16, the men were inspected by a Royal Navy Petty Officer measuring the distance between them.
<p>Photo: © Andrew Matthews/AFP/Getty Images

<h2>The baker has sourced her lemons</h2>
<p>When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced that they'd have a seasonal lemon elderflower wedding cake instead of a traditional fruit cake, mouths around the world started watering. Violet Cakes founder Claire Ptak, who Meghan had celebrated on her blog The Tig years earlier, was selected as the baker and it looks like she's gearing up to get the confection going!</p>
<p>Claire shared this photo of a few crates of lemons on Instagram, along with the caption "And so it begins" plus a lemon emoji. The creative dessert, which will boast a buttercream frosting, will be enjoyed by 200 guests at the couple's second reception as Frogmore House, hosted by Prince Charles.</p>
<p>Photo: © Instagram/@violetcakeslondon

The kitchen is cleaning seasonal produce

Flavour isn't the only thing underpinning the dishes that guests like Jessica Mulroney and Gabriel Macht will enjoy - locality and seasonality are also very important to the couple, who were heavily involved in conceptualizing the menu. The selections are being helmed by Royal Chef Mark Flanagan, who says the couple has tasted everything and were heavily involved in choosing the dishes.

The first reception, hosted by the Queen, will feature canapés and food served in bowls that guests can enjoy standing for a less formal atmosphere. Seasonal asparagus, peas and tomatoes will be incorporated. "We are using produce off Her Majesty's estates and that features very much," added the royal chef. "We've really just been trying to let the ingredients stand proud within the dishes. There's no experimentation on Saturday whatsoever, tried and tested and predominantly classics."