WINDSOR, England (WHDH) — Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will marry this weekend at Windsor Castle, a royal residence on the River Thames with a rich history.
Windsor Castle has been a royal residence since the 11th century and is one of the homes of Queen Elizabeth II. The wedding will take place at St. George’s Chapel inside the castle. The chapel is a more intimate venue than Westminster Abbey, where Prince William married Kate Middleton in 2011.
St. George’s Chapel has hosted more than a dozen royal weddings over the years. Queen Victoria’s eldest son, the future King Edward VII, married Princess Alexandra of Denmark at the chapel back in 1863. He was the first of a number of Victoria’s children to wed there.
More recently, Queen Elizabeth’s youngest son Prince Edward and his wife Sophie married at St. George’s in 1999. Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles also had their civil ceremony there in 2005. And Prince Harry is no stranger to St. George’s either — he was christened there in 1984. He also accompanied his mother Princess Diana to the 1992 wedding of Lady Helen Windsor, the daughter of one of the queen’s cousins, which was held at the chapel.
Windsor Castle has also had tragedy strike. In 1992, a fire tore through the castle, destroying priceless artwork and collapsing roofs. The fire topped a rough year for the royal family; Queen Elizabeth called it an “annus horribilis,” or horrible year, after all of her married children split with their partners.
Prince Harry is not the only member of the royal family getting married at Windsor Castle this year. His cousin, Princess Eugenie, will be getting married at St. George’s Chapel in October.
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