It’s almost a British tradition: waking up on the Monday after a frantic wedding weekend, once the fog of Sunday’s hangover has cleared, you can finally face looking back through social media feeds to see if your hazy recollections can really be true.
And after a royal wedding, a whole nation can join in the fun of recalling the odder moments during the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
1. The commoners DID get catering after all
Much fanfare was made of the 1,200 “commoners” invited to the wedding, albeit only at arm’s length and having to provide their own picnic food. They did get a goody bag though, which included a souvenir programme, a fridge magnet, a bottle of water, a chocolate coin, and a 20% discount voucher for the Windsor Castle gift shop.
2. Serena Williams and her sensible footwear
The tennis legend “shocked” fashion correspondents around the globe by revealing that she had sneakily hidden sneakers under her dress for the evening do.
Though described as a “bombshell” revelation by some sections of the British press, any women who have spent a wedding day awkwardly clattering around in an unfamiliar pair of heels will have cheered.
3. Meghan cousin’s less sensible club night
Meghan Markle’s cousin Tyler Dooley had an eventful weekend, which culminated with reports that he was barred from entering a club in London for carrying a knife.
He reportedly told a bystander it was for protection: “I just brought it because Donald Trump said London was like a war zone.”
Dooley, from Oregon, had already hit headlines before the wedding for announcing he would be marketing a new brand of cannabis in the US, called Markle’s Sparkle.
4. Who wore it best?
One fashion no-no was turning up in a dress that had featured in the schmaltzy Lifetime movie Harry and Meghan: A Royal Romance, which had been rushed to our screens in advance of the big day.
One guest appeared to be wearing the same outfit as that worn by actor Parisa Fitz‑Henley in the TV drama during a scene in which Meghan met the Queen.
OMG one of the guests is wearing the same outfit from when Meghan met the queen in the Lifetime movie! 😱 #RoyalWedding pic.twitter.com/9SxDO6k2i9
— Michaela (@lifeofaladybear) May 19, 2018
5. You suddenly remembered neither Harry or Meghan are their names
Weddings are one of the few occasions when your full name gets to be read out loud, revealing to all your friends that you don’t go by the name on your birth certificate. The royal wedding was a double whammy, as Henry and Rachel stood at the altar, and a nation explained to their young children, that yes, this is the right wedding we are watching.
6. The unsolved mystery of the bad breath
The Suits actor Rick Hoffman managed to have his own little social media viral moment in the sun, after he was seen on television pulling a variety of memorable faces during the ceremony. He posted an Instagram video with the hashtag #brushyourteeth to explain that bad breath was the reason.
“So to answer any questions about the weird face that was made at the wedding, imagine sitting next to people to your right … that [have] halitosis”.
7. The mini Elton John concert
As a surprise during the reception, Prince Harry is said to have asked “Does anyone here know how to play the piano?” and Elton John duly stepped forward.
One dedicated fan has added the four-track setlist – Your Song, Circle of Life, I’m Still Standing and Tiny Dancer – to the website setlist.fm. As yet, none of the guests have clicked the “I was there” button.
8. The royal dance-off
Royal weddings are a mix of the hugely public and the very private. However, in this social media era lots of details leaked, including a picture of the exclusive wedding after-party invite. Harry’s polo-playing friend Nacho Figueras shared, and then deleted, the picture on Instagram.
It is rumoured that the Frogmore House party featured a James Corden-compered dance-off between princes Harry, William and their father, a mental image almost too frightening to contemplate.
9. No more memorabilia
And as the royal wedding recedes into memory, at least we’ll never have to look at this again.
