royally blessed

Let's talk about Meghan (and Harry, obvs). Because I'm sure none of you have noticed that yesterday marked the wedding of many people around the world including my friend Sam & her beau in Melbourne, my friend Asad's pal Ruth & her beau in Sheffield, and of course my close pals Hazza & Megz in Windsor. What a momentous occasion - for love, the British royal family, and people of colour all over the world. Or as worldwide news outlets are summarising yesterday's events - a historic wedding breaking hundreds of years of tradition. But I think the Guardian summarised it best amongst this morning's papers: two people fell in love, and we all showed up.

🙅 Before y'all get excited: this is not, I repeat not, a blow-by-blow account of the "big day". I don't need to describe the events of yesterday's Royal Wedding because firstly, every media outlet has pretty much covered every detail of it - including the colour of Elton John's socks for the big event (sparkly pink to co-ordinate with his pink glasses, obvs) - and secondly, you should have watched my Instastories because I pretty much was a reporter for the wedding via my kitchen whilst I was making coconut eggy-bread (that's right, I am just classy like that). If you want the low-down before reading on, or were just living under a rock yesterday, then please read the Guardian summary as it is eloquently written and extremely accurate as all news reporting is (and then tell me where your rock is plz).

What I'm about to muse on is several observations that I liked, celebrated, didn't understand, or just plain didn't like about this magical event (I did get emosh - not gonna lie - Doria Ragland's face throughout the whole thing was like me while I was making brunch at home, for reals).

The Good & The Celebrated ● what a shindig!

👸💘🤴 two people fell in love, and it was their wedding ● Whether you are pro or against the British Royal family, you cannot deny that there will have been an extra level of "follow these rules" pressure for yesterday, which for both bride and groom must have been intense. Essentially, Harry and Meghan are having to share not only one of the most intimate moments of their lives with millions of people around the world, but they also have to adhere to a certain level of decorum that's "appropriate" for a royal family on show. Talk about no pressure. If Meghan had been painted as bridezilla in any way, I would have 100% understood - I would have been shouting and throwing things at every living person up until the big day, LOL. So, massive props to Meghan for maintaining what looked like utter calm and class throughout not only the build up but the day itself. It ain't an easy gig, to say the least.

💏 Best of all, it looked like Harry and Meghan got through the whole royal show because they genuinely are in love with each other, and are about to enter a new chapter together that I am sure will be both exciting and impactful on the world we live in today - just based on what we saw yesterday, their personal touch will be a part of their royal stamp from this day forward - from the uniform Harry chose to wear, to Bishop Michael Curry's "power of love" speech, to the wedding dress Meghan wore (by British designer Clare Waight Keller - the first female artistic director at Givenchy), to the gospel choir (apparently chosen by Prince Charles), to the A-list Hollywood guest-list (oh heyyy Oprah), to Sheku Kanneh-Mason's (first black winner of the BBC Young Music Award) beautiful pieces whilst the registers were being signed by Pa of Wales and Ma Ragland. As I watched the event unfold, it definitely felt like we had all been invited to their wedding - the couple's stamp firmly printed onto ye olde Windsor.

💁 the modern princess ● Where do I even start - everyone knows (slash has read) that Meghan is the epitome of a modern woman: a successful working woman, activist from a young age, strongly pro gender equality, from a mixed-race and divorced family, is incredibly beautiful (to me anyway) with the most infectious smile, and now to top it all off is also IN LOVE with the gent of her dreams and IS A PRINCESS. Dear demanding-modern-society, if this isn't what a woman sticking it to the man looks like, I don't know what is - well, minus the "where are the babies" expectations but it's only been a day since they got hitched people so give them a break will ya, I think they kind of deserve it. AmIRight?! Princess Markle has definitely earnt her delicious cake, and she is eating that bad boy.

Meghan has also been referred to as the 21st century people's princess, with strong links to Princess Diana weaved into her updated/royal image, with comments such as "Princess Diana and Meghan would have got on like a house-on-fire" flying around not only from the press but from Prince Harry himself (insert engagement video). And do you know what? I can see it. I can see exactly what everyone is referring to and it is beyond adorable how Prince Harry has openly talked about what I can only imagine as a difficult subject for him - well Hazza, mumma of Wales would have been super proud of you yesterday (and urrrday).

✊ wobbling the British stiff upper lip 101 ● By far the most delicious part of the royal wedding though was how much the British stiff upper lip was shook.

1) no politicians allowed - hay-loving PM Theresa May must have been gutted (GEORGE CLOONEY WAS THERE PEOPLE!) but this was a great decision by the happy couple - moving politics out and putting Hollywood in (aka the whole cast of Suits YAAASSSSS - Meghan's long time US hit TV show family). Good job too, because their wedding-hat game 100% smashed the Brits out of the water (hellooo Amal Clooney and your boss-lady vibes - I love you).

2) Bishop Curry's sermon - let's watch it again in its full fourteen minutes of glory, it was just pure and perfect chat for the occasion. Thank you Bishop - you had the crowd in the palm of your magnificent hands, they smiled, they laughed, and they squirmed (oh heyyy weaving slavery into your sermon - IT WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN - in one of the oldest and whitest institutions in Britain).

3) an over-index in the number of people-of-colour in Windsor - whether the normally sleepy town of Windsor was ready for it or not, I don't imagine it's ever seen such a high share of people of colour per square foot EVER. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but it was one of the most incredibly diverse royal weddings I have ever seen anyway, and I don't know about you but it just made my little heart sing with pride because it's the Britain that I know and love.

The Bad & The Out-right Confusing ● say what now?

👀 #blackroyalwedding ● So, I woke up this morning post yesterday's festivities and started to see this hashtag all over my news and social media feeds. WHY?! Because Meghan is half-black, a black Bishop did a sermon, an all-black choir sang Stand By Me, and a black-cellist? I don't deny that it was a huge milestone for the African American community to be as highly represented as they were yesterday, but I think the real hashtag the world is desperately looking for to describe yesterday's union is #mixedraceroyalwedding - there were people of all races there, including Meghan herself who is not just black but mixed race. Get to know the difference world, it's not a simple division and decision of this is black and this is white - if it is, then should we start referring to past royal weddings as #whiteroyalwedding - I really don't think this would go down well, but I am sure someone somewhere will be thinking it is now a good idea just because a subset of people have decided to dub yesterday as the #blackroyalwedding - great.

🌟 sparkle like mumma Markle ● Props to the second lady who stole the show yesterday: Ms Doria Ragland - what a legend. Her face throughout the whole event was literally a mirror image of mine while I was watching from the comfort of my kitchen - a delicious mixture of pride, happiness, overwhelmed, and confusion. She looked fantastic too, and again like her daughter maintained utter calm and class for what I can only assume as one of the most surreal experiences of her life (understatement of the year). However, there were two things I did not get about mumma Markle's involvement in the wedding.

1) Why couldn't she walk Meghan down the aisle when papa Markle couldn't make it? I really hope this was just due to a logistical challenge - like, they really had no time to do a different run through, but even then I still don't get it. She was in the car with Meghan, but then she had to get out, when she could have literally just stayed in the car, paige boys joining them both, and then she could have walked Meghan down the aisle - rather than Meghan having to awkwardly meet Papa of Wales midway down the aisle - randomly emerging from a flower arrangement, which obviously didn't look awkward. at. all.

2) Why didn't the Windsors let Doria sit with them? Again, this may have been a logistical or "proper way" of running the wedding ceremony rule. Although I felt that Doria completely held her own and looked absolutely fine as the only family of the bride sat on the bride's side, what harm is there to including her as part of her new family on the Windsor side? Everyone knew that Meghan's father couldn't attend, and her half-siblings were not invited, so literally - what's in the mother-of-the-bride sitting with the rest of the new extended family? If this is down to tradition, then all I can say is traditions can be broken or changed - particularly in special circumstances like yesterday. For me, it would have signified a lot - inclusion, family support, and just pure human decency - that is, unless Doria was asked and was like HELL NO, in which case, go ahead Doria, do yo thang gurl. At the end of the day, the only people that can change these traditions are the Royal family themselves - but, it was nice of Prince Charles to take Doria's hand for the signing of the registers, good work mate.

🙋 oooh she's broken so many rules ● Something I also found fascinating about the whole #HarryWedMeg event - build up and actual day - was how many times people referred to them (or Meghan on her own) "breaking the rules" and being "so different" in comparison to other Royals.

One of my favourite examples was around the food, that 1) Lemon & Elderflower wedding cake and BOWL FOOD - ahhh, the food in bowls that needed extensive explanation by the BBC about what they were (food in a bowl) and why Meghan and Harry had chosen this for their evening reception (probs so people can actually move around and talk to each other - how sociable of them at their own wedding). On a side note - I would have taken Lemon & Elderflower cake any day and errrday over a "traditional cake" (whatever that is) - I blooming love lemon drizzle, and I blooming love Elderflower, so... IDEAL, excellent work (and taste) Hazza and Megz.

Then there was the constant referencing to 2) no maid-of-honour etc. - Meghan had chosen not to have one as she didn't want to choose between some of her closest girlfriends (logical, but also I like to think that she didn't want the press to talk about her close pal's bums for the rest of the week so... yeah, logical). The people and the press loved mentioning how Meghan would be "walking herself down the aisle" as if she was some sort of loner-child-with-no-friends on her first day at school or something. Technically, and I saw this with my very own eyes people but bear with me, I saw Meghan walking down the aisle with the Archbishop of Canterbury, her two godsons (with their beautiful gap-toothy electric grins) and let's be honest, she didn't walk alone because I feel like we walked down that aisle with her after all the will-he-or-won't-he-walk-her-down-the-aisle drama around Papa Markle. To which, I say, GO MEGHAN GO - YOU GO GET YO PRINCE INDEPENDENTLY GURL!

And also, 3) the Royals don't wear wedding rings?! All I can say here is: you go Meghan - you like it so you better put a ring on it. P.S. well done Prince Harry for sticking it to the royal-man and letting our Meghan put a ring on it.

In summary, it was a smashing wedding. ● Having said everything, I am not going to lie - I was filled up with the love and positivity by the end of it. I laughed, I dry-cried, I smiled, and I belted out Stand By Me at the top of my lungs when the glorious choir sang. If these two weren't "The Royals", and I just knew Megz and Hazza like any other pal, and was invited to their wedding (ideal) then I would have had an absolutely cracker-of-a-time celebrating with them yesterday - crazy dance moves (definitely inappropriate for Windsor) included. The happy couple did good, and the BBC beautifully filmed and captured every moment for me (and I'm sure a lot of you) to feel just that little bit closer to Hazza & Megz on their big day. And to round it all off perfectly (because I am British too after all), the weather... was GORGEOUS.

💕 Huge congratulations to my now favourite royal-couple: wishing you both all the best - I cannot wait to see what you two powerhouse rebels get up to now your stars are aligned.

Oh, and so everyone can re-live the best five moments again, here's something I (cross-out "I" with "the BBC") put together for you all to enjoy.

That's it. Don't forget to make-like-a-Markle and Sparkle. ✨

🙆 See y'all soon!