A modern royal wedding

British High Commissioner to TT Tim Stew did not think there would have been much interest in the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. But the fascination of locals, led him to host a viewing and garden party at the High Commission in St Clair yesterday morning.

He said the commission was “keen” to share the royal wedding and celebrate with Trinis and Britons alike as Harry and Meghan’s story had captured people’s hearts and imagination.

“Everybody loves a royal wedding. I’ve been really struck here by how many people have asked me about it or talked to me about it in the last little while. In the UK, you expect it, when I’m in Trinidad I was a little surprised. So it was very clear that we needed to do something to mark the event.”

He added that the “old ties keep going” as evidenced by the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London were all 53 members represented, including 46 heads of government including Queen Elizabeth.

“People have asked questions about what is the value of the Commonwealth and is it still relevant. That series of meetings where the 53 got together and talked about creating a fairer, more secure, more prosperous and more sustainable future for the 53 members of the Commonwealth, it really showed exactly how important it is as an institution.”

Guests, dressed in everything from shorts and jeans to jackets and formal dresses, gathered at the commission as early as 5.30 am to view the thousands lining the route to St George’s Chapel, Windsor, the wedding and, of course, Markle’s dress. There was applause, laughter, cooing and even some groans as they sat on beach chairs and blankets on the grass, having beverages and nibbles.

Most of the laughter came during the sermon of black American Bishop Michael Curry. During his sermon, which was delivered in the typical style of African-American pastors, the camera showed several members of the royal family.

Most likely a bit more energetic than they were accustomed, some, like Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, looked uncomfortable, while others, such as Zara Tindall, daughter of Anne, Princess Royal, who was caught with her mouth open, looked shocked by his preaching style. Prince William looked like he was trying not to smile, as did a few other guests including Princess Beatrice. At one point even Harry and Meghan looked at each other and looked like they too were trying not to laugh.

There was applause from the guests when, near the end of his sermon, Curry said, “We gotta get y’all married!” as well as after the gospel choir, Karen Gibson and the Kingdom Choir sang Stand By Me by and when Harry and Meghan were pronounced husband and wife.

There were also two briefly disturbing moments when the live feed was interrupted at crucial times. The first was when the feed started to buffer when Harry and William exited the vehicle in front of the chapel in their uniforms. And the second was when Meghan exited her car and the screen went blank. That time there was a loud shout of protest from those gathered but both times the feed returned quickly to their relief.

Stew described the wedding as wonderful, extremely colourful and emotional. He explained there was less protocol because of Prince Harry’s position in the line of succession so the couple had more leeway to decide what they wanted.

“I think what you saw was a wonderful blend of the two of them. They have said publicly, many number of times, how they are going to do things together and I think what we saw this morning was exactly that – a blend and a mix of what they bring to that marriage.”

Briton Sylvia Keigwin found the wedding was very non-traditional, and a refreshing change from previous royal weddings.

“It still had the pomp and ceremony but it was noticeable that they tried to bring in her culture and modernise it a bit, like having Stand By Me rather than having a traditional hymn. I really was taken aback when they started singing that.”

She said the new Duchess of Sussex came across as a nice person, but one who was outspoken, not demure, and willing to stand up for issues.

She said Princess Diana was so popular because she was known for doing things she felt passionate about and she hoped Meghan would be similar. “Hopefully that means she’s going to use the platform that she now has for good.”

Trinidadian Lianne Thomas said she enjoyed the ceremony, including the decor of the chapel, describing it as a real life fairy tale. “It’s two different backgrounds coming together – an American and a British – so it changes up things a little bit. Even in the ceremony you saw a fusion of two different cultures. That was very interesting. I don’t think there has ever been anything like that before.”

She said the British society was very conservative and felt Meghan was good for the monarchy, that maybe she would modernise it. She said Meghan seemed to be a powerful woman and could see her bringing about some change. She hoped Meghan used her position in the royal family to empower women.

“I think Diana would be proud to see her son just being happy and stepping out of the box and modernising the royal family as she did at the time.”