Royal wedding: Palace reveals document used by Queen to give consent
Prince Harry required permission from the Queen ahead of his marriage to Meghan Markle, which is now just one week away.
Monday 14 May 2018 13:48, UK
Buckingham Palace has shared an image of the document used by the Queen to formally sign off on the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The hand-written Instrument of Consent was drafted by the Crown Office and illuminated on vellum - used exclusively for important state documents - by a scrivener artist.
It reads: "NOW KNOW YE that We have consented and do by these Presents signify Our Consent to the contracting of Matrimony between Our Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales, KCVO, and Rachel Meghan Markle."
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To the left of the text is a red dragon (the symbol of Wales), the UK's floral emblems (rose, thistle and shamrock) and Prince Harry's label, including three tiny red escallops from the Spencer family arms.
On the opposite side there is another rose, which is the national flower of the US, flanked by two golden poppies. The poppy is the state flower of Ms Markle's birthplace of California.
Between the flowers is the Welsh leek and again Prince Harry's label, and below that olive branches, which are adopted from the Great Seal of the US.
Underneath is the Commonwealth symbol, with the coronet for Prince Harry on the lower left of the page.
The Great Seal of the Realm is used to seal the document, which features the Queen's signature - Elizabeth R - and will be presented to the newlyweds after the wedding next Saturday.
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Her Majesty actually gave her consent back in March, which was declared at a meeting of the privy council.
If Harry had failed to get the Queen's approval, given under the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, he and his future descendants would have been disqualified from succeeding to the crown.
Under the act, the first six people in line to the throne require the sovereign's approval to marry.
The other five are Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
In the unlikely situation that the monarch withheld her blessing, it would be on the advice of the prime minister, who of course has not been invited to the Windsor wedding.
:: Sky News will broadcast live in Windsor the week before the royal wedding with all the build up to the big day, with exclusive live coverage of the wedding in UHD in a special programme from 9am to 3pm on Sky News and Sky One on Saturday 19 May.