Prince Harry, Meghan Markle reveal royal wedding invites

Britain's Prince Harry, left, and Meghan Markle pose for the media at Kensington Palace in London after announcing their engagement on November 27, 2017. Photo / AP

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have finally sent out the 600 invitations to their eagerly anticipated May wedding after months of fevered anticipation.

Some 600 guests will attend Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding service at St George's Chapel before they all make their way to a lunchtime reception at St George's Hall, which is being given by the Queen.

Later that evening, 200 guests are invited to the private reception at Frogmore House given by The Prince of Wales.

Invitations for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in May, printed at the workshop of Barnard and Westwood in London. Photo /AP

Barnard and Westwood have been making Royal invitations since 1985. Photo / AP

The invitation stipulates a strict dress code with men asked to don military uniform - likely to be worn by Harry, a former solder who is now Captain General of Royal Marines - or a morning coat and lounge hat, with women asked to wear a day dress and hat.

The invitations, posted this week, have been produced by company Barnard & Westwood, which has held a Royal Warrant for Printing & Bookbinding by Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen since 1985.

Using American ink on English card, the invites - on thick white card gilded along the edge - feature printed italic writing and are issued under Charles's name and bear his heraldic feathers embossed in gold at the top.

Using American ink on English card, the invitations are printed in gold and black, then burnished to bring out the shine, and gilded around the edge. pic.twitter.com/gQpC6tDot0

— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) March 22, 2018

Each invitation was printed by Lottie Small, who recently completed her apprenticeship, on a machine from the 1930s that she affectionately nicknamed 'Maude'.

The invitations are similar to the ones sent out for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding in 2011 - although these were in a different font and were issued with the Queen's royal cypher.

Lottie Small use the die stamping press at the workshop of Barnard and Westwood in London. Photo / AP

Lottie Small cuts the crests being used on the invitations for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in May, at the workshop of Barnard and Westwood in London. Photo / AP

They featured the words "The Lord Chamberlain is commanded by the Queen to invite...."

The invitations read: "His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales KG KT requests the pleasure of the company of....... at the marriage of His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales with Ms Meghan Markle at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on Saturday 19th May, 2018 at 12 Noon followed by a reception at Windsor Castle."

The royal couple will marry at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle on May 19, with millions of people expected to watch around the world.

Invitations to the wedding of Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle have been issued in the name of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. pic.twitter.com/jidwuYboon

— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) March 22, 2018

They will then embark on a carriage procession around the Berkshire town, cheered by residents and visitors, before a reception at St George's Hall.

A smaller number of guests will join them at the evening receptions hosted by Prince Charles.

Standing about half a mile south of Windsor Castle in Windsor Home Park, Frogmore House has been a Royal Residence since 1792.

Frogmore House is where Harry and Markle posed for their official engagement photos.

The location of the venue - away from the Castle - will offer the pair privacy as they celebrate with friends and family.

Palace aides have previously said that the Prince and Markle's wedding will 'reflect their characters and personalities'. Photo / AP

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visit Edinburgh Castle during their first official joint visit to Scotland on February 13, 2018. Photo / Getty

Palace aides have previously said that the prince and Markle's wedding will "reflect their characters and personalities" and be a moment of "fun and joy".

The Queen will attend, as will the rest of the royal family, along with Markle's parents Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte are likely to take on the roles of pageboy and bridesmaid.

The royal family are paying for the wedding, including the church service, the music, the flowers and the reception.

But the security costs for the high-profile event are being covered by the state.

Harry proposed to Suits star Markle during a cosy night in over a roast chicken dinner after a 16-month whirlwind romance.

In his engagement interview he told of how "the stars were aligned" when he fell for his future wife, whom he met on a blind date.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby will marry the couple and the Rt Rev David Conner, Dean of Windsor, will conduct the service at the Castle's 15th century chapel.

The invitation asks men to don military uniform - which is likely to be worn by Prince Harry, who is Captain General of the Royal Marines. Photo / AP

The wedding takes place on the same date as the 2018 FA Cup Final and, as president of the Football Association, Harry's older brother the Duke of Cambridge usually attends the FA Cup Final and presents the trophy.

Windsor Castle is less than 50km from Wembley Stadium and about an hour's drive – meaning that William would be away from the celebrations for a minimum of two hours if he was to dash off to present the silverware.

Last month, the second-in-line to the throne joked about whether or not he would be best man, quipping: "He hasn't asked me yet – it could be a sensitive issue."

He also said he is "still working" on the date clash between the wedding and the football.

It had been suspected that Harry and Meghan would select a banana cake for their upcoming nuptials because the Prince loves "anything with banana".

But instead they have gone for a lemon and elderflower creation to reflect their springtime wedding date.

Meghan Markle's engagement ring was designed by Prince Harry. Photo / Getty

Meghan is known to be a fan of peonies, which will be in bloom at the time of her Windsor wedding, and East End based baker Claire Ptak has used peonies on her stylish wedding cakes in the past.

Claire makes wedding cakes on request and Harry and Meghan's lemon and elderflower creation appears to be a unique custom design just for the royal couple.

Announcing the news, Claire wrote on her Instagram account: ''Kinda excited to announce this one! Violet has been chosen to make the wedding cake for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. They both share so many of the same values regarding food provenance, sustainability, seasonality and of course, flavour!"

Prince William, Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge, Meghan Markle and Britain's Prince Harry arrive for the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey, London on March 12, 2018. Photo / AP

Her rustic baking style is a marked difference from Kate and William's traditional wedding cake, which was an eight-tiered iced fruitcake decorated with 900 delicate sugar-paste flowers.

How many tiers the next royal bride and groom will have on their cake remains to be seen, but what seems certain is that they are breaking with formal tradition.

And the fact they are eschewing fruitcake does raise another question – the top tier of a wedding cake is traditionally saved for the christening of a couple's first child. In fact, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (with great foresight) kept three tiers of theirs.

Inspiration for the flavour may come from close to home. Harry's father, the Prince of Wales, and the Duchess of Cornwall were presented with two lemon and Cornish elderflower sponge cakes on a visit to Porthleven in Cornwall last summer.