Royal wedding date: Timings and venue details for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's ceremony

Time to dust off your finest china and go hat shopping: another royal wedding is nearly upon us.

Follow our liveblog for all the latest updates on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's ceremony

Fifth in line to the throne Prince Harry is engaged to marry American actress Meghan Markle, best known for her role as Rachel Zane in legal drama Suits.

But the soon-to-be royal couple are set to break with tradition by organising a celebration that “reflects the characters of the bride and groom.”

When is the royal wedding?

The wedding is taking place on Saturday 19 May 2018 at midday, with the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Revd. and Rt Hon. Justin Welby officiating.

Where is it taking place?

The ceremony will be held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, where Prince Harry was christened. It has apparently become a “very special place” for the couple.

The chapel was also the location for Peter Phillips’ - son of Anne, Princess Royal - wedding to Autumn Kelly in May 2008 and Prince Edward’s marriage to Sophie, Countess of Wessex, in June 1999.

St George’s Chapel has capacity for up to 800 guests, which is significantly smaller than the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding location of Westminster Abbey, which seats 2,000.

At 1pm, the royal couple will travel through Windsor in the Ascot Landau carriage.

The reception for the congregation is likely to take place in St George’s Hall, a 180ft-long room inside Windsor Castle which often holds large state banquets.

In the evening, Prince Charles will hold a private reception for family and close friends of the couple.

How can we watch?

The ceremony will be televised and there will be a pool camera, which means all media outlets will be able to broadcast live footage. You’ll also be able to stream the wedding online on computers, tablets and smartphones.

If you’re in Windsor you can also try and catch a glimpse of the newlyweds on their carriage procession which will go down Castle Hill, High Street, Sheet Street, Kings Road, Albert Road, Long Walk and back to Windsor Castle.

What details do we know?

The royal family will pay for all the core aspects of the wedding, such as the service, flowers, music, decorations and reception.

The cake will be designed and baked by Claire Ptak of the Violet Bakery in east London. It will be a lemon and elderflower cake, covered with buttercream and decorated with fresh flowers.

Skipping the classic fruit cake, this isn’t the only way the couple is breaking with tradition - Meghan is also set to make a speech at the reception, especially if her father chooses not to do so.

Although the public won’t get a day off in lieu of the Saturday wedding, it’s likely pubs and bars will be allowed to extend their usual opening hours to 1am on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 May.

Who's taking the pictures?

The official wedding photographer has been announced to be Alexi Lubomirski, who also took the couple’s engagement photos.

“I could not be more thrilled or honoured to photograph this historic occasion,” Lubomirski said. “Having taken Prince Harry and Ms Markle’s engagement photos, it brings me such joy to be able to witness again, the next chapter in this wonderful love story.”

What will Markle wear?

It’s unlikely that the designer of Markle’s dress will be revealed before the big day, however speculation is rife.

Many suspect Canadian-born designer Erdem Moralıoğlu may be the man chosen for the job, however others note that his close ties with the Duchess of Cambridge might mark him out.

British designer Henry Holland has revealed he believes Burberry’s former chief creative officer, Christopher Bailey, would be perfect for the job.

Who's the best man?

Prince Harry has asked the Duke of Cambridge to be his best man.

The royal brothers have decided to keep things in the family once again after Prince Harry served as best man to Prince William when he married Kate Middleton in 2011.

Kensington Palace said: “The Duke of Cambridge is honoured to have been asked, and is very much looking forward to supporting his brother at St George's Chapel, Windsor on May 19th.”

It is not yet known who Markle's Maid of Honour will be, if she decides to have one, but it's suspected that Prince George and Princess Charlotte will be page boy and flower girl.

What will the music be?

Markle and Prince Harry have carefully selected the musicians who will perform at their wedding ceremony.

James Vivian, director of music at St George’s Chapel, will oversee all of the music on the day of the nuptials, supervising the choral groups, soloists and musicians that have all been asked to perfor

One of whom is 19-year-old cellist and Royal Academy of Music student Sheku Kanneh-Mason, who was personally asked to perform by Markle.

The choir of St George's Chapel will be singing at the service, as well as gospel group the Kingdom Choir.

The orchestra that will play as the couple exchange vows will be conducted by Christopher Warren-Green, consisting of musicians from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the English Chamber Orchestra and the Philharmonia.

As for the evening private celebration, it's expected that there will be at least one A-list performance. The rumour mill is currently pointing towards the Spice Girls, Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith.

This article was originally published in March 2018